Muroto-class collier
The Muroto-class colliers (室戸型給炭艦,, Muroto-gata Kyūtankan) were a class of collier of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), serving from roughly the end of World War I into World War II. Two vessels were built in 1918-19 under the Eight-four fleet plan.
 Muroto in 1932 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Muroto-class collier |
| Builders | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Operators |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Built | 1918 – 1919 |
| In commission | 1918 – 1944 |
| Planned | 2 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Collier |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 105.16 m (345 ft 0 in) Lpp |
| Beam | 15.24 m (50 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | 7.06 m (23 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | |
| Capacity | 6,000 tons coal |
| Complement | 124 |
| Armament |
|
Background
- In 1917, World War I was stagnant. The lengthy war led to an increase in shipping and a shortage of merchant ships.
- The IJN utilized steamship companies to perform coal transportation duties. However, this expedient was very costly. The IJN decided to build new colliers under the Eight-four fleet plan.
- Their design was ordinary, because the IJN did not impose any special requirements on them.
Service
- In the 1920s, they engaged in coal transportation duties.
- In February 1932, the Muroto was remodeled, becoming an auxiliary hospital ship. She was refitted as a supply ship in 1941.
- In World War II, the value of coal as fuel fell. The ships engaged in transporting goods and troops.
Ships in class
| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| Muroto (室戸) | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 4 July 1918 | 23 October 1918 | 7 December 1918 | Sunk by USS Sea Dog north of Amami Ōshima 29°10′N 129°44′E on 22 October 1944. |
| Noshima (野島)[1] | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 16 July 1918 | 3 February 1919 | 31 March 1919 | Sunk during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea on 3 March 1943. |
Footnotes
- 15 December 1917, Administrative order No. 147, Named one transport vessel., Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of the Navy of Japan.
Bibliography
- Monthly Ships of the World, Special issue Vol. 47, "Auxiliary Vessels of the Imperial Japanese Navy", "Kaijinsha"., (Japan), March 1997
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No. 34, "Japanese Auxiliary vessels", "Ushio Shobō". (Japan), December 1979
- Series 100 year histories from Meiji Era, Vol. 180, Histories of Naval organizations #8, Author: Ministry of the Navy, original plot in January 1940, reprinted in October 1971
- IJN Nojima: Tabular Record of Movement, <http://www.combinedfleet.com/NojimaS_t.htm>
- IJN Muroto: Tabular Record of Movement, <http://www.combinedfleet.com/Muroto_t.htm>
Noshima in 1935
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