Japanese destroyer Sakaki (1915)

The Kaba-class destroyers were improved versions of the preceding Sakura class. They displaced 665 long tons (676 t) at normal load and 850 long tons (860 t) at deep load. The ships had a length between perpendiculars of 260 feet (79.2 m) and an overall length of 274 feet (83.5 m), a beam of 24 feet (7.3 m) and a draught of 7 feet 9 inches (2.4 m). The Kabas were powered by three vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft using steam produced by four Kampon water-tube boilers.[1] Two boilers burned a mixture of coal and fuel oil while the other pair only used oil.[2] The engines produced a total of 9,500 indicated horsepower (7,100 kW) that gave the ships maximum speeds of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).[3] They carried a maximum of 100 long tons (102 t) of coal and 137 long tons (139 t) of oil which gave them a range of 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) at speeds of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). Their crew consisted of 92 officers and ratings.[4]

The main armament of the Kaba-class ships consisted of single quick-firing (QF) 12-centimetre (4.7 in) guns located on the bows. They were also armed with four QF 3-inch (76 mm) guns on single mounts. Two guns were positioned abreast the middle funnel, one gun was on the aft superstructure and the fourth gun was on the stern. The destroyers' torpedo armament consisted of two twin rotating mounts[4] for 450-millimetre (17.7 in)[5] torpedoes located between the superstructure and the stern gun.[4]

Japanese sailors bringing ashore boxes containing the cremated remains of the dead

Sakaki was launched on 15 February 1915 at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal[1] and completed on 26 March.[4] During World War I the ship patrolled the area around Singapore[2] and later served as a convoy escort in the Mediterranean Sea.[6]

While part of the Imperial Japanese 2nd Special Squadron helping Allies patrol in the Mediterranean Sakaki was torpedoed by the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-27 on 11 June 1917 in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Crete with the loss of 68[A 1] of her 92 ratings, including her commander.[7][8][9] She was salvaged and repaired.[4] The Japanese Naval Memorial at Kalkara Naval Cemetery in Malta commemorates the casualties of the attack.[10] Sakaki was stricken from the navy list in November 1931,[4] decommissioned on 1 April 1932[2] and subsequently broken up.[1]

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• Todaka, Kazushige; Fukui, Shizuo; Eldridge, Robert D. & Leonard, Graham B. (2020). Destroyers: Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum; the Best from the Collection of Shizuo Fukui's Photos of Japanese Warships. Japanese Naval Warship Photo Album. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-630-8.
• Tucker, Spencer C & Mary, Priscilla (2005). World War I: Encyclopedia, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-420-2.
• Watts, Anthony J. & Gordon, Brian G. (1971). The Imperial Japanese Navy. London: Macdonald. ISBN 0-35603-045-8.