Japanese munition ship Kashino
 A line drawing of Kashino as she appeared in 1940
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Kashino |
| Namesake | Cape Kashino |
| Builder | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki |
| Laid down | 1 July 1939 |
| Launched | 26 January 1940 |
| Commissioned | 10 July 1940 |
| Fate | Sunk by USS Growler, 4 September 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ammunition ship |
| Tonnage | 10,360 tons |
| Length | 451 ft (137 m) |
| Beam | 61 ft 6 in (18.75 m) |
| Draught | 21 ft 8 in (6.60 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Range | 6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | 303 |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Ship characteristics from[1] |
Kashino (樫野) was a unique ammunition ship operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 until she was sunk by a United States Navy submarine in 1942. She was built to carry the Yamato-class battleship's main battery from the Kure Naval Arsenal to the shipyards where the battleships were being constructed. When the ships were completed, Kashino was converted to carry ammunition and other supplies.
Service history
Kashino was specifically designed and constructed to transport the Yamato-class battleships'
holds which could embark the turrets, and required more ballast than comparable ships to provide stability when she was not carrying these heavy loads.[2]
Kashino was built at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in
launched on 26 January 1940 and entered service on 10 July that year. She was initially rated as an "auxiliary turret conveyance warship".[3]
The ship made her first voyage from
Kure to Nagasaki in October transporting one of Musashi's turrets and a gun. The turret and gun were covered by a canvas after being hoisted onto the battleship as a security measure. Following this voyage, Kashino regularly transported ordnance and supplies between Kure and Nagasaki.[3]
While Japan had originally intended to build at least three Yamato-class battleships, it was decided in June 1942 to complete the third ship,
References
- ^ a b Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander; Cundall, Peter (2009). "KYUHEIKAN! Stories of the IJN's Ammunition Ships". Combinedfleet.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
- ISBN 4-7700-2400-2. Archivedfrom the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
- ^ a b c d Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander; Cundall, Peter (2007). "IJN KASHINO: Tabular Record of Movement". Combinedfleet.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
