Japanese destroyer Wakatsuki
was an destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Young Moon". Design and description The Akizuki-class ships were originally designed as anti-aircraft escorts for carrier battle groups, but were modified with torpedo tubes and depth charges to meet the need for more general-purpose destroyer. Her crew numbered 300 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 ship 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 ship carried up to of fuel oil which gave them a range of at a speed of . The main armament of the Akizuki class consisted of eight Type 98 dual purpose guns in four twin-gun turrets, two superfiring pairs fore and aft of the superstructure. They carried four Type 96 anti-aircraft guns in two twin-gun mounts. The ships were also armed with four torpedo tubes in a single quadruple traversing mount; one reload was carried for each tube. Their anti-submarine weapons comprised six depth charge throwers for which 72 depth charges were carried. Construction and career The ship was commissioned on 31 May 1943 into the 11th Destroyer Squadron. Wakatsuki participated in rescuing sailors from (June 1944) and (October 1944) when each was sunk by US forces. Both of these carriers participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor. On 11 November 1944, Wakatsuki was escorting a troop convoy to Ormoc, Philippines. She was sunk by aircraft of Task Force 38 in Ormoc Bay, west of Leyte (). Rediscovery Wakatsuki's wreck was discovered in early December 2017 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's research vessel RV Petrel 869 ft (265 m) below the surface of Ormoc Bay. She was found to be heavily damaged from both her sinking and impact with the seafloor, resting on her starboard side. Notes References External links CombinedFleet.com: Akizuki-class destroyers CombinedFleet.com: Wakatsuki history Akizuki-class destroyers (1942) World War II destroyers of Japan Shipwrecks in the Sulu Sea World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Destroyers sunk by aircraft 1942 ships Maritime incidents in November 1944 Ships sunk by US aircraft Shipwreck discoveries by Paul Allen