Book Review of
The Japanese Destroyer Suzutsuki
Author: Mariusz Motyka
Kagero Books
Top Drawings no. 7128
ISBN: 978-83-67294-01-0
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $24.95
Top Drawings no. 7128
ISBN: 978-83-67294-01-0
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $24.95
HISTORY:
Suzutsuki (涼月) was an Akizuki-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Clear Moon (in Autumn)". Suzutsuki is best known for her participation in Operation Ten-Go as one of the battleship Yamato's eight escort ships, where her bow was blown off by an American torpedo. Suzutsuki survived the battle, and escaped American forces by reversing all the way back to port.
She was used as a breakwater until 20 November 1945, when her name was struck from the naval register and she was sold for scrap soon after.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Name: Suzutsuki
Namesake: Clear moon (in autumn)
Builder: Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard
Laid down: 15 March 1941
Launched: 4 March 1942
Completed:
Suzutsuki (涼月) was an Akizuki-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Clear Moon (in Autumn)". Suzutsuki is best known for her participation in Operation Ten-Go as one of the battleship Yamato's eight escort ships, where her bow was blown off by an American torpedo. Suzutsuki survived the battle, and escaped American forces by reversing all the way back to port.
She was used as a breakwater until 20 November 1945, when her name was struck from the naval register and she was sold for scrap soon after.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Name: Suzutsuki
Namesake: Clear moon (in autumn)
Builder: Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard
Laid down: 15 March 1941
Launched: 4 March 1942
Completed:
29 December 1942
Commissioned: 29 December 1942 Yokosuka Chinjufu
In service: 1942-1945
Stricken: 20 November 1945
Fate: Scrapped in late 1945
Class and type: Akizuki-class destroyer
Displacement: 2,700 long tons (2,743t) standard, 3,700 long tons (3,759 t) full load
Length: 134.2 m (440 ft 3 in)
Beam: 11.6 m (38 ft 1 in)
Draft: 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in)
Propulsion: 3 × Ro-Gō Kampon water tube boilers, 2 × Kampon impulse geared turbines,
2 shafts, 52,000 shp (39 MW)
Speed: 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h)
Range: 8,300 nmi (15,400 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Complement: 263
Armament: 15 January 1943 : 8 × 100 mm (4 in)/65 cal Type 98 DP guns, 12 × Type 96 25 mm (0.98 in) AA guns (4×3), 4 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes, 8 × Type 93 torpedoes, 56 × Type 95 depth charges.
October 1944 : 8 × 100 mm (4 in)/65 cal DP guns, 41 × 25 mm AA guns (7×3 + 20×1), 4 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes, 8 × Type 93 torpedoes, 56 × Type 2 depth charges.
THE BOOK:
Kagero Books is located in Lublin, Poland.
This book is in Polish and English.
It is of soft-cover of 24 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 3$”page format.
The cover art shows a color illustration of the center of the ship, showing the turrets. It is all in grey. Behind it is another black and white illustration of the launch boats deck, both drawings are against a bright red background.
The rear cover of the book has color illustrations of the destroyer’s port, starboard and top. It is grey with a black waterline. The top shows a grey deck with some black panels. No scale for these illustrations is given either.
It begins with the history of the Suzutsuki in Polish and English. Followed by line drawings of every inch of the destroyer. These drawings are small and no scale for them is given.
There is a large single sheet that is inserted into the book. It is 26 ¾” x 18 ¼” in size printed on both sides and folded 5 times to fit loosely into the book.
It has 1/200th scale line drawings on both sides of it.
The face side has line drawings of the port, starboard and top of the Suzutsuki, like the back cover.
The reverse side shows 22 illustrations that show the bow, forecastle, mid-ships etc.
Very detailed. It will be of great interest to modelers and naval historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero Books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Commissioned: 29 December 1942 Yokosuka Chinjufu
In service: 1942-1945
Stricken: 20 November 1945
Fate: Scrapped in late 1945
Class and type: Akizuki-class destroyer
Displacement: 2,700 long tons (2,743t) standard, 3,700 long tons (3,759 t) full load
Length: 134.2 m (440 ft 3 in)
Beam: 11.6 m (38 ft 1 in)
Draft: 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in)
Propulsion: 3 × Ro-Gō Kampon water tube boilers, 2 × Kampon impulse geared turbines,
2 shafts, 52,000 shp (39 MW)
Speed: 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h)
Range: 8,300 nmi (15,400 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Complement: 263
Armament: 15 January 1943 : 8 × 100 mm (4 in)/65 cal Type 98 DP guns, 12 × Type 96 25 mm (0.98 in) AA guns (4×3), 4 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes, 8 × Type 93 torpedoes, 56 × Type 95 depth charges.
October 1944 : 8 × 100 mm (4 in)/65 cal DP guns, 41 × 25 mm AA guns (7×3 + 20×1), 4 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes, 8 × Type 93 torpedoes, 56 × Type 2 depth charges.
THE BOOK:
Kagero Books is located in Lublin, Poland.
This book is in Polish and English.
It is of soft-cover of 24 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 3$”page format.
The cover art shows a color illustration of the center of the ship, showing the turrets. It is all in grey. Behind it is another black and white illustration of the launch boats deck, both drawings are against a bright red background.
The rear cover of the book has color illustrations of the destroyer’s port, starboard and top. It is grey with a black waterline. The top shows a grey deck with some black panels. No scale for these illustrations is given either.
It begins with the history of the Suzutsuki in Polish and English. Followed by line drawings of every inch of the destroyer. These drawings are small and no scale for them is given.
There is a large single sheet that is inserted into the book. It is 26 ¾” x 18 ¼” in size printed on both sides and folded 5 times to fit loosely into the book.
It has 1/200th scale line drawings on both sides of it.
The face side has line drawings of the port, starboard and top of the Suzutsuki, like the back cover.
The reverse side shows 22 illustrations that show the bow, forecastle, mid-ships etc.
Very detailed. It will be of great interest to modelers and naval historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero Books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.