The
Akizuki-class ships were originally designed as
anti-aircraft escorts for carrier battle groups, but were modified with
torpedo tubes and
depth charges to meet the need for more general-purpose destroyers. The ships measured
overall, with
beams of and
drafts of . They displaced at
standard load Their crews numbered 300 officers and
enlisted men. Each ship had two
Kampon geared
steam turbines, each driving one
propeller shaft using steam provided by three Kampon
water-tube boilers. The turbines were rated at a total of for a designed speed of . The ships carried enough
fuel oil to give them ranges of at speeds of . The main armament of the
Akizuki class consisted of eight
Type 98 dual-purpose guns in four twin-
gun turrets, two
superfiring pairs fore and aft of the
superstructure. They each carried a dozen
Type 96 anti-aircraft (AA) guns in four triple-gun mounts. The ships were also each armed with four torpedo tubes in a single quadruple rotating mount
amidships; one reload was carried for each tube. The first batch of ships were each equipped with two depth charge throwers for which 54 depth charges were carried.
Hatsuzuki was equipped with a Type 21
early-warning radar on her
foremast. ==Career and fate==