Japanese destroyer Urakaze
Encyclopedia
Urakaze was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
.
On 9 June 1944, she rescued 126 survivors from , including her commander Lieutenant Commander Ikeda, which was sunk by , near Tawitawi. During the Battle of Philippine Sea, she assisted survivors of the aircraft carrier , which was sunk by , and slightly damaged the attacking submarine with depth charges.
On 21 November 1944, Urakaze was torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sunk with all hands by , 65 miles (120 km) north-northwest of Keelung
Keelung
Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It borders New Taipei and forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with the Taipei and New Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport...
, Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(26°09′N 121°23′E). The torpedo that sank her was one out of three that sank her and the battleship Kongo
Japanese battleship Kongo
Kongō was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. She was the first battlecruiser of the Kongō class, among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Her designer was the British naval engineer George Thurston, and she was laid down in 1911 at...
. Several survivors from Tanikaze also went down with the ship.