IJN · DD
Shigure
Photos and infoShiratsuyu-class destroyer with a reputation for getting away. On the night of 1–2 August 1943 she was cover, with Amagiri, for the run into Vila. Amagiri cut PT-109 in two. At Vella Gulf a torpedo passed through her rudder without exploding, and she was the only one of four Japanese destroyers to escape. Eleven nights later, off Horaniu, the torpedoes she traded with American destroyers all missed. At Vella Lavella she was in the fight that sank Chevalier and blew the bow off Selfridge. At Surigao Strait she was the only ship of Nishimura's force to get out. Blackfin ended that run on 24 January 1945.
| Class | Shiratsuyu class |
|---|---|
| Type | Destroyer (DD) |
| Builder | Uraga Dock Company |
| Launched | 1935-05-18 |
| Commissioned | 1936-09-07 |
| Fate | Sunk. Torpedoed by USS Blackfin in the Gulf of Siam, 24 January 1945. The last of her class. |
| Armament (class) | Two twin mounts and one single mount, with two funnels. |
| Command |
|
Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.
The armament line is the class drawing, not a measurement of this hull.
Public-domain photograph via Wikimedia Commons.
The pictures on this page are the originals.
Command
Battle of the Coral Sea
1942-05-08 · in the carrier screen; not sunk
Aleutian Islands
1942-06-03 · with the Aleutians guard force; not in the carrier fight
Loss of PT-109
1943-08-02 · cover, with Amagiri; not the ship that hit PT-109
Battle of Vella Gulf
1943-08-06 · escaped, rudder holed by a dud torpedo
Battle off Horaniu
1943-08-18 · undamaged; her torpedoes missed
Battle of Vella Lavella
1943-10-06 · in the fight; not sunk
Battle of Empress Augusta Bay
1943-11-02 · not hit
Battle of Surigao Strait
1944-10-25 · damaged by one shell hit; the only ship of the force to escape
Loss of Growler
1944-11-08 · one of the escorts in the counterattack
The loss of Shigure
1945-01-24 · sunk
