Yūdachi

History: Yūdachi (夕立 "Evening Squall") was the fourth of ten Shiratsuyu-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy under the "Circle One" Program (Maru Ichi Keikaku).

On the night of 12–13 November 1942, in the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Yūdachi escorted the Bombardment Force of Rear Admiral Abe Hiroaki. The lead ship in the formation at beginning of battle, Yūdachi had to swerve to avoid U.S. ships, then torpedoed the cruiser USS Portland. Yūdachi then mistook the destroyer USS Sterett for a friendly ship and flashed its recognition signals. Sterett fired back, hitting Yūdachi's #1 boiler room, leaving the ship dead in the water. After Yūdachi was disabled, 207 survivors were removed by Samidare, which then failed to scuttle her with three torpedoes. The abandoned hulk was later sunk by gunfire of Portland, southeast of Savo Island at position (09°14′S 159°52′ECoordinates: 09°14′S 159°52′E). According to James Hornfischer, Yūdachi was showing a white flag before Portland fired, but this was deliberately ignored by the American captain, who directed his gunnery officer to "sink the S.O.B.".

Class: The Shiratsuyu-class destroyers were a class of ten destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy in service before and during World War II. The initial six Shiratsuyu-class destroyers were modified versions of the Hatsuharu class, and had been originally planned as the final six vessels of that class under the ”Circle-One” Naval Expansion Plan. However, design issues with the Hatsuharu-class ships, notably their “top-heavy” design relative to their small displacement, resulted in extensive modifications, to the point where the final six vessels on order were named as a separate class. An additional four vessels were ordered under the ”Circle-Two Naval Expansion Plan of fiscal 1934, and all vessels were completed by 1937.

As with the Hatsuharu class, the Shiratsuyu-class destroyers were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and to conduct both day and night torpedo attacks against the United States Navy as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean, according to Japanese naval strategic projections. Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, none survived the Pacific War.

Nationality: Japan is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean with dense cities, imperial palaces, mountainous national parks and thousands of shrines and temples. Shinkansen bullet trains connect the main islands of Kyushu (with Okinawa's subtropical beaches), Honshu (home to Tokyo and Hiroshima’s atomic-bomb memorial) and Hokkaido (famous for skiing). Tokyo, the capital, is known for skyscrapers, shopping and pop culture.

Although legend has it that Japan was founded in 660BC, archaeologists agree that settlement in the Japanese archpelago dates back as far as 100,000 years. The Jomon Period (8000-c.300BC) is the earliest that has been studied. It is named after the 'jomon' or cord-marked pattern style of pottery of the period.