Shimakaze was an experimental destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy during Greater East Asia War, and intended as the lead ship in a projected new "Type C" of destroyers. She was the only destroyer to be armed with 15 torpedo tubes, each capable of firing the deadly 610 mm (24 in) Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo. The ship also served as a testbed for an enormously powerful, high-temperature, high-pressure steam turbine that was able to develop 79,240 shp (59,090 kW). This made her one of the fastest destroyers in the world: her design speed was 39 kn (72 km/h; 45 mph), but on trials she made 40.9 kn (75.7 km/h; 47.1 mph). The construction of the ship began on August 8, 1941, was launched on July 18, 1942, and completed in May 1943. Due to tactical changes based on actual battles in the Greater East Asian War and the fact that mine warfare itself was becoming a thing of the past, the plan to mass produce the Shimakaze class was abandoned, and destroyer construction was shifted to the Akizuki class destroyers and the Tei class (Matsu class destroyers).
After completion, Simakaze advanced to the Aleutian Islands in early July 1943, and was engaged in the Kiska Island withdrawal operation under the command of the 1st Destroyer Squadron. From mid-June 1944, she escorted Yamato class battleships to Operation Kon and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. After returning to Japan, in early July, she entered the Lingga anchorage to engage in training, and in mid-October, she joined the Kurita Fleet in conjunction with Operation Sho-Go 1 and participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. After the Battle of Leyte Gulf, while engaged in the 3rd Mission of Operation Ta-Go as the flagship of the 2nd Destroyer Squadron, on November 11, Shimakaze was attacked by a US task force ship-borne plane in Ormoc Bay, and met her end.
The subject of this artwork is the Shimakaze in her final specification, which was upgraded to anti-aircraft firepower in 1944.
I depicted her as if she had left Japan for the southern sea area again, and was training at the Lingga anchorage. The main guns and torpedo tubes are both pointed forward on the starboard side during the high-speed assault, and great care was taken in depicting the wake extending from the bow to the rear of the ship.

　駆逐艦「島風」は、大日本帝国海軍が舞鶴海軍工廠で建造した一等駆逐艦です。昭和16(1941)年8月8日に起工し、昭和17(1942)年7月18日に進水、昭和18(1943)年5月に竣工しました。島風型駆逐艦は次世代の艦隊型駆逐艦として新型機関（公試全力7万5890馬力）を搭載、40.9ノットの高速を発揮し、重雷装（五連装魚雷発射管3基、15射線）を備えていました。しかしながら、大東亜戦争での実戦を踏まえた戦術変更や、水雷戦そのものが過去のものとなりつつあったことなどから島風型の量産計画は放棄され、駆逐艦の建造は秋月型駆逐艦や丁型（松型駆逐艦）に移行していくこととなりました。
　竣工後「島風」は、昭和18（1943）年7月上旬よりアリューシャン諸島方面に進出し、第一水雷戦隊の指揮下でキスカ島撤退作戦に従事しました。昭和19(1944)年6月中旬以降、大和型戦艦を護衛して渾作戦やマリアナ沖海戦に従事。一旦内地に戻ったあと、7月上旬にリンガ泊地へ進出し、訓練に従事しました。10月中旬以降、捷一号作戦にともない栗田艦隊に所属し、レイテ沖海戦に参加。レイテ沖海戦後、第二水雷戦隊旗艦として第三次多号作戦に従事中の11月11日、「島風」はオルモック湾で米軍機動部隊艦載機の攻撃を受け、最期を迎えました。
　本作品は、昭和19年に対空火力増強が施された、最終時仕様の「島風」が主題。内地から再び南方へ進出し、リンガ泊地を拠点に実戦訓練に励む同艦をイメージして描きました。主砲・魚雷発射管共に右舷前方に指向しながら高速で突撃中で、艦首から後方へ延びる航跡の表現に大いにこだわりました。

総頁数：156P　販売価格：4,400（税込*）*BOOTH価格は梱包・送料込
収録作品：79点（帝国海軍艦艇/海自艦艇/外国海軍艦艇）
仕様：見開きにズレが無く、ほぼ水平に開くク―タ・バインディング製本

Total number of pages: 156p
Price: 4,400(tax included*)*BOOTH price includes packing and shipping costs.
Included works: 79 pieces (IJN, JMSDF, US, British, French, German
and Italian Navy vessels)
Specifications: PUR binding with no misalignment of spreads and horizontal opening.