Tsugaru (津軽, namesake: Tsugaru Peninsula) was a large minelayer ship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Tsugaru was ordered in 1937 as a revised design of the previous minelayer Okinoshima, with the main differences being the replacement of the four 140 mm Type 3rd Year guns with 127 mm Type 89 dual-purpose guns for better air coverage, and the addition of a seaplane catapult to provide reconnaissance.

Tsugaru was laid down on 5 July 1939 at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal shipyard, launched on 5 June 1940, and commissioned on 22 October 1941. Throughout her career, Tsugaru participated in several island hopping campaigns across the Pacific, and was targeted by submarine attacks on several occasions. On 21 June 1944, while travelling to Halmahera Island, Tsugaru was attacked by the Dutch submarine HNLMS K XIV, resulting in severe flooding at the bow that crippled the ship. After temporary repairs, Tsugaru attempted to return to Manila but was intercepted off the coast of Sarawak by USS Darter (SS-227) on 29 June. She was hit by two torpedoes from the American submarine and sank within 25 minutes, resulting in the death of 308 crew members.

Tsugaru was introduced in Update 2.49 "Tusk Force". Although classified as a destroyer in-game, Tsugaru's gameplay is unlike that of other conventional destroyers. Due to her crew compartments being mostly located in the frontal half and her engines being located below the waterline, Tsugaru can resist most of the destroyer-calibre HE shells that she would commonly face. However, Tsugaru's firepower is very lacking, as her 127 mm guns have no option for armour-piercing shells, and her naval mines have no practical use in-game. In addition, Tsugaru is vulnerable to torpedoes due to her size and poor mobility.