Review of Japanese Destroyer Minekaze
Ship Plans No. 1
Author: Grzegorz Nowak
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP)
ISBN: 978-83-65281-06-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: 9 pounds ($13.64)
ISBN: 978-83-65281-06-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: 9 pounds ($13.64)
HISTORY:
The Minekaze class was a class of fifteen 1st-class destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy.[1] Obsolete by the beginning of the Pacific War, the Minekaze-class ships were relegated to mostly secondary roles, serving throughout the war as patrol vessels, high speed transports, target control vessels, and as kaiten (suicide torpedo) carriers. Most ultimately were lost to U.S. and British submarines.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Minekaze at Yokosuka on 30 August 1932
Class overview
Name:
Minekaze class
Builders:
Maizuru Naval Arsenal
Mitsubishi-Nagasaki
Operators:
Imperial Japanese Navy
Republic of China Navy
Preceded by:
Momi class
Succeeded by:
Wakatake class
Subclasses:
Nokaze class
In commission:
1919–1946
Completed:
15
Lost:
11
Retired:
4
General characteristics
Type:
Destroyer
Displacement:
1,345 long tons (1,367 t) normal,
1,650 long tons (1,680 t) full load
Length:
97.5 m (320 ft) pp,
102.6 m (337 ft) overall
Beam:
9 m (30 ft)
Draught:
2.9 m (9.5 ft)
Propulsion:
2-shaft Mitsubishi-Parsons geared steam turbine, 4 heavy oil-fired boilers 38,500 ihp (28,700 kW)
Speed:
39 knots (72 km/h)
Range:
3600 nm at 14 knots
(6,700 km at 26 km/h)
Complement:
148
Armament:
4 × Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval gun
2 × 7.7mm machine guns
6 × 53cm torpedoes
20 × mines
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus in Sanodomierz, Poland in the English language. Stratus also prints their own line of books in both Polish and English.
This new publication came to me from Stratus in Poland in a padded envelope, along with a MMP book catalog and a nice white cloth carrying bag with the Stratus and MMP logos printed on it. Nice !!!
This is the start of a series of plans of ships that MMP is going to publish.
It is in the form of a portfolio that is soft cover. Inside are plans that are 16 ½” x 11 5/8” that are folded in half on the 16 ½” measure to fit the cover.
There are 6 of these plans inside the cover that are printed on both sides.
The plans are done to the popular ship modeling scales of 1/700th, 1/350th and 1/200th.
The first plan is to 1/350th scale. On one side is drawings of the side, top and internal structure and features of the Minekaze class of destroyer in 1920.
The other side has a top and side drawing of this class of ships as they were in 1939 and in 1944, again in 1/350th scale.
The second plan is to 1/200th scale. One side has drawings of the hull plans and body work. The other side has a cross section cut-way plans of the forward and aft sections of the Minekaze class of destroyers, again in 1/200th scale.
The third plan is to 1/200th scale and has an section illustration showing the top and side external features in 1920. The other side of the plan continues with a illustration of the forward section top and sides showing external features in 1920.
The fourth plan continues in 1/200th scale. One side shows a aft section side and top illustration showing external features of the destroyers in 1939. The other side has the forward section top and side view in 1939.
The fifth plan is to 1/200th scale. Again we get the rear section and the forward section’s top and side views on each side showing the external features in 1944.
The sixth and final plan has the face side showing drawings of parts of the ships in the 3 scales on half the sheet and a illustration of the bridge structure on the other half of the plan as shown in 1920, but to no particular scale (it is large).
The other side of the plan has 1/700th scale illustrations of the side and top and internal beam and bulkhead structure of the ships in 1920, 1939 and 1944 on half the sheet and specifications on the other half.
There are 12 destroyers listed in this class of destroyers:
Minekaze sunk November 10, 1944
Swakaze scrapped 1948
Yakaze scrapped 1947
Hakaze sunk January 23, 1943
Okikaze sunk January 10, 1943
Shiokaze scrapped 1948
Akikaze sunk November 3, 1944
Tachikaze sunk February 17, 1944
Hokaze sunk July 6, 1944
Shimakaze sunk January 13, 1943
Nadakaze scrapped 1945
Yukaze scrapped 1947
This is one neat set of plans for this class of Japanese WWII destroyers. I do not know if any kits exist of any of them as I am not a ship modeler per se.
Highly recommended to ship modelers and nautical historians and enthusiasts alike.
I want to thank Roger Wallsgrove Editor-in-Chief of MMP and the folks at Stratus who sent me this set of plans from Poland.
MMP books are distributed by Casemate in the U.S. and by Platypus Publications in Australia. Listings of all MMP books can be seen on the Casemate web site.
The Minekaze class was a class of fifteen 1st-class destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy.[1] Obsolete by the beginning of the Pacific War, the Minekaze-class ships were relegated to mostly secondary roles, serving throughout the war as patrol vessels, high speed transports, target control vessels, and as kaiten (suicide torpedo) carriers. Most ultimately were lost to U.S. and British submarines.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Minekaze at Yokosuka on 30 August 1932
Class overview
Name:
Minekaze class
Builders:
Maizuru Naval Arsenal
Mitsubishi-Nagasaki
Operators:
Imperial Japanese Navy
Republic of China Navy
Preceded by:
Momi class
Succeeded by:
Wakatake class
Subclasses:
Nokaze class
In commission:
1919–1946
Completed:
15
Lost:
11
Retired:
4
General characteristics
Type:
Destroyer
Displacement:
1,345 long tons (1,367 t) normal,
1,650 long tons (1,680 t) full load
Length:
97.5 m (320 ft) pp,
102.6 m (337 ft) overall
Beam:
9 m (30 ft)
Draught:
2.9 m (9.5 ft)
Propulsion:
2-shaft Mitsubishi-Parsons geared steam turbine, 4 heavy oil-fired boilers 38,500 ihp (28,700 kW)
Speed:
39 knots (72 km/h)
Range:
3600 nm at 14 knots
(6,700 km at 26 km/h)
Complement:
148
Armament:
4 × Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval gun
2 × 7.7mm machine guns
6 × 53cm torpedoes
20 × mines
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus in Sanodomierz, Poland in the English language. Stratus also prints their own line of books in both Polish and English.
This new publication came to me from Stratus in Poland in a padded envelope, along with a MMP book catalog and a nice white cloth carrying bag with the Stratus and MMP logos printed on it. Nice !!!
This is the start of a series of plans of ships that MMP is going to publish.
It is in the form of a portfolio that is soft cover. Inside are plans that are 16 ½” x 11 5/8” that are folded in half on the 16 ½” measure to fit the cover.
There are 6 of these plans inside the cover that are printed on both sides.
The plans are done to the popular ship modeling scales of 1/700th, 1/350th and 1/200th.
The first plan is to 1/350th scale. On one side is drawings of the side, top and internal structure and features of the Minekaze class of destroyer in 1920.
The other side has a top and side drawing of this class of ships as they were in 1939 and in 1944, again in 1/350th scale.
The second plan is to 1/200th scale. One side has drawings of the hull plans and body work. The other side has a cross section cut-way plans of the forward and aft sections of the Minekaze class of destroyers, again in 1/200th scale.
The third plan is to 1/200th scale and has an section illustration showing the top and side external features in 1920. The other side of the plan continues with a illustration of the forward section top and sides showing external features in 1920.
The fourth plan continues in 1/200th scale. One side shows a aft section side and top illustration showing external features of the destroyers in 1939. The other side has the forward section top and side view in 1939.
The fifth plan is to 1/200th scale. Again we get the rear section and the forward section’s top and side views on each side showing the external features in 1944.
The sixth and final plan has the face side showing drawings of parts of the ships in the 3 scales on half the sheet and a illustration of the bridge structure on the other half of the plan as shown in 1920, but to no particular scale (it is large).
The other side of the plan has 1/700th scale illustrations of the side and top and internal beam and bulkhead structure of the ships in 1920, 1939 and 1944 on half the sheet and specifications on the other half.
There are 12 destroyers listed in this class of destroyers:
Minekaze sunk November 10, 1944
Swakaze scrapped 1948
Yakaze scrapped 1947
Hakaze sunk January 23, 1943
Okikaze sunk January 10, 1943
Shiokaze scrapped 1948
Akikaze sunk November 3, 1944
Tachikaze sunk February 17, 1944
Hokaze sunk July 6, 1944
Shimakaze sunk January 13, 1943
Nadakaze scrapped 1945
Yukaze scrapped 1947
This is one neat set of plans for this class of Japanese WWII destroyers. I do not know if any kits exist of any of them as I am not a ship modeler per se.
Highly recommended to ship modelers and nautical historians and enthusiasts alike.
I want to thank Roger Wallsgrove Editor-in-Chief of MMP and the folks at Stratus who sent me this set of plans from Poland.
MMP books are distributed by Casemate in the U.S. and by Platypus Publications in Australia. Listings of all MMP books can be seen on the Casemate web site.