Shiratsuyu - class destroyer The were a class of ten destroyer s of the Imperial Japanese Navy in service before and during World War II . Background . The initial six " Shiratsuyu " class destroyers were modified versions of the , and had been originally planned as the final six vessels of that class under the ” Circle - One ” Naval Expansion Plan . However , design issues with the " Hatsuharu " class ships , notably their “ top - heavy ” design relative to their small displacement , resulted in extensive modifications , to the point where the final six vessels on order were named as a separate class . An additional four vessels were ordered under the ” Circle - Two Naval Expansion Plan of fiscal 1934 , and all vessels were completed by 1937 . As with the " Hatsuharu " - class , the " Shiratsuyu " - class destroyers were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and to conduct both day and night torpedo attacks against the United States Navy as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean , according to Japanese naval strategic projections . Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion , none survived the Pacific War . Design . In general layout , the " Shiratsuyu " - class vessels closely resembled the " Ariake " - sub - class , or final version of the " Hatsuharu " - class , differing only in the more compact bridge design and the shape and inclination of the funnels . The hull retained the general configuration of the " Hatsuharu " class with a long forecastle with a pronounced flare to improve sea - keeping at high speeds by adding buoyancy and reducing the spray and water coming over the deck . The " Shiratsuyu " - class were the first Japanese warships to be completed with quadruple torpedo mounts and telephone communications to the torpedo station . As with the " Hatsuharu " - class . the torpedo launcher s were given a protective shield to allow for use in heavy weather and to protect against splinter damage . Propulsion . The " Shiratsuyu " - class , as with the previous " Hatsuharu " - class , carried two sets of Kampon geared turbines , one for each shaft . Each set consisted one low - pressure and one high - pressure turbine , plus a cruise turbine connected to the high - pressure turbine . The LP and HP turbines were connected to the propeller shaft by a two - pinion reduction gear . Each propeller had a diameter of and a pitch of . The total horsepower of the " Shiratsuyu " - class was only compared to the of their " Fubuki " - class predecessors , but the machinery was significantly lighter and more powerful on a unit basis . The " Shiratsuyu ' s " machinery weighed only compared to the of the " Fubuki " - class , or 396 shaft horsepower per tonne versus 347 shaft horsepower per tonne for the older ships . Similarly the three Kampon Type Ro - Gō boilers used in the " Shiratsuyu " - class ships weighed in comparison to the boilers used in the " Fubuki " - class , but produced each while the older boilers produced . This gave a ratio of 3 . 6 kg per shaft horsepower for the " Shiratsuyu " - class compared to the 4 . 1 kg per shaft horsepower of their predecessors . The newer design of boilers initially used steam pressurized to , just like the older models , but used superheating to improve efficiency while the older boilers simply used saturated steam . A single 100 kW turbo - generator was fitted behind the reduction gears in a separate compartment and two 40 kW diesel generators were located between the propeller shafts . As initially completed the " Shiratsuyu " - class had a range of at a speed of with of fuel . Armament . The " Shiratsuyu " - class destroyers used the same 50 caliber 12 . 7 cm / 50 Type 3 naval gun as the " Fubuki " - class , but all turrets could elevate to 75° to give the main guns a minimal ability to engage aircraft . During the war the single turret was removed on all surviving ships and replaced with from 13 to 21 ( depending on the individual vessel ) " Type 96 " anti - aircraft guns in double and triple mounts . Although these powered mounts were unsatisfactory because their traverse and elevation speeds were too slow to engage high - speed aircraft more single mounts were fitted to ships in the last year of the war . For example . mounted ten single 25 guns when she was sunk in July 1945 . Four license - built Hotchkiss " Type 93 " machine gun s were also fitted to " Hatsushimo " , but these were also of limited utility against modern aircraft . The 61 cm Type 90 torpedo was mounted in quadruple tube " Type 92 " launchers , derived from the twin tube " Type 89 " launcher used in the heavy cruiser s . Shields were fitted to both the torpedo mounts and lockers to protect them from the weather and from strafing aircraft . Initially the shields were made from Duralumin to save weight , but these quickly corroded and had to be replaced . " NiCrMo " steel , taken from the air chambers of obsolete torpedoes , in thickness , was chosen for the new shields to save weight . It was traversed by an electro - hydraulic system and could traverse 360° in twenty - five seconds . If the backup manual system was used the time required increased to two minutes . Each tube could be reloaded in twenty - three seconds using the endless wire and winch provided . Only eighteen depth charge s were initially carried in a rack at the stern , but this increased to thirty - six after the autumn of 1942 . Apparently no sonar or hydrophone s were fitted until after the outbreak of the war when the " Type 93 " sonar and " Type 93 " hydrophones were mounted . Radar . Radar was not installed on the surviving ships of this class until late in the war , possibly as late as 1944 . They were given a " Type 22 " radar on the foremast , a " Type 13 " on the mainmast and a " Type E - 27 " radar countermeasures device was carried high on the foremast . Operational history . None of the " Shiratsuyu " - class ships survived the Pacific War . The lead ship of the class , was sunk northeast of Mindanao in a collision with the oiler " Seiyo Maru " . Most of the class were lost by US submarines , and " Kawakaze " , " Yudachi " , and " Murasame " being lost in surface actions . Only " Harusame " fell victim to aircraft .