The Hamakaze was a Japanese destroyer whose keel was laid in 1939, launched in November 1940, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in June 1941. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 118.5 m, width 10.8 m, and the actual full displacement - 2,490 tons. Destroyer Hamakaze had a maximum speed of 35 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 6 127 mm guns in three twin turrets, and the secondary armament was 4 25 mm cannons, depth charge launchers and eight 610 mm torpedo tubes with eight spare torpedoes.
The Hamakaze was the thirteenth Kagero-class destroyer. Units of this type were created as part of the Japanese fleet expansion program of 1937 and 1939. They returned to the use of strong artillery (6 127 mm guns), which had already appeared on the Fubuki-class destroyers in the 1920s. The provisions of the disarmament treaties were also not respected, thanks to the czum the Japanese designers had complete freedom in designing. As a result, ships with strong artillery and torpedo armaments, good sea performance, and especially - unlike the previous Japanese destroyers - had no problems with stability and overall durability of the structure. The only drawback was the weak anti-aircraft armament, which, however, was systematically strengthened during the war in the Pacific. Destroyer Hamakaze's combat career was rich and began in World War II with the cover of Japanese aircraft carriers attacking Pearl Harbor in December 1941. In February 1942, the ship supported the attack on Port Darwin in Australia, and in April of that year, she took part in the famous Japanese rally in the Indian Ocean. In June, he took part in the Battle of Midway, and from August 1942 to February 1943, he served in the Solomon Islands archipelago, fighting in the struggle for Guadalcanal. In the course of this struggle, she took part in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands as a shield ship for Japanese aircraft carriers. In July 1943, he took part in the battle near the island of Kolombangary with successes. In June 1944, however, he fought in the Battle of the Philippine Sea - again as cover for Japanese aircraft carriers, and in October of the same year - in Leyte Bay. Destroyer Hamakaze was sunk on April 7, 1945 by US cabin air forces during Operation Ten-Go.