Thursday, 28 October 2010

Japanese Destroyer Sagiri In Kuching

The place is behind Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Petra Jaya Kuching,you can google it by Google Map.The place is so hidden that make you will found this place incidently.Sixteen years ago during my schoop years,this is my playground,cycling and playing basketball until i stumble upon saw this place,that time i dont know about what it is until recently..It's part of our history even though the Japanese occupation era is part of Gruesome to old sarawakian. here is some information i got from wikipedia about this "Sagiri"

Sagiri (狭霧, "Haze"?) [1]was the sixteenth of twenty-four Fubuki-class destroyer destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world. [2]. They served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, and remained formidable weapons systems well into the Pacific War.
Career Naval Ensign of Japan.svg
Name: Sagiri
Owner: Empire of Japan
Operator: Imperial Japanese Navy
Ordered: 1923 Fiscal Year
Builder: Uraga Dock Company
Yard number: Destroyer No. 50
Laid down: March 28, 1929
Launched: December 23, 1929
Commissioned: January 31, 1931
Struck: January 15, 1942
Fate: Sunk by K XVI on December 24, 1941
General characteristics
Class and type: Fubuki-class destroyer
Displacement: 1,750 long tons (1,780 t) standard
2,050 long tons (2,080 t) re-built
Length: 111.96 m (367.3 ft) pp,
115.3 m (378 ft) waterline
118.41 m (388.5 ft) overall
Beam: 10.4 m (34 ft 1 in)
Draft: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Propulsion: 4 × Kampon type boilers,
2 × Kampon Type Ro geared turbines,
2 × shafts at 50,000 ihp (37,000 kW)
Speed: 38 knots (44 mph; 70 km/h)
Range: 5,000 nm at 14 knots
(9,200 km at 26 km/h)
Complement: 219
Armament: 6 × Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns (3×2)
up to 22 × Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Guns
up to 10 × 13 mm AA guns,
9 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes
36 × depth charges

Service record
Operations: Second Sino-Japanese War
Battle of Malaya


Construction of the advanced Fubuki-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's expansion program from fiscal 1923, intended to give Japan a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships.[3].

The Fubuki-class had performance that was a quantum leap over previous destroyer designs, so much so that they were designated Special Type destroyers (特型, Tokugata?). The large size, powerful engines, high speed, large radius of action and unprecedented armament gave these destroyers the firepower similar to many light cruisers in other navies. [4] Sagiri, built at the Uraga Dock Company was the sixth in an improved series, which incorporated a modified gun turret which could elevate her main battery of Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns to 75° as opposed to the original 40°, thus permitting the guns to be used as dual purpose guns against aircraft.[5] Sagiri was laid down on March 28, 1929, launched on December 23, 1929 and commissioned on January 31, 1930. [6]

Originally assigned hull designation “Destroyer No. 50”, she was commissioned as Sagiri. The 4th Fleet Incident occurred only a year after her commissioning, and Sagiri was quickly taken back to the shipyards for strengthening of her hull. [edit] Operational history On completion, Sagiri was assigned to Destroyer Division 20 under the IJN 2nd Fleet. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, from 1937, Sagiri covered landing of Japanese forces in Shanghai and Hangzhou. From 1940, she was assigned to patrol and cover landings of Japanese forces in south China. [edit] World War II history At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sagiri was assigned to Destroyer Division 20 of Desron 3 of the IJN 1st Fleet, and had deployed from Kure Naval District to the port of Samah on Hainan Island, escorting Japanese troopships for landing operations in the Japanese Invasion of Thailand covering landings at the port city of Songkhla in southern Thailand. [7]

From 17 December, Sagiri covered Japanese landings at Miri and at Kuching in Sarawak. On 24 December 1941, approximately 35 nautical miles (65 km) off Kuching, Sagiri was torpedoed by the Dutch submarine K XVI. Her aft magazine caught fire and exploded, sinking the ship at position 01°34′N 110°21′E / 1.567°N 110.35°E / 1.567; 110.35Coordinates: 01°34′N 110°21′E / 1.567°N 110.35°E / 1.567; 110.35 with the loss of 121 of her crew. [8] [9] Some 120 survivors were rescued by her sister ship, Shirakumo.

On 15 January 1942, Sagiri was removed from the navy list.[10]

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