The Akizuki class previewed many features of the postwar fleet escort destroyer. This is the history of their design and construction, and it relies heavily on Japanese source material and includes numerous photos and drawings. The destroyers of the Akizuki "Autumn Moon" class were very different from the standard fleet type of Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers inaugurated with the Fubuki class. They were designed for the protection of the Imperial Japanese Navy's carrier task forces, and in order to achieve this they carried a particularly powerful antiaircraft armament and had an extremely long radius of action. However, only 12 out of a planned number of 39 entered service, and they arrived too late to play a crucial role in the decisive carrier battles of World War II. Despite this, their history is of particular interest since the Akizuki class foreshadowed the postwar fleet escort. This is the history of their design and construction, and it relies heavily on Japanese source material and includes numerous photos and drawings. AUTHORS: Hans Lengerer and Lars Ahlberg have coauthored books about the aircraft carrier Taiho, the armor-clad Fuso- to Kongo-class battle cruisers, and the Yamato-class battleships, the last of which was recently published. They privately publish Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships. SELLING POINTS: . Relies heavily on Japanese source material and includes numerous photos and drawings . Includes a technical description of the design and construction of the type . Learn why and how the Imperial Japanese Navy developed a new type of destroyer design 125 b/w photographs and line drawings