Yukikaze's War: The Unsinkable Japanese Destroyer and World War II in the Pacific

Only one elite Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer survived the cruel ocean battlefields of World War II. This is her story. Brett Walker, historian and captain, delves into questions of mechanics, armaments, navigation, training, and even indoctrination, illustrating the daily realities of war for Yukikaze and her crew. By shifting our perspective of the Pacific War away from grand Imperial strategies, and toward the intricacies of fighting on the water, Walker allows us to see the war from Yukikaze's bridge during the most harrowing battles, from Midway to Okinawa. Walker uncovers the ordinary sailor's experience, and we see sailors fight while deep-running currents of Japanese history unfold before their war-weary eyes. As memories of World War II fade, Yukikaze's story becomes ever more important, providing valuable lessons in our contemporary world of looming energy shortfalls, menacing climate uncertainties, and aggressive totalitarian regimes. Cover Half-title page Title page Copyright page Dedication Epigraph Contents Preface A Note on Sources Chapter 1 Divine Ships of a Bluewater Navy Chapter 2 Torpedoes, Destroyers, and Samurai of the Seas Chapter 3 Oil Empire and Japan’s Southern Advance Chapter 4 Conquest of the South Seas Chapter 5 Escorting Catastrophe at Midway Chapter 6 Barroom Brawl at Guadalcanal Chapter 7 Defending the Solomon Sea and Bismarck Barrier Chapter 8 The Mariana Islands and the Collapse of Japan’s Defensive Sphere Chapter 9 The Leyte Theater Chapter 10 Dangerous Homewaters and Shinano Destroyed Chapter 11 Yamato and the Specter of History Acknowledgments Notes Index