Harekaze

The **Harekaze** (晴風 *“Fine Wind”*) is a Kagerou-class destroyer under the command of Akeno Misaki. Over the events of Haifuri, the destroyer would distinguish itself for saving thousands of lives from the scourge of the Totalitarian Disease. It did so again during the operation to stop a pirate-controlled seafort from terrorizing the maritime cities.

After the original Harekaze was deemed irreparable due to battle damage, its equipment was transferred to her sister ship Okikaze. At Akeno’s request, she was rechristened as the new Harekaze.

## Description

The Harekaze is a fictional Kagerou-class destroyer which, like most ships from Yokosuka Girls's Marine High School, has red stripes on the hull and superstructure. The naval academy's badge is on both sides of the forward funnel.

The Harekaze only has subtle differences from the original World War II designs. She also features two military-grade skippers toward the bow. Most of her systems like the main batteries are automated, allowing a crew of just thirty students to operate them properly.

Due to being outfitted with test equipment, the Harekaze is the fastest destroyer in her class. However, the equipment also makes her unstable; hence why she can only maintain her max speed for a short time.

She is the only known destroyer or any type of ship to have received armament upgrades over the course of the series. At the beginning of the series, she was equipped with three twin-turret Type 3 12.7 cm/50 caliber main guns. Her rate of fire improved with the introduction of three twin-turret Type 98 10 cm/65 caliber main guns. Near the end, she received three single-turret Mk. 16 5-inch/54 caliber main guns along with new fire control systems, improving both her firepower and rate of fire.

Some parts of her equipment was transferred to the then Okikaze, prior to her renaming, most notably the ships aiming binoculars and the ships trumpet. She received 15 cm SK C/28 main guns as part of this refit.

## History

Akeno was given command of the Harekaze after the opening ceremony. She soon sallied out on a two-week maritime exercise at the Nishinoshima New Islands, along with the Musashi and Sarushima along with a couple of Yokosuka Naval Academy ships.

En route to the rendezvous point, however, the Harekaze suffered engine trouble. Before they could even get to the islands, however, the Sarushima met her on open waters and began bombarding the destroyer. To save her classmates, Akeno ordered a dummy torpedo to be fired on the Sarushima to disable her long enough to make their escape. However, in doing so, they were branded as mutineers.

Throughout the series, the Harekaze slugged it out with ships multiple times its size such as the Admiral Graf Spee and Hiei. Akeno used the only advantage the destroyer had,her speed and maneuverabilit, --to great effect to outwit these capital ships.

After rescuing the Musashi and preventing an epidemic from breaking out in the mainland, the Harekaze returned to port and delivered her crew safe and sound. Only when it had done so did the ship foundered. While saddened at the loss, the crew honored the ship for her sacrifice.

A month after the incident, the Harekaze was refloated. Her internal workings were transferred to the Okikaze, which was rechristened as the new Harekaze at Akeno's request.

She and her crew also participated in the competitions being the second crew of Yokosuka participating and later follows the fleet in the hunt for the fortress. She is part of the fleet lead by Moeka China and Mashimo Munetani onboard the Musashi. She is first used with her four sister ships escorting and protecting the four Yamatos while they shelled the fortress without effect. After this, she uses the distraction created by her sister ships to infiltrate the fortress. While entering she loses her main mast with all of her communications equipment and Machiko Noma is nearly killed. She can destroy the propulsion system of the fortress with a field-modified contraption made of the scooter of Minami Kaburagi after a special prototype 36-inch torpedo transferred from the Akashi had proven itself ineffective. She can escape the fortress after Mashiro Munetani is able to blow an obstacle, blocking the exit, with her skipper up. Her crew isn’t harmed and the Harekaze is just moderately damaged.

## Crew

### **Bridge Personnel**

* Misaki Akeno - Commanding Officer/Class Representative
* Munetani Mashiro - Executive Officer/Vice Class Representative
* Tateishi Shima - Gunnery Officer/Artillery Committee
* Irizaki Mei - Torpedo Officer/Torpedo Committee
* Nosa Kouko - Recorder/Secretary
* Shiretoko Rin - Chief Navigator/Navigation Committee

### **Surface Combat Department**

* Ogasawara Hikari - Gunner/In Charge of Aiming Main Armament
* Takeda Michiru - Gunner/In Charge of Rotating Main Armament
* Heki Junko - Gunner/In Charge of Firing Main Armament
* Matsunaga Ritsuko - Torpedo Officer/In Charge of Torpedo Bank 1
* Himeji Kayoko - Torpedo Officer/In Charge of Torpedo Bank 2
* Marikouji Kaede - Sonar Technician/Bugler

### **Navigation Department**

* Katsuta Satoko - Navigator
* Yamashita Hideko - Port Navigation Controller
* Uchida Mayumi - Starboard Navigation Controller
* Yagi Tsugumi - Telegrapher
* Uda Megumi - Operations Specialist
* Noma Machiko - Lookout

### **Engineering Department**

* Yanagiwara Maron - Chief Engineer/Engineer Committee
* Kuroki Hiromi - Engineer Assistant
* Wakasa Reo - Stoker
* Ise Sakura - Stoker
* Suruga Runa - Stoker
* Hirota Sora - Stoker
* Wazumi Hime - Damage Control Officer/Beautification Committee Chairwoman
* Aoki Momo - Damage Control Officer/Beautification Committee

### **Accounting Department**

* Toumatsu Mimi - Chief Paymaster/Treasurer
* Irako Mikan - Mess Management Specialist/Weapon Officer/Cooking Committee
* Kinesaki Homare - Mess Management Specialist/Weapon Officer/Cooking Committee
* Kinesaki Akane - Mess Management Specialist/Weapon Officer/Cooking Committee
* Kaburagi Minami - Medical Officer/Health Committee

### **Others**

* Wilhelmina Braunschweig Ingenohl Friedeburg - Tactical adviser (temporary), Admiral Graf Spee deputy-captain
* Isoroku - "Admiral," anti-rodent duty
* Tamonmaru - Isoroku’s new friend

## In other media

### World of Warships

The Harekaze, along with the Admiral Graf Spee and Musashi with her own unique camouflage, made an appearance in the online multiplayer game *World of Warships*. Initial screenshots feature the Harekaze’s main gun, which can be upgraded from the 12.7 cm. main gun to the 10 cm. main gun and Mk. 39 5-inch cannon. The ships can be purchased in the Premium Shop upon release. On November 8, 2019 Harekaze (now with Isoroku special Camouflage), Admiral Graf Spee reappears again with Bundle bonuses.

However, as stated, the Harekaze continues on with the Upcoming Update in 0.10.3 that features Harekaze II which will be announced in a later date!

There was a second event in the game World of Warships from the 23.04.2021 until the 10.05.2021. There were special camouflages for the Hiei, Harekaze (Y469), Shinano and Kii.

## Gallery

A schematic of the Harekaze and its crew (click to zoom). The top half marks their battle stations. The bottom half shows their quarters, save for Akeno.The Harekaze's badge, as per the Hai-Furi official website.Harekaze in World of Warships
## Trivia

* In the anime, the Harekaze's main batteries were constantly upgraded to Type 98 10 cm/65 caliber guns and American Mk 16 5"/54 caliber dual-purpose guns. The Kagerou-class destroyers during World War II never received such upgrades, especially the Type 98s, as naval doctrine shifted anti-air warfare as the Japanese were on the defensive. Although some German 15 cm guns were designed for destroyers, Harekaze II's single C/28 gun turrets were exclusively used on Scharnhorst-class battleships. Furthermore, the destroyers were never designed to accept foreign weapons.
* The Yukikaze, the only surviving destroyer of its class, was upgraded to the 10 cm dual-purpose guns after the war when she was in service with the Taiwanese navy, rechristened as the Tan Yang. The ship became famous for evacuating generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War.
* The Harekaze is the only ship in Hai-Furi without a historical analog. None of the 19 Kagerou-class destroyers commissioned during World War II was named as such. Her hull number references one of the three fictitious Kagerou-class destroyers that were included in the Japanese naval budget to account for funding allocated to Yamato, as part of the intense secrecy regarding the Yamato-class battleships' true size and capability.
* Although the Okikaze is portrayed as a Kagerou-class destroyer, in real-life history the name is associated with the older Minekaze-class destroyer.
* The name “Harekaze” is the only name used in the anime that applies to two ships.
* In English, “Harekaze” means Sunny Wind.
* The Harekaze model from F-Toys was depicted with two main gun turrets instead of three, making it resemble the Yukikaze in late war, which is also a Kagerou-class destroyer.