Zashchitniki avianostsev. Iaponskie imperatorskie esmintsy tipa Akidzuki - Orel Aleksei Viacheslavovich

The project of a specialized destroyer to accompany the strike aircraft carriers of the Japanese Imperial Navy was developed long before the triumphant march of Vice Admiral Nagumo's compound through the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Appreciating General W. Mitchell's forecast: "Superior air forces will dominate all the marine expanses" - the Japanese were among the first to launch a project of a new type of ship - a specialized destroyer air defense, combining firepower with excellent seaworthiness and huge range. Armed with phenomenal 100 mm guns, surpassing all the world's counterparts, and numerous anti-aircraft guns, these ships successfully debuted in September 1942, reflecting the raid of American "flying fortresses." Built on the original design, akizuki-class ships fully supported the high reputation of Japanese destroyers, although they were unable to fully realize themselves in the capacity in which they were conceived and created. Persistent night battles for the Solomon Islands, the battle in the Philippine Sea, the uncompromising struggle for the Philippines, the last campaign to Okinawa - in all major operations from the end of 1942 to the beginning of 1945 "akizuki" demonstrated the best qualities of ships of Japanese buildings that have earned the right to be considered one of the outstanding destroyers of the Second World War.