Akizuki (1942)

History: The Akizuki-class destroyers were one of the primary classes of new destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) after 1942. The IJN called them Type-B Destroyer from their plan name. They were designed to fight smaller ships, aircraft and submarines.

This is considered to have been the most useful class of destroyers Japan fielded during the war and was well regarded in the IJN. They mounted 3.9-inch (100mm) Type 98 dual-purpose guns in four twin mounts. They also were among the first Japanese vessels equipped with radar. The ships were lighter in their torpedo armament than most contemporary Japanese destroyers, which typically had a heavy emphasis on offensive torpedo armament, most classes having two 4-tube centerline launchers capable of firing to either side, with quick-reloads for both launchers. The Akizuki class had only a single four tube launcher, plus reloads, but the ships compensated with stronger anti-aircraft armament, having four turrets as opposed to two, with guns firing shells of smaller caliber but greater velocity, and therefore effectiveness.

Type: Destroyer

Primary Country: Japan is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean with dense cities, imperial palaces, mountainous national parks and thousands of shrines and temples. Shinkansen bullet trains connect the main islands of Kyushu (with Okinawa's subtropical beaches), Honshu (home to Tokyo and Hiroshima’s atomic-bomb memorial) and Hokkaido (famous for skiing). Tokyo, the capital, is known for skyscrapers, shopping and pop culture.

Although legend has it that Japan was founded in 660BC, archaeologists agree that settlement in the Japanese archpelago dates back as far as 100,000 years. The Jomon Period (8000-c.300BC) is the earliest that has been studied. It is named after the 'jomon' or cord-marked pattern style of pottery of the period.