The Ship Model Forum

Assuming that I understand your question correctly -

At the outset of the war, only the classes prior to the Fubukis carried any single 13.2mm guns, IIRC. The exception was the Type III Fubukis; they had two single 13mm guns mounted midships, on either side of the deckhouse, inbetween #2 funnel and the RDF/searchlight compartment.

During the war, there were undoubtedly many adhoc instances of DDs carrying single 7.7mm or 13.2mm guns. For instance, there is that well-known photo of Shirayuki at the Bismarck Sea with a 13mm atop a TT mount, surrounded by sandbags.

Shirayuki also shows that many of the Type Is were modified either immediately pre-war or early on to carry two twin 13mm mounts on a revised platform in front of #1 funnel.

Late in the war, destroyers across all classes could carry a mix of 13.2mm and 25mm single mounts.

I was looking at my kit of Hatsuharu, which I know isn't a Fubuki but I noticed the Yamashita Fubuki's had twin guns and the Hatsuharu only had single mg's, just made me wonder, if it was a general thing for Japanese destroyers to have had single Mg's replaced by twins, or maybe it was just a Fubuki thing, or differed on individual ships.

thanks
Mike

Ah. Well, the IJN installed single 40mm mounts (Vickers design) on the Hatsuharu, Shiratsuyu, and some Asashio class ships as built. Almost all were replaced by wartime, though some ships retained theirs for a few months into the war. Those were all replaced by 25mm twins.

Confused yet, Mike?

I'm not sure confused is the correct word, it's more like I wasn't aware the IJN had upgraded the destroyer AA by late 41/early 42. I remember most of the models back in the day (like to 70's Tamiya destroyer kits) only having single MG's for the early war fit models. It sounds like to me that is that there may have been ones still carrying single MG's by WW2, so if that's what the model has, that's what it'll get, I guess with the IJN, it might be difficult to prove what every ship was fitted with all the time.

thanks
Mike

This is an FYI - In researching roll-off depth charge racks at the stern for the Kagero class, I realized that the FineMolds kits for the late war Ushio and Akebono are in error. The kits retain the original tracks for dropping mines, and then later, single depth charges when, in fact, there should be roll-off depth charge racks in their place.

There are aftermarket d-c rack sets available. Rainbow comes to mind for one.