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IJN Destroyer Shimakaze. Super Drawings in 3D


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IJN Destroyer Shimakaze

Kagero Super Drawings in 3D

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Shimakaze was a one-off super-destroyer built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She was armed with six 5 inch dual-purpose guns and conventional anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weaponry. More importantly, she was the only Japanese destroyer to be armed with 15 torpedo tubes, each capable of firing the deadly 24 in Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo. The ship was a test bed for an enormously powerful, high-temperature; high-pressure steam turbine that was able to develop 79,240 shp, this made her one of the fastest destroyers in the world: her designed speed was 39 kn but on trials she made 40.9 kn.

 

Ordered in 1939 under the 4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme, Shimakaze was laid down in Maizuru Naval Arsenal in August 1941 and completed on 10 May 1943. Japan had intended to lay down 16 similar destroyers, with long-term plans the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme for a total of 32 to equip four destroyer squadrons, but a lack of industrial capacity prevented them from being built.

 

In June 1943, Shimakaze participated in the evacuation of Japanese troops from Kiska Island towards the end of the Aleutian Islands campaign. She was present in June 1944 at the Battle of the Philippine Sea. In October 1944, the destroyer was present at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, although she played no role in the battle except for picking up survivors from the sunken battleship Musashi. While serving as the flagship of Destroyer Squadron 2 under the command of Rear Admiral Mikio Hayakawa, she was attacked and sunk by American aircraft from Task Force 38 on 11 November 1944 during the Battle of Ormoc Bay. Shimakaze was discovered by a Paul Allen-led expedition aboard RV Petrel in Ormoc Bay on December 1st, 2017. She was a mangled wreck but the three quintuple torpedo tube launchers confirmed her identity. Photographs from the wreck also debunked the assertion that she had one of her turrets removed in an early 1944 refit

 

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This is the latest book from Kagero in their Super Drawings in 3D, and like the previous books it has a brief history and the ships specifications at the beginning. This includes the following:-

 

  • History
  • Description
  • Armament
  • Operational history
  • Wreck

 

The rest of the seventy five pages are filled with the now well known style of beautifully drawn 3D renderings of every part of the ship.  It is obvious that a lot of time has been taken to get the drawings this good and accurate, and there is a wealthy of information for the modeller to use during their build. Every area of the upper hull and superstructure is dealt with plus the lower hull including the propellers and rudder.  I particularly like the renderings of the torpedo launchers and the larger scale drawings of the light AA weaponry and ships boats, plus the interior of the bridge with the paraphernalia contained therein. She certainly was a very good looking ship, even with the unbalanced main armament with one turret forward and two aft.

 

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For even more detail, especially for the rigging, Kagero have included a double sided A2 fold out sheet with a five view on one side, unusually in 1:200, with additional drawings of the ships fixtures, such as bridge, funnels, AA platforms and radar, all to no particular scale.

 

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Conclusion

This is another superb book in the series and a great addition to any maritime modeller’s library.  This series is a boon to any ship modeller and is turning into a magnificent collection of titles. The detail included is second to none, and the renderings are so clear that they will be a delight for the superdetailers, particularly if building the beautiful Hasegawa or Fujimi 1:350 scale kits or the Tamiya and Pit Road kits in 1:700.

 

 

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Review sample courtesy of
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