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Yukikaze (雪風, Yukikaze? "Snowy Wind") was a Kagero-class destroyer in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She was the only member of her class to survive the war. The attrition rate of Japanese destroyers was extremely high due to the need to use them for transporting supplies to the many scattered island garrisons.

Early in the war she took part in the invasions of the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. She participated in the battles of Midway, Santa Cruz, Leyte Gulf, and the Philippine Sea, as well as a lengthy stint on Guadalcanal troop runs and the naval battles around the island. Yukikaze also survived Operation Ten-Go (the abortive attack on the American force landing on Okinawa) during which the Yamato was sunk. Between these major engagements, Yukikaze participated in escort duty for ships in transit. She spent the last months of the war on security duty in Japanese harbors.

After the war she was used as a transport to bring home Japanese military forces still abroad.

[edit] ROCS Tang Yan

On 6 July 1947, Yukikaze was transferred to the Republic of China [renamed Tang Yan (丹陽)] as war reparation and finally scrapped in 1970.

Yukikaze is very popular in Japan, being called the unsinkable ship.

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