Takanami

History: Takanami (高波) was a Yūgumo-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Tall Wave". On the night of October 13–14, she escorted battleships Kongō and Haruna during the bombardment of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. On the night of October 15–16, she escorted cruisers Myōkō and Maya during the bombardment of Henderson Field. On 30 November 1942, Takanami was on a supply transport run to Guadalcanal, when her task group engaged a United States Navy task group in the Battle of Tassafaronga. Takanami torpedoed the heavy cruisers USS Minneapolis and New Orleans. She was sunk by enemy gunfire — largely from Minneapolis — several miles south-southwest of Savo Island (9°14′S 159°49′ECoordinates: 9°14′S 159°49′E), with 197 killed; 48 survivors reached Guadalcanal, 19 were later captured by US troops.

Class: The Yūgumo-class destroyers (夕雲型駆逐艦 Yūgumo-gata kuchikukan) were a group of 19 destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The IJN called them Destroyer Type-A (甲型駆逐艦, Kō-gata Kuchikukan) from their plan name. No ships of the class survived the war.

Nationality: 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.