SHIMAKAZE

Date1960-1979

Object number00039481

NameModel

MediumMetal, plastic, paint.

DimensionsOverall: 25 x 15 x 190 mm, 0.04 kg

ClassificationsModels

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Peter Collins

Terms

DescriptionA waterline model of the Imperial Japanese Naval destroyer SHIMAKAZE.HistoryIJNS SHIMAKAZE (Island Wind) was a unique destroyer built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Armed with six 127 mm (5.0") guns as well as with conventional anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weaponry, she was the first destroyer in the IJN to be armed with 15 torpedo tubes - each capable of firing the 24" (610 mm) 'Long Lance' torpedo. The ship was a platform for the testing of a revolutionary, powerful, high-pressure steam engine that was able to develop nearly 80,000hp. This made her one of the fastest destroyers in the world, with a speed of approximately 39 knots (72 km/h; 43 mph) During sea trials her maximum speed was 40.9 knots (75.7 km/h; 47.1 mph). The SHIMAKAZE was laid down in Maizuru Naval Arsenal in August 1941 and was completed on 10 May 1943, having been ordered in 1939 under the 4th Naval Armaments supplement Programme. Japan had intended to build 16 such destroyers, with long-term plans (the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme) for another 16 ships, so as to equip four destroyer squadrons; but limits on Japan's industrial capacity prevented any more of them from being built. Sunk on 11 November 1944 by US aircraft from the TF-38 task force; having been set on fire, whereupon there was a subsequent explosion, in Ormoc Bay, Leyte Gulf, Philippines. Unknown number of casualties or survivors. Waterline models give the impression of a ship floating in its natural element by "omitting the underwater part of the ship during construction from a point equivalent to where the water level would reach if thevessel were floating at her normal trim". 1:1200scale models are improved versions of the wooden identification models used by Allied forces for recognition training and battle simulation during the two World Wars. Die cast metal waterline models are ideal for collectors or for naval hobbyists, who use them for fighting naval battles in table top war gaming. Created by Fred T. Jane around 1904, the war game was popular in Germany and Britain, but languished after World War II as companies were put out of business by the war and Germans focused on the rebuilding of their country. The revival of the German economy in the 1950s saw a rebirth in the hobby market, and the inauguration of companies such as Hansa in the late 1950s and Mercator and Neptun/Navis in the 1960s, the latter still the largest producer of quality water line models. Miniature waterline models are valued by collectors for their age, rarity, quality, and for the particular vessels they represent. The aesthetic significance of these waterline models is evident in their quality craftsmanship - the models, excluding masts and posts, have been cast as a single entity, with hand painted detailing. These miniature models accurately replicate full - sized ocean - going merchant and naval vessels. The models convey charm, evidence of maritime skill and knowledge, and fine attention to detail, making them highly valuable and collectible.SignificanceDating from the 1950s to 1970s, these waterline models are historically significant for their association with a
period in which ship model production and collection was highly prolific.