The chronology places Shimakaze's laying down in August 1941, launch in July 1942 and commissioning in May 1943. Japan entered the Pacific war while the ship was under construction. Nearly twenty-one months elapsed between laying down and commissioning a fleet destroyer at a time when numbers were becoming urgent. Its speed and weapons did not make that delivery interval shorter. The judgment concerns the programme's limited replacement value, while retaining a favourable assessment of the individual ship.
Notable Point · 8:19-11:12
Shimakaze's construction time and replacement value
Follow Shimakaze's August 1941 to May 1943 construction schedule and the problem of delivering replacements during a war.