Akatsuki-class destroyer
 was the lead ship of two s, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the early 1900s. "Akatsuki" took part in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), during which she participated in the Battle of Port Arthur in February 1904, then struck a mine and sank in May 1904.
Construction and commissioning.
Authorized under the 1900 naval program, "Akatsuki" was laid down as Destroyer No. 13 on 10 December 1900 by Yarrow &amp; Company at Cubitt Town in London, England. Launched on either 13 February 1901 or 13 November 1901 (sources disagree) and named "Akatsuki", she was completed on 14 December 1901 and commissioned the same day.
Service history.
"Akatsuki" departed England on 25 January 1902 to make her delivery voyage to Japan, which she completed with her arrival at Yokosuka on 25 May 1902.
When the Russo-Japanese War broke out in February 1904, "Akatsuki" was part of either the 1st or 3rd Destroyer Division of the 1st Fleet, according to different sources. The war began that evening with the Battle of Port Arthur, a Japanese surprise attack on Imperial Russian Navy warships anchored in the outer roadstead of the Russian naval base at Port Arthur, China. Ten Japanese destroyers of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Destroyer Divisions made a torpedo attack in three waves, with the four destroyers of the 1st Destroyer Division ("Akatsuki", , , and ) and of the 2nd Destroyer Division constituting the first wave. They closed to about from the Russian ships and fired nine torpedoes. One of "Kasumi"′s torpedoes hit the Russian protected cruiser .
While taking part in the ensuing blockade of Port Arthur, "Akatsuki" struck a mine and sank off Dalniy southeast of Tieshan at on 17 May 1904. Her commanding officer was killed in her sinking.
Believing that the Russians had not observed the sinking of "Akatsuki", the Japanese concealed her loss by making no announcement of it. Instead, they announced a new commanding officer had reported aboard her on 20 May 1904 — three days after her loss — and gave the name "Akatsuki" to the captured Imperial Russian Navy destroyer . The captured ship operated under the name "Akatsuki" until after the end of the war in early September 1905. 
Meanwhile, the Japanese finally announced the loss of the original "Akatsuki" on 1 June 1905. They struck her from the naval register on 19 October 1905. That same day, they again renamed the captured Russian destroyer, changing her name from "Akatsuki" to "Yamabiko", also transliterated as "Yamahiko".
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Citations.
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