Shimushu-class escort ship
![]() Shimushu in 1940
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Class overview | |
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Operators | |
Succeeded by | Etorofu class |
Built | 1939–1941 |
In commission | 1940–1948 |
Planned | 16 |
Completed | 4 |
Lost | 1 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Escort vessel |
Displacement | 860 long tons (874 t) standard |
Length | 77.7 m (255 ft) |
Beam | 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) |
Draught | 3.05 m (10 ft) |
Speed | 19.7 knots (22.7 mph; 36.5 km/h) |
Range | 6,017 mi (5,229 nmi) at 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h) Fuel: 150 tons |
Complement | 150 |
Armament |
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The Shimushu-class escort ships (占守型海防艦, Shimushu-gata kaibōkan) were a class of kaibōkan (equivalent to US destroyer escorts or British frigates) built for the Imperial Japanese Navy just prior to World War II. Four ships out of an initially planned 16 vessels were completed. The class was also referred to by internal Japanese documents as the "A-class" coastal defense vessel (甲型海防艦, Kō-gata kaibōkan).
Background
The Shimushu-class kaibōkan, as with the Chidori class torpedo boat, was a consequence of the 1930 London Naval Treaty, which placed limitations on the total destroyer tonnage the Imperial Japanese Navy was permitted. One way in which the treaty could be circumvented was to use a loophole in the treaty which permitted ships of between 600 and 2,000 tons, with no more than four guns over 76mm, no torpedoes, and with a maximum speed of no more than 20 knots. A new class of vessel was designed to use this loophole, and was given the obsolete designation of kaibōkan (Kai = sea, ocean, Bo = defence, Kan = ship), which had previously been used to designate obsolete warships which had been reassigned to coastal defense duties. However, due to many other priorities, the budget for this new class was not secured until the 1937 3rd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme.[1]
Design
Due to the low priority of the project, the design of the Shimushu-class was subcontracted out to a private firm,
However, the design developed by Mitsubishi was more complex than the Imperial Japanese Navy had anticipated, with a double-curved bow and a forecastle deck which improved seaworthiness in the rough northern seas. The hull was also reinforced and insulated against the cold weather. The consequence was that the design was not suited to prefabrication or mass production, and construction times which created problems when more vessels were needed in a short time after the start of the Pacific War.[1]
The ships measured 77.72 meters (255 ft 0 in)
The Shimushu-class was well armed for its size. The main armament of the Shimushu class consisted of three
Anti-aircraft protection was by four
Operational service
Despite being designed for operations in northern waters, the
Ships in class
The four ships were ordered as ships #9 to #12 under the 3rd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme in 1937.
Kanji | Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
占守 | Shimushu | Mitsui-Tamano Shipyards | 29 November 1938 | 13 December 1939 | 30 June 1940 | Ceded to the Soviet Union, 5 July 1947. Decommissioned 16 May 1959. |
国後 | Kunashiri | NKK-Tsurumi Shipyards | 1 March 1939 | 6 May 1940 | 3 October 1940 | Wrecked, 4 June 1946 |
石垣 | Ishigaki | Mitsui-Tamano Shipyards | 15 August 1939 | 14 September 1940 | 15 February 1941 | Torpedoed and sunk by USS Herring on 31 May 1944. Struck on 10 July 1944. |
八丈 | Hachijo | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 3 August 1939 | 10 April 1940 | 31 March 1941 | Decommissioned on 30 November 1945. Scrapped, 30 April 1948. |
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4728-1817-1.
- ^ Chesneau, p. 205
- ^ a b Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 186
References
- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Dodson, Aidan & Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: The Fate of Enemy Fleets after Two World Wars. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.
- Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
External links
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