The Shigure was a Japanese destroyer whose keel was laid in December 1933, launched in May 1935, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in September 1936. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 107.5 m, width 9.9 m, and the actual full displacement - 1,690 tons. Destroyer Shigure's top speed was up to 34 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was five 127 mm Type 3 guns in two twin turrets and one single turret, and secondary armament was two 13.2 mm machine guns, depth charge throwers and eight 610 mm torpedo tubes. Shigure was the second Shiratsuyu-class destroyer. Units of this type were created respecting the displacement limits imposed on the government in Tokyo by international disarmament treaties, especially the London Treaty of 1930. This type of ships was in fact a modification of the Hatsuharu-class ships - at the same time, it meant the temporary withdrawal of the Japanese fleet from building large destroyers like the Fubuki class. Compared to the Hatsuharu type, the Shiratsuyu type units differed in significantly improved stability, narrower hull and lower displacement. The same artillery armament was retained, but the torpedo armament was reinforced. The Achilles' heel turned out to be very weak anti-aircraft weapons, which were constantly modernized and strengthened during the war in the Pacific. Destroyer Shigure was one of the most meritorious destroyers in the Japanese fleet, and it is no coincidence that it deserves the title of "lucky" or "unsinkable." He started his combat route during World War II in an unimpressive way: in December 1941 he served as a cover for Japanese cable ships in their home waters, but in May and June 1942 he took part in the battles on the Coral Sea and Midway. Then, in the period from the second half of 1942 to the beginning of 1943, he took part in the battles in the Guadalcanal region, taking part in one of the naval battles near this island (12-15 November 1942). In 1944, Shigure took part in the great naval struggle in the Philippine Sea and in the Gulf of Leyte. The destroyer was sunk only on January 24, 1945 as a result of a torpedo attack carried out by the USS Blackfin submarine.
The Yukikaze was a Japanese destroyer whose keel was laid in 1938, launched in March 1939, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in January 1940. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 118.4 m, width 10.8 m, and the actual full displacement - 2,600 tons. Destroyer Yukikaze had a maximum speed of 34.5 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 Yukikaze was the eighth Kagero-class destroyer and the only one to survive World War II. 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 Yukikaze's combat career was very rich and began in World War II with supporting Japanese landing operations in the Philippines in December 1941. Then, at the beginning of 1942, he supported further Japanese actions in the region of the Dutch East Indies. In June he took part in the Battle of Midway, and from August 1942 he served in the area of the islands of the Solomon Islands archipelago, fighting in the struggle for Guadalcanal. He was an important element there, the so-called Tokyo Express, i.e. the use of Japanese fast destroyers and light cruisers to transfer supplies to soldiers fighting in the Gudalcanal. In the course of the fighting, he took part in the battle near the Santa Cruz Islands (October 1942). In 1944 he also fought in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and in Leyte Bay - he survived both of those battles! Moreover, in April 1945 it was used as a cover for the battleship Yamato during Operation Ten-Go. After this operation, it served in its home waters and, despite numerous Allied air attacks and damage after landing on a mine, it remained until the end of the war. In July 1947 it was handed over as war reparations to the Chinese fleet, where it served under the name Tan Yang until 1956. Destroyer Yukikaze aka. Tan Yang was scrapped in 1970.