During the Guadalcanal campaign , Kawakaze torpedoed and sank the destroyer USS Blue and after bombarding Henderson Field she took part in the battle of Tassafaronga , where she probably torpedoed and sank the heavy cruiser USS Northampton. On Patrol duty off Guadalcanal , Kawakaze helped to sink the torpedo boat PT , then took part in the evacuation of Guadalcanal, during which she sank the torpedo boats PT and PT After a large variety of escorting and transport missions, Kawakaze was sunk by a torpedo attack from US destroyers at the battle of Vella Gulf , August 7, The Shiratsuyu -class destroyers were modified versions of the Hatsuharu class , and were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and to conduct both day and night torpedo attacks against the United States Navy as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean , according to Japanese naval strategic projections.
Alongside this, their torpedo battery was improved to eight 61 cm 24 in torpedo tubes in two quadrupole mounts, each equipped with a reload and firing type 93 torpedoes.
They also had an improved speed of 34 knots. Kawakaze , built at the Fujinagata Shipyards was laid down on 25 April , launched on 1 November and commissioned on 30 April Upon commissioning, Lieutenant Commander Wakabayashi Kazuo was appointed command of Kawakaze , and she was assigned to destroyer division 24 alongside her sisterships Umikaze , Yamakaze , and Suzukaze. In August of to December, Kawakaze joined destroyer division 24 in taking part in the Second Cino Japanese War specifically the Battle of Shanghai taking part in a variety of convoy escorting and patrol duties, with the occasional shore bombardment mission.
On October 11, , Kawakaze was one of 98 Japanese warships anchored in Tokyo Bay for a massive fleet inspection in preparation for Japan's entry into WW2. Emperor Hirohito inspected the fleet personally aboard the battleship Hiei. From November 26 to December 1, Kawakaze steamed with destroyer division 24 to Palau , and on December 6 she departed to escort the Legaspi invasion convoy. The next day, the Japanese aircraft carriers of the Kido Butai attacked Pearl Harbor and brought the Japanese into WW2, with Kawakaze completing her mission on the 12th.
From the rest of December and into January and February of , Kawakaze undertook escorting missions for the Lamon Bay , Tarakan , Balikpapan , and Makassar invasion forces.
