Hakachi
 The Hakachi on November 9, 1943 in Aioi
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The Hakachi ( Japanese 波 勝 ), named after the Cape Hakachi, was a target ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy , which was used in World War II .
history
Development history
Before the Pacific War , the IJN wanted to increase the training efficiency of bomber crews for the outbreak of war. The destroyer Yakaze was converted into a target ship for bomb drop training, but its armor was comparatively weak, corresponding to that of a destroyer. The Yakaze could only withstand the effects of one-kilogram bombs.
The Hakachi was then built so that it was able to withstand 10 kilogram bombs dropped from a dropping height of 4000 meters. The Hakachi was the first newbuilding of the IJN, which was designed as a bomb target ship. Her flat steel deck gave her the appearance of an escort carrier and protected her from 10 and 30 kilogram practice bombs without explosives. The IJN later built the Ōhama class as the next generation target ship, because the Hakachi was the only ship available for training bomber pilots. The IJN wanted to use the Hakachi in the combined fleet on the southern front.
construction
The construction contract for the later Hakachi was awarded to Ishikawajima-Harima as part of the additional district construction program (Maru Tsui Keikaku) from 1941 with construction number 660 . This put the hull on February 1, 1943 at their shipyard ( Harima Zōsen ) in Aioi on Kiel and the launch on June 27, 1943. The commissioning took place on November 18, 1943.
Mission history
As of December 1, 1943, the Hakachi was assigned to the combined fleet and moved to Truk on December 24th . There she was used accordingly as a bomb target ship for the training of pilots. In mid-February 1944, she was badly damaged by American carrier aircraft during Operation Hailstone . On February 24, 1944, the damaged ship reached the Palau Islands and was repaired by the workshop ship Akashi . It was converted to serve as an escort vehicle for local ship convoys. The existing armament of four 13.2 mm consisting machine guns type 93 for air defense formed by two 12-cm-guns 28 2.5 cm, automatic cannon type 96 was replaced. Were further depth charge launchers and up to 36 depth charges scaffolded for anti-submarine. On March 18, she went to the Lingga Islands as an escort ship and then to the Gulf of Davao on May 24 . On October 1st she made another escort to the convoy. She survived the war in the Seto Inland Sea and was decommissioned from the Imperial Japanese Navy on November 30, 1945. From December 1, 1945, the ship was assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service as a transport ship. On December 11, 1946, the Hakachi arrived in Sasebo on their last repatriation voyage . In total, she transported 1,641 former Japanese military personnel back to Japan . In 1947 it was broken up in Osaka by the Fujinagata Zosensho company .
technical description
hull
The hull of the Hakachi was 93.5 meters long, 11.3 meters wide and had a draft of 3.81 meters with an operational displacement of 1,930 tons .
drive
It was driven by two steam generators - Kampon boilers of the Yarrow type Model Ho-Gō - and two geared turbine sets with which a total output of 4,400 hp (3,236 kW ) was achieved. These gave their power to two shafts with one screw each . The top speed was 19.3 knots (36 km / h ) and the maximum distance traveled 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 km) at 14 knots.
Armament
When commissioned, the armament consisted of four 13.2 mm type 93 machine guns in double mounts, which were used for air defense .
literature
- Hansgeorg Jentschura, Dieter Jung, Peter Mickel: Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1869-1945 . US Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1977, ISBN 0-87021-893-X , pp. 271 (English).
- Ships of the World special issue Vol.47 Auxiliary Vessels of the Imperial Japanese Navy , Kaijinsha, (Japan) 1997
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.34, Japanese Auxiliary ships , Ushio Shobō (Japan) 1979
- Senshi Sōsho Vol.31, Naval armaments and war preparation (1), "Until November 1941" , Asagumo Simbun (Japan) 1969
Web links
- Hakachi on combinedfleet.com (English)