IJN Destroyer Ayanami (Fubuki Class)

Signing the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty  allowed the five countries victorious in World War I to limit Japans possession of battleships, aircraft carriers and even cruisers. Forced to rethink the strategy,  the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to boost it’s fleet of light cruisers and other small support ships not limited by the treaty. They started with improvements in destroyers. The first of these new “special type” (Fubuki-class) destroyers was delivered in 1928 this class was not only larger than previous types but also held greatly improved armament and seaworthiness. The appearance of these new ships, the most powerfull destroyers in the world at the time, was a very unpleasant surprise to the other major sea powers.