AcePilots Home    World War Two Ships Home    Imperial Japanese Navy Page    Destroyer Page

The 1930 London Naval Treaty limited the number of destroyers that Japan could have, so the IJN developed ships that weighed less than 600 tons, but which carried almost as much firepower as a conventional destroyer.

The first of these "torpedo boats on steroids," the Chidori, was launched in 1933. In 1934, a sister ship, the Tomozuru, capsized in heavy seas, due to the weight of her armaments. Modifications, including the removing of some armaments followed, and four ships of the type were eventually completed (Chidori, Manazuru, Tomozuru and Hatsukari). The Chidori was sent to the bottom by submarine USS TILEFISH (SS-307), off Honshu, Japan, on Dec. 22, 1944.

Chidori had three 12.7cm main guns and four torpedo tubes, with a total displacement just under 600 tons and her maximum speed was approximately 30 knots.

text

Sources: Public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

and pictures from my father's 1943 Naval Recognition Manual

Continue the discussion at the Ships Forum or email me (photos of WW2 ships welcome).

Copyright 2007, by Acepilots.com. All rights reserved.