IJN Hayanami, Rank II, Japan, Premium

Features:

• Excellent torpedoes
• Universal main calibre guns
• Small number of short-range anti-aircraft artillery
• Premium

The Japanese Yugumo-class destroyer Hayanami completed in December 1942 at the Maizuru shipyard, entered service in the summer of 1943. In the autumn of the same year, she escorted transports and landing ships on routes from the Japanese metropolis to the Micronesian islands and to Solomon Islands. On June 7, 1944, the destroyer was torpedoed by the American submarine USS Harder near the Tawi-Tawi Islands, an explosion occurred on the ship and the destroyer sank. The 45 survivors were saved by the destroyer Urakaze.

The Hayanami destroyer, which will be the first "naval" prize of the winter marathon, is an excellent representative of the Yugumo class thanks to its ultimative torpedo armament and universal main calibre guns. The ship is armed with six 127 mm guns that are housed in three mounts. The ammunition includes only two types of shells- high-explosive fragmentation and HE with a time fuse. Despite the absence of other types of shells, the main calibre guns deal well with enemy destroyers. Anti-aircraft artillery is represented here by three 25mm twin mounts that are not enough to provide effective protection of the destroyer from aviation, so it would be a wise choice to leave room for shells with a remote fuse, effective against air targets at long distances.

Torpedoes are the strongest point of the Yugumo-class destroyers, and Hayanami is no exception here! Two four-tube torpedo launchers with a total ammunition capacity of 16 torpedoes are located in the middle of the ship. They have good firing sectors and traverse speed. Hayanami’s torpedoes are extremely effective ”Type 93, Model 1, Mod 2”, which are also used on light and heavy cruisers, they are blazingly fast and have a very long range (up to 20 km travel distance!) while wielding more than 600 kg in TNT equivalent each. The large ammunition load allows Hayanami to literally “spam” narrow passages and possible directions of enemy courses with torpedoes, while remaining at a safe distance.

Complete the tasks in the marathon and take this excellent destroyer to your hangars!

The War Thunder Team