:Kaba-class destroyer

At the outbreak of World War I, the Imperial Japanese Navy had a total of two modern destroyers capable of overseas deployment: the {{sclass|Sakura|destroyer|4}} {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Sakura|1911|2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Tachibana|1912|2}}. It was clear that this force would not enable Japan to fulfill its obligations under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, so the Japanese government pushed through an Emergency Naval Expansion Budget in fiscal 1914 to allow for the construction of ten new destroyers. As speed was of the essence, the orders were given to both government and civilian shipyards (as was the case with the construction of the Russo-Japanese War vintage Kamikaze-class).Howarth, The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun

Twelve more vessels were built by the same shipyards in Japan per an order from the French Navy, where they were designated the Tribal class (or Arabe class) {{cite web|url=http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/arabe.htm|title=Arabe French destroyer class|access-date=21 December 2016}} named {{ship|French destroyer|Algérien||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Annamite||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Arabe||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Bambara||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Hova||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Kabyle||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Marocain||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Sakalave||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Sénégalais||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Somali||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Tonkinois||2}}, and {{ship|French destroyer|Touareg||2}}. The Arabe class were the most advanced destroyers in the French inventory in World War I.Tucker. The European Powers in the First World War. Page. 165

These 2nd class destroyers were funded under the September 1914 War Budget. The ten Kaba-class vessels were built simultaneously at eight different shipyards around Japan. As there was no time to design a new vessel, plans for the previous Sakura-class destroyers were distributed to each shipyard, with the instructions that the power plant was to be a conventional coal-fired triple expansion steam engine, and not a steam turbine.

Armament was almost the same as that of the Sakura class, with one QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk I - IV, mounted on the forecastle deck forward of the bridge, and four 3 inch 12 pounder guns, mounted one on either side and two towards the stern of the ship, with two twin torpedo launchers on rotating centreline mounts, although the latter were the new 533mm type instead of the 450mm type in the Sakura class.

Given the speed of construction and the fact that eight different shipyards were used, it is a tribute to the Japanese shipbuilders that all ten vessels produced were uniform in appearance and capabilities, and performed reliably in their overseas deployment to the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in combat operations in World War I.Jentsura, Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945 This deployment began with Rear Admiral Kozo Sato arrived in Malta in mid-April 1917, with the cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Akashi||2}} as his flagship and eight Kaba-class destroyers.{{cite web|url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyJapanese.htm#dd|title=Japanese Navy, IJN, World War 1|access-date=21 December 2016}}{{cite book |last = Halpern|first = Paul G | year = 1994| title = A Naval History of World War I| publisher = Routledge| page = 393| isbn = 1-85728-498-4}} The Japanese fleet was nominally independent, but carried out operations under the direction of the Royal Navy command on Malta, primarily in escort operations for transport and troopship convoys and in anti-submarine warfare operations.{{cite book |last = Halpern|first = Paul G | year = 1994| title = A Naval History of World War I| publisher = Routledge| page = 393| isbn = 1-85728-498-4}} Sakaki was damaged by the Austro-Hungarian Navy U-boat {{ship|SM|U-27|Austria-Hungary|2}} on 11 June 1917 off of Crete with the loss of 68 of her 92 crewmen. She was salvaged and repaired.{{cite web|url=http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/japanese_destroyers.htm|title=Japanese Destroyers|access-date=21 December 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyJapanese.htm|title=Japanese Navy, IJN, World War 1|access-date=21 December 2016}}

All ten vessels survived the war, and were stricken in November 1931 and broken up.{{cite book |last1=Watts & Gordon |title=The Imperial Japanese Navy |publisher=Macdonald |isbn=0356030458 |page=248}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book

| last = Cocker

| first = Maurice

| year = 1983

| title = Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981

| publisher = Ian Allan

| isbn = 0-7110-1075-7

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Evans

| first = David

| year = 1979

| title = Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941

| publisher = US Naval Institute Press

| isbn = 0-87021-192-7

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Howarth

| first = Stephen

| year = 1983

| title = The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945

| publisher = Atheneum

| isbn = 0-689-11402-8

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Halpern

| first = Paul G

| year = 1994

| title = A Naval History of World War I

| publisher = Routledge

| isbn = 1-85728-498-4

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Jentsura

| first = Hansgeorg

| year = 1976

| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945

| publisher = US Naval Institute Press

| isbn = 0-87021-893-X

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Tucker

| first = Spencer

| year = 1996

| title = The European Powers in the First World War

| publisher = Taylor & Francis

| isbn = 0-8153-3351-X

}}

• {{cite book |last1=Watts |first1=Anthony |last2=Gordon |first2=Brian |title=The Imperial Japanese Navy |date=1971 |publisher=Macdonald |isbn=0356030458}}

{{Commons category|Kaba class destroyer}}

• {{cite web

| last = Globalsecurity.org

| url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/kaba-dd.htm

| title = IJN Kaba class destroyers

}}

• [http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/arabe.htm French Arabe class]

{{Kaba class destroyers}}

{{WWI Japanese ships}}

Category:Destroyer classes

Category:World War I destroyers of Japan

Category:Ships built in Japan

Category:Japan–Malta relations