The Japanese needed AA escorts for the big carriers and battleships. They also needed anti-shipping escorts to match the AA escorts. The Shimakaze was a bit of both. The class had the largest torpedo carrying capacity of any destroyer in the world. The three quintuple sets of 24" long lance torpedoes gave them a broadside second to none. The real life Shimakaze had an experimental high pressure turbine system which would have been difficult for the Japanese to mass produce in time of war. I put in the standard 50,000shp turbine system as fitted to the Yagumo class which gave the ships the same 34 knot speed as the Akizuki class which would provide the Leaders for the class.
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Besides the impressive torpedo armament the Shimakaze class would also be fitted with three twin 3.9" twin dual purpose turrets as fitted to the Akizuki class. This made the flotillas a very tough opposition for the US light forces to handle. One Akizuki was to be set up with three Shimakaze to form a Heavy Destroyer Flotilla. These would be allocated to the Aircraft Carrier divisions to act as anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, and anti-surface ships. After the first two flotillas were formed circumstances dictated the rest just got sent piecemeal into battle wherever there was a need for them. The original two flotillas accepting any ship sent to them as replacements for damaged or lost ships.
