Japanese destroyer Ayanami (1929)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Ayanami |
| Builder: | Fujinagata shipyard |
| Laid down: | January 20, 1928 |
| Launched: | October 5, 1929 |
| Christened: | August 1, 1928 |
| Commissioned: | April 30, 1930 |
| Struck: | December 15, 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk at Guadalcanal on November 15, 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Fubuki class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 2,050 tons |
| Length: | 378 ft 3 in (115.3 m) |
| Beam: | 34 ft (10.4 m) |
| Draft: | 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m) |
| Propulsion: |
4 × Kampon type boilers, |
| Speed: | 38 knots (70 km/h) |
| Range: |
5,000 nm at 14 knots (9,200 km at 26 km/h) |
| Complement: | 197 |
| Armament: |
6 × 5 inch (127 mm) / 50 caliber guns (3 × 2-gun turrets), |
The Ayanami (綾波) was a Type II Fubuki class destroyer in the Imperial Japanese Navy that saw service during World War II. She was laid down at Fujinagata shipyard on January 20, 1928 under the temporary designation Destroyer N°45. However later that year, she inherited the name of her predecessor on August 1 before her launch on October 5, 1929. Ayanami was the namesake for the Type II model. As such, she was the first in her class to sport a modified Model 'B' 5" gun turret which could elevate to 75° as opposed to the original 40°. Sunk during the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, her wreck remains off the southeast coast of Savo Island in Ironbottom Sound.
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[edit] World War II
During World War II, the Ayanami was captained by Commander Sakuma Eiji and assigned to Destroyer Division 19, Squadron 3 of the first fleet.
- On December 19, 1941, the Ayanami assisted her sister ships the Uranami and the Yugiri in the sinking of the Dutch submarine O-20.
- On March 23, 1942, Ayanami provided close cover for the Invasion of the Andaman Islands.
- On June 4 and June 5, 1942, the Ayanami participated in the Battle of Midway by escorting Admiral Yamamoto's Main Body.
[edit] Guadalcanal
The Ayanami's final mission, on November 14 and November 15, 1942, was that of the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. There, she was attached to a scouting force under the command of Rear Admiral Hashimoto Sentaro in the light cruiser Sendai. When American Admiral Willis A. Lee's Task Force 64 was spotted near Savo Island, Hashimoto took his ships clockwise around the island, but sent Ayanami alone in the opposite direction sweeping for enemy vessels. When Lee's ships were located, the order to attack was given, and as such, Ayanami became one of three prongs in the initial attack (Along with Hashimoto's group, and another group led by Rear Admiral Kimura Susumu in the light cruiser Nagara).
The Ayanami was first sighted by the American destroyer Walke, but the light cruiser Nagara was located soon after and the four destroyers' attentions shifted to it. Fire from Ayanami, Nagara, and the Uranami would sink two of the four destroyers (the Preston and the Walke), mortally wound the Benham (which would be scuttled after the battle), and severely damage the Gwin, causing heavy American losses in the first phase of the battle. Ayanami would also cause minor damage to the Battleship South Dakota.
Battleship Washington then sighted Ayanami and shelled her. The destroyer sustained critical damage and 40 of her crew were killed. Thirty surviving crewmen including Commander Sakuma escaped in a boat to Guadalcanal, and the remainder evacuated to the Uranami.
Later in the night, Uranami scuttled the abandoned Ayanami with a single torpedo, and she sank soon after 2 a.m. Her wreck remains at the bottom of Ironbottom Sound.
[edit] The Shipwreck
In late July 1992, famed marine archeologist Robert Ballard led an expedition to Ironbottom Sound and found among thirteen newly discovered shipwrecks, the remains of the Ayanami. The site was located southeast of Savo Island at at a depth of approximately 700 meters. The hull and keel of the ship appear to have been broken by a starboard torpedo blast just behind the bridge. As such, the ship came to rest in two pieces. The stern remains upright, and the bow has twisted and is lying on its starboard side.
[edit] Commanding Officers
| Commanding Officer | From | Until |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Equipping Officer - Cmdr. Tetsugoro Goto | 30 November 1929 | 30 April 1930 |
| Cmdr. Tetsugoro Goto | 30 April 1930 | 1 December 1931 |
| Cmdr. Kennosuke Kawahara | 1 December 1931 | 15 November 1933 |
| Cmdr. Shunzo Fujita | 15 November 1933 | 15 November 1935 |
| Cmdr. Shakao Sakiyama | 15 November 1935 | 1 December 1936 |
| Lt. Cmdr. Shuichi Sugino | 1 December 1936 | 15 November 1937 |
| Lt. Cmdr. Nagayoshi Shiraishi | 15 November 1937 | 1 December 1938 |
| Cmdr. Tameichi Hara | 1 December 1938 | 15 November 1939 |
| Lt. Cmdr. Tokiyoahi Arima | 15 November 1939 | 12 September 1941 |
| Cmdr. Eiji Sakuma | 12 September 1941 | 15 November 1942 |
[edit] The Ayanami in pop culture
- The character Rei Ayanami in the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion is named after this ship.
[edit] See also
See Japanese destroyer Ayanami for other ships of this name.
[edit] References
- Long Lancers: IJN Ayanami: Tabular Record of Movement
- Ayanami in Naval History of World Wars
- LemaireSoft's Ayanami N°45
- Located/Surveyed Shipwrecks of the Imperial Japanese Navy
- Warships of World War II: Ayanami
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