Japanese destroyer Yūgumo (1941)

Yūgumo class destroyer

Yūgumo (夕雲) was the lead ship of her class of destroyer built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

The Yūgumo class was a repeat of the preceding with minor improvements that increased their anti aircraft capabilities. Their crew numbered 228 officers and enlisted men. The ships measured overall, with a beam of and a draft of They displaced at standard load and at deep load. The ships had two Kampon geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by three Kampon water tube boilers. The turbines were rated at a total of for a designed speed of
The main armament of the Yūgumo class consisted of six Type 3 guns in three twin gun turrets, one superfiring pair aft and one turret forward of the superstructure. They were built with four Type 96 anti aircraft guns in two twin gun mounts, but more of these guns were added over the course of the war. The ships were also armed with eight torpedo tubes in a two quadruple traversing mounts; one reload was carried for each tube. Their anti submarine weapons comprised two depth charge throwers for which 36 depth charges were carried.

Yūgumo participated in the battles of Midway, the Eastern Solomons, and the Santa Cruz Islands. The destroyer made troop transport runs to Guadalcanal on 7 and 10 November 1942. She then made troop transport runs to Buna, Papua New Guinea on 17 and 22 November. The ship then performed troop evacuation runs to Guadalcanal on 1 and 4 February 1943. Three days later, Yūgumo took part in a troop evacuation run to the Russell Islands. The destroyer made troop transport runs to Kolombangara on 1 and 5 April. On 29 July, Yūgumo evacuated 479 soldiers from Kiska. She performed a troop evacuation run to Kolombangara on 2 October 1943. On the night of 6–7 October 1943, Yūgumo was on a troop evacuation run to Vella Lavella. In the Battle of Vella Lavella, she charged U. S. destroyers, irreparably damaging Chevalier with a torpedo. She was sunk in turn by gunfire and at least one torpedo from Chevalier and Selfridge, northwest of Vella Lavella , with 138 killed. U. S. PT boats rescued 78 survivors and another 25 reached friendly lines in an abandoned U. S. lifeboat, but Commander Osako was killed in action.