Japanese destroyer Murasame (1935)

Murasame at Yangtze River, China, 1937
History
Empire of Japan
Name:	Murasame
Ordered:	1931 FY
Builder:	Fujinagata Shipyards
Laid down:	1 February 1934
Launched:	20 June 1935
Commissioned:	7 January 1937
Struck:	1 April 1943
Fate:	Sunk 5 March 1943
General characteristics
Class and type:	Shiratsuyu-class destroyer
Displacement:	1,685 long tons (1,712 t)
Length:	103.5 m (340 ft) pp 107.5 m (352 ft 8 in) waterline
Beam:	9.9 m (32 ft 6 in)
Draft:	3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:	2 shaft Kampon geared turbines 3 boilers, 42,000 hp (31,000 kW)
Speed:	34 knots (39 mph; 63 km/h)
Range:	4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h)
Complement:	226
Armament:	5 × 12.7 cm/50 Type 3 naval guns (2×2, 1×1) 2 × Type 93 13 mm AA guns 8 × 24 in (610 mm) torpedo tubes 16 × Depth charges
Service record
Operations:	Battle of Tarakan (1942) Battle of the Java Sea (1942) Battle of Midway (1942) Battle of the Eastern Solomons (1942) Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (1942) First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (1942) Battle of Blackett Strait (1943)

Murasame (村雨, "Passing Shower") was the third of ten Shiratsuyu-class destroyers, and was built for the Imperial Japanese Navy under the "Circle One" Program (Maru Ichi Keikaku). This vessel should not be confused with the earlier Russo-Japanese War-period Harusame-class torpedo boat destroyer with the same name.

The Shiratsuyu-class destroyers were modified versions of the Hatsuharu class, and 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.Murasame, built at the Fujinagata Shipyards in Osaka was laid down on 1 February 1934, launched on 20 June 1935 and commissioned on 7 January 1937.

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Murasame was assigned to Destroyer Division 2 of Destroyer Squadron 4 of the IJN 2nd Fleet, and had sortied from Mako Guard District as part of the "Operation M" (the invasion of the Philippines, covering landings at Vigan and Lingayen Gulf). On 26 December, she collided with minesweeper W-20 off of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, suffering minor damage.