Japanese destroyer Urakaze (1940)

Urakaze (浦風) was one of 19 Kagerō-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the 1930s.

Design and description
The Kagerō class was an enlarged and improved version of the preceding Asashio-class destroyer. Their crew numbered 240 officers and enlisted men. The ships measured 118.5 m overall, with a beam of 10.8 m and a draft of 3.76 m. They displaced 2065 t at standard load and 2529 t at deep load. The ships 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 52000 shp for a designed speed of 35 kn. The ships had a range of 5000 nmi at a speed of 18 kn.

The main armament of the Kagerō class consisted of six Type 3 127 mm guns in three twin-gun turrets, one superfiring pair aft and one turret forward of the superstructure. They were built with four Type 96 25 mm anti-aircraft guns in two twin-gun mounts, but more of these guns were added over the course of the war. The ships were also armed with eight 610 mm torpedo tubes for the oxygen-fueled Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo in two quadruple traversing mounts; one reload was carried for each tube. Their anti-submarine weapons comprised 16 depth charges.

Construction and career
On 9 June 1944, she rescued 126 survivors from the destroyer JAPANESE DESTROYER Tanikaze (including her commander Lieutenant Commander Ikeda) which had been sunk by the submarine USS Harder (SS-257), near Tawitawi. During the Battle of Philippine Sea, she assisted survivors of the aircraft carrier JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Shōkaku, which was sunk by the submarine USS Cavalla (SS-244), and slightly damaged the attacking submarine with depth charges.

On 21 November 1944, Urakaze was torpedoed and sunk with all hands - including Commander Destroyer Division 17 (Captain Tamotsu Tanii) - by the submarine USS Sealion (SS-315), 65 mi north-northwest of Keelung, Formosa (26.15°N, 121.38333°W). The torpedo that sank her was one out of three launched by the submarine, one of which inadvertently sank her with the two others missing their intended target, the battleship JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Nagato, and hitting the battleship JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Kongō, sinking her several hours later.