Hayabusa torpedo boats as an industrial experiment

Japan continued to buy first-class torpedo boats while its destroyer doctrine was taking shape. It bought Shirataka from Schichau in Germany, although the identification of the photograph shown in the video remains uncertain. Four Hayabusa-class boats came from Normand at Le Havre, six from the Kure Naval Arsenal, and five from Kawasaki. Learning from leading foreign builders and developing domestic production mattered more than standardization. The Hayabusa boats remained more torpedo-focused than the gun-and-torpedo destroyers, giving Japan a practical comparison between the two approaches. All fifteen Hayabusa-class boats were present at Tsushima, so the experiment also produced a substantial operational force.