World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseNumber 31, a 1772-ton Mutsuki class destroyer, was built at Maizuru Dockyard, Japan. Completed in November 1926, she received the name Kikuzuki in 1928. On 4 May 1942, while supporting the Japanese occupation of Tulagi, Solomon Islands, she was attacked by aircraft from USS Yorktown (CV-5) and was sunk near shore in Halavo Bay, a few miles east of Tulagi. Shortly afterwards, she slipped into deeper water and was completely submerged.

ww2dbaseIn mid-1943, the U.S. Navy undertook the salvage of Kikuzuki, in an effort to gain intelligence about Japanese weapons and other capabilities. Later in 1943, after salvage work was largely completed, she was moved into nearby Purvis Bay and allowed to settle in shallow water. Her wreck remains visible to this day, though it is now much deteriorated.

Destroyer Kikuzuki Interactive Map

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