Yamato & Mushasi

[jonnymacbrown]

Re: IJN destroyers.

I've done some research on this topic, and it seems to me that the Japanese couldn't have done any better than they did do, even with a shift in priorities. For example, in the Guadalcanal Campaign, from August 6 until November 15, 1942, the Americans lost 15 destroyers to Japan’s 11. However, at the same time, the USN commissioned 62 destroyers to Japan’s 7! It seems that they just didn't have the shipyards to do the job. It wasn't a question of resources, i.e. build 15 destroyers instead of one carrier, but rather that the shipbuilding facilities just weren't there. When the Guadalcanal campaign was over at the end of 1943, the IJN lost 40 destroyers, which was 2/5 of the prewar inventory. Construction could not make up for these losses, as in the whole of 1943 the Japanese launched only 15 new destroyers! Finally, most of the Japanese losses in destroyers came from the decision to use these ships for fast transport. von ege