Japanese destroyer Maki (1944)

Designed for ease of production, the Matsu class was smaller, slower and more lightly armed than the IJN's previous destroyers. This was because they were intended to be used for second-line duties like escorting convoys, releasing the larger ships for missions with the fleet.Stille, p. 38 The ships measured {{convert|100|m|ftin|sp=us}} long overall, with a beam of {{convert|9.35|m|ftin|sp=us}} and a draft of {{convert|3.3|m|ftin|sp=us}}.Sturton, p. 196 Their crew numbered 210 officers and enlisted men.Stille, p. 45 They displaced {{convert|1282|t|LT|sp=us|lk=on}} at standard load and {{convert|1554|t|LT|sp=us}} at deep load.Whitley, p. 206 The ships had two Kampon geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by two Kampon water-tube boilers. The turbines were rated at a total of {{convert|19000|shp|lk=on}} for a speed of {{convert|27.8|kn|lk=in}}. The Matsus had a range of {{convert|4680|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|16|kn}}.Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 151

The main armament of the Matsu-class ships consisted of three 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun dual-purpose guns in one twin-gun mount aft and one single mount forward of the superstructure. The single mount was partially protected against spray by a gun shield. The accuracy of the Type 89 guns was severely reduced against aircraft because no high-angle gunnery director was fitted. The ships carried a total of 25 Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun anti-aircraft guns in 4 triple and 13 single mounts. The Matsus were equipped with Type 13 early-warning and Type 22 surface-search radars.Stille, p. 41 The ships were also armed with a single rotating quadruple mount amidships for {{convert|610|mm|in|adj=on|0|sp=us}} torpedoes. They could deliver their 36 depth charges via two stern rails and two throwers.

Authorized in the late 1942 Modified 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Program,Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 152 Maki was laid down on 19 February 1944 at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal and launched on 10 June.Stille, p. 40 Upon her completion on 10 August, Maki was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 11 of the Combined Fleet for training. The ship was assigned to Destroyer Division 43, Escort Squadron 31 of the Combined Fleet on 30 September and participated in the Battle off Cape Engaño on 25 October as part of Vice-admiral Jisaburō Ozawa's Northern Force. During the battle she rescued 150 survivors from the sunken destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Akizuki|1941|2}} and later attempted to rescue survivors from the light aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Chiyoda||2}}. Maki was moderately damaged by American aircraft from Task Force 38 that hit her with one bomb and near-missed with several others; the bombs damaged her rudder and limited her speed to {{convert|20|kn}}. The aircraft killed 31 members of Maki{{'}}s crew and 4 rescuees from Akizuki.Nevitt

Escort Squadron 31 was transferred to the 5th Fleet on 20 November and the destroyer helped to escort the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}} and the aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Jun'yō||2}} from Mako, Japanese Taiwan, back to Japan on 6–10 December. Enroute she was torpedoed by the American submarine {{USS|Plaice|SS-390|2}} on 9 December. Struck by a single torpedo in the bow, Maki was subsequently repaired at Sasebo Naval Arsenal. The squadron rejoined the Combined Fleet on 5 February 1945, but was briefly assigned to the 2nd Fleet from 15 March to 20 April. The ship was transferred to Kure on 26 March, but spent the rest of the war in the Seto Inland Sea. Together with her sister ship {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Kaya|1944|2}} and the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Hanazuki||2}}, Maki helped to escort the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}} through the Inland Sea on 6 April, with the Yamato heading for a suicide attack against allied forces on Okinawa, as a part of Operation Ten-Go,Reynolds, p. 166 although Maki only went as far as the Bungo Straight. The destroyer was turned over to Allied forces at Kure at the time of the surrender of Japan on 2 September and was stricken from the navy list on 5 October. She was disarmed and used to repatriate Japanese personnel in 1945–1947. Maki was turned over to Great Britain on 14 August of the latter year and subsequently scrapped.

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book| last = Jentschura| first = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
• {{cite web |last1=Nevitt |first1=Allyn D. |title=IJN Maki: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/maki_t.htm |website=www.combinedfleet.com |access-date=21 September 2020 |date=1998}}
• {{cite book|last=Reynolds|first=Clark G|year=1982|title=The Carrier War |publisher=Time-Life Books|ISBN=978-0-8094-3304-9}}
• {{cite book |last1=Stille |first1=Mark |title=Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45 (2): Asahio to Tachibana Classes |date=2013 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Botley, UK |isbn=978-1-84908-987-6}}
• {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1980|isbn=0-85177-146-7|chapter=Japan|author-first=Ian|author-last=Sturton}}
• {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1988|isbn=0-87021-326-1 |location=Annapolis, Maryland |authorlink=Michael J. Whitley}}

• {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2|authorlink=Jürgen Rohwer}}

{{Matsu class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maki (1944)}}

Category:Matsu-class destroyers

Category:Ships built by Maizuru Naval Arsenal

Category:World War II destroyers of Japan

Category:1944 ships