Designed for ease of production, the
Matsu class was smaller, slower and more lightly armed than previous destroyers as the IJN intended them for second-line duties like escorting convoys, releasing the larger ships for missions with the fleet. The ships measured long
overall, with a
beam of and a
draft of . Their crew numbered 210 officers and enlisted men. They displaced at
standard load and at deep load. The ships had two
Kampon geared
steam turbines, each driving one
propeller shaft, using steam provided by two Kampon
water-tube boilers. The turbines were rated at a total of for a speed of . The
Matsus had a range of at . The main armament of the
Matsu-class ships consisted of three
Type 89 dual-purpose guns in one twin-gun mount aft and one single mount forward of the
superstructure. The single mount was partially protected against
spray by a
gun shield. The accuracy of the Type 89 guns was severely reduced against aircraft because no high-angle gunnery
director was fitted. The ships carried a total of twenty-five
Type 96 anti-aircraft guns in 4 triple and 13 single mounts. The
Matsus were equipped with
Type 13 early-warning and
Type 22 surface-
search radars. The ships were also armed with a single rotating quadruple mount
amidships for
torpedoes. They could deliver their 36
depth charges via two stern rails and two throwers. ==Construction and career==