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Hatsuharu was the lead ship of her class in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Spring Rains".
Hatsuharu spent most of the war escorting larger warships and transports throughout the "Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," as Japan called its empire. She escorted tanker convoys to Davao, Balikpapan, Makassar, and Tarakan in early 1942. Later in the year, the destroyer made transport runs to Kiska, getting hit on October 17 by US Army B-26s, taking a direct hit on her stern that wrecked the rudder and killed four crew. For most of 1943, she was under repair and refit, the large guns in her after turret being replaced by triple 25mm anti-aircraft guns. From October 1943 through November 1944, Hatsuharu again performed escort duties, to destinations such as Singapore, Truk, Formosa, Manila, and Iwo Jima.
On 13-14 November 1944, Hatsuhara was sunk in a U.S. air raid on Manila. Near-misses led to flooding and fires; she sank upright in the shallow water of Manila Bay, suffering twelve dead and 60 injured. Two months later, she was struck from the Navy List.
Completed - 1933
Displacement - 1,802 tons
Dimensions - 359'3" x 32'9" x 9'11"
Speed - 36 knots
Crew - 200
5 x 5" main guns
up to 21 x 25mm AA,
up to 4 x 13mm AA,
9 x 24" Torpedo Tubes (Recognition Manual shows only 6 tubes.)
Sources: Public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
and pictures from my father's 1943 Naval Recognition Manual
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