The alternative branch of Japanese destroyers has been extended in Update 0.7.8, with two new ships now available to research and purchase in-game: Tier IX Kitakaze and Tier X Harugumo.

You can locate these warships after Tier VIII destroyer Akizuki in the research tree. Equipped with powerful rapid-fire, dual-purpose guns, both ships are able to efficiently hold their own against enemy ships and aircraft. However, counter to their firepower advantage, they have pretty long hulls, resulting in limited maneuverability.

Kitakaze, Tier IX

Historical Reference

In August 1941, Shimakaze, an experimental fast “cruiser destroyer” with powerful torpedo armament, was laid down in Maizuru. The ship was supposed to mark a new milestone in Japanese shipbuilding, with Japanese engineers and military officers expecting the ship to be exceptionally effective. The Fleet Command included sixteen Type C units (Project V6) to the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Program. However, severe losses inflicted on the Imperial Navy by American aviation forces in 1942, led the Japanese to reconsider the Program and replace the Type C destroyers with Type B (Akizuki class). Seven modernized Type B ships (Project V7 or Akizuki-Kai), construction numbers 5077–5083, were ordered on October 27, 1943. However, the order was canceled on May 5, 1944 because the fleet required mass-produced cheap ships for escort duties, as opposed to expensive super destroyers that were time-consuming to construct. Consequently, the resources intended for the Type B vessels were used to build Tachibana-class escort ships and Kaibokan-class patrol ships instead.

Description of the In-game Model

In terms of hull design, the in-game model is a derivative of Akizuki destroyer with its forecastle extended to the bow superstructure. Her stem has a raised and curved shape, typical for Japanese destroyers of World War II. The steam from her three boilers is exhausted via a single large pipe. A sextuple torpedo launcher is placed between the pipe and aft superstructure, with the system for fast torpedo reloading closer to the bow. 100-mm/65 twin mounts of Type 98 dual-purpose guns are located on the bow and aft superstructures, slightly behind and above each other. On both sides of the bow superstructure and on four platforms closer to the bow and aft from the torpedo launcher, triple Type 96 25-mm antiaircraft guns are mounted. One single autocannon is installed on each side of the aft superstructure, with four more on both sides of the bow superstructure on the upper deck, and eight more on the forecastle.

In-game Characteristics Overview

This Tier IX destroyer, similar to her predecessor, is armed with four main turrets with two 100-mm guns each. One of the main peculiarities of these guns is their three-second reloading time, enabling them to deliver almost non-stop fire at targets. Despite their small caliber, the 100-mm high explosive shells of Japanese destroyers, starting from Tier VIII, have enhanced armor penetration. As a result, they can efficiently penetrate the plating of all destroyers, with the exception of the main armor belt of Tier X Soviet destroyer Khabarovsk. If Commanders on these ships master the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill, the shells will be able to penetrate armor of up to 32-mm thickness. This provides the Japanese destroyers with an additional advantage, enabling them to inflict damage to either end of battleships and cruisers.

Besides rapid-fire main battery guns, the destroyer has one more peculiar feature—a sextuple torpedo launcher with the Torpedo Reload Booster consumable. Unleashing twelve torpedoes each five seconds—this provides a really nice chance to surprise an enemy heavy ship. However, this does come at the cost of reload speed: varying from 157 to 176 seconds on different torpedo tubes.

Relatively big compared to ships of the same type, the destroyer suffers when it comes to speed and maneuverability. You should be careful when deciding on the direction of attack and pre-plan potential getaway routes in case of unfavorable skirmish outcomes. Ship detectability is average value for the tier, at 7.6 km without modifiers—the same as that of German destroyer Z-46. When fighting for key areas, it is essential to consider the enemy types you are confronting and, if possible, ensure the support of a cruiser with Surveillance Radar or allied aviation.

Available consumables: Damage Control PartySmoke GeneratorEngine BoostTorpedo Reload Booster

Harugumo, Tier X

Historical Reference

Destroyer Harugumo was an attempt to direct Japanese shipbuilding towards the maximizing the combat capability of a ship based on Akizuki destroyer, whilst keeping the enhancement as efficient as possible and staying within a reasonable size. One of its predominant features sees the number of main armament turrets raised to five. To keep speed within acceptable limits, the main power plant of the experimental “cruiser destroyer” Shimakaze was used. Small-caliber AA artillery is based on Type 5 40-mm guns—clones of the Swedish Bofors gun, obtained by reverse engineering of captured Dutch and British army guns.

Description of the In-game Model

The model is a result of a thorough redesign of the Akizuki project, with a fifth main armament turret added to the aft turret group. To mount the fifth turret, the hull of the previous Kitakaze class was made 18 meters longer. The additional turret was mounted between the torpedo launcher and aft superstructure, with its centerline directed towards the bow. The small-caliber AA artillery, six Type 5 (Model 1945) 40-mm AA mounts are placed on each side of the bow superstructure near the smokestack, and near the AA director platform at the back of the smokestack. In addition to these, sixteen Type 96 (Model 1) 25-mm single guns are mounted on the same spots as the Kitakaze class, with the exception of the aft superstructure.

In-game Characteristics Overview

Harugumo, the pinnacle of the Japanese destroyer branch, differs from her closest neighbor, Shimakaze. She is a rapid-fire destroyer equipped with five main armament turrets, having two 100-mm guns each, and one sextuple torpedo launcher. By comparison, Shimakaze is a stealthy ninja with gameplay based mainly on her three quintuple torpedo launchers. The two destroyers differ not only in their armament, but also in their detectability and speed parameters. For Shimakaze, detectability from ships with all modifiers applied is 5.6 km and maximum speed is 39 knots. Harugumo's detectability is 600 meters more and she moves 3.3 knots slower than her sibling. Aside from this, due to her size, the basic combat capability of the new destroyer is 25,600 HP, this is 3,000 HP more than the previous record holder—Khabarovsk. However, this comes at the price of her turning circle radius—830 meters, which is the largest turning circle out of all Tier X destroyers.

The most effective results of the ship in battle come from firing at enemy ships from behind cover or when using smoke screens. The efficiency of this tactic is not only due to the ship’s high fire rate, but also the benefit of increased armor penetration for high-explosive shells. HE shells can penetrate armor of up to 24-mm (instead of 17-mm) thickness. But if you'd like to be even more efficient and unleash shell showers on enemy cruisers and battleships, penetrating their front and rear ends, you should master the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill to enable armor penetration up to 32 mm thick.

Taking the ship’s rapid-fire guns into account, fighting enemy ships of the same type is sure to be a pretty efficient tactic as well. Should one of them happen to get within 6–8 kilometers of Harugumo, her ten guns with their reload rate of three seconds will quickly deal with the poor interloper. However, do remember that evading enemy torpedoes will be challenging, so assess a situation properly and start maneuvering in good time.

Two options of torpedo tubes are available for Harugumo: standard torpedoes with a range of 12 km and speed of 67 knots or "short" torpedoes with a range of 8 km and speed of 76 knots. Having only one torpedo launcher is compensated by the availability of the Torpedo Reload Booster consumable, enabling her to fire two spreads within five seconds, consisting of six torpedoes each.

Available consumables: Damage Control PartySmoke GeneratorEngine BoostTorpedo Reload Booster

The flagship Harugumo is equipped with five main armament turrets having coaxial 100-mm guns with enhanced armor penetration. This combination makes the destroyer a threat not only to ships of the same type, but also to enemy cruisers and battleships. But you should be very cautious, because a single bad decision and lack of foresight can lose a battle quickly: remember that changing direction quickly is not always possible and you need to think ahead. Sextuple torpedo launchers accompanied by the Torpedo Reload Booster consumable give the opportunity to significantly wear down the enemy's combat capability. This pair of destroyers turned out to be quite unusual and special, with their unique characteristics pushing those who helm them towards numerous new tactics, as well as styles of cooperation with teammates.

To summarize, it's safe to say that the alternative Japanese destroyer branch is finally complete. The gameplay of these ships is generally based on main battery guns, with torpedo tubes not being the primary armament, but still providing a viable threat to enemy ships.