Uwajima-class minesweeper

The Uwajima class is a class of coastal minesweepers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.[1]

JS Nagashima
Class overview
NameUwajima
Builders
Preceded byHatsushima class
Succeeded bySugashima class
Built1989-1996
In commission1990-2020
Planned9
Completed9
Retired9
General characteristics
TypeMinesweeper
Displacement
Length58 m (190 ft 3 in)
Beam9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Draft2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)
Depth4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Propulsion
Speed14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement45
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament1 × single JM61R-MS 20mm guns

Development

From the lessons learned from the 1991 dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to the Persian Gulf, the Maritime Self-Defense Force took the example of the Royal Navy's Sandown class minehunter, built after the 1994 plan, especially in order to improve its capabilities regarding mine clearance. However, while the Sandown class is basically a minesweeper that does not have minesweeping ability. The waters around Japan have many muddy seabeds that are not suitable for minesweeping, and abandonment of minesweeping ability is unacceptable. For this reason, the class is also given the ability to sweep with Australian-made DYAD-sensitive minesweepers, but due to magnetic management issues, it was decided that it would not be installed all the time, but would be received from the mother ship at sea as needed. Operational restrictions were large, and mobility was also restricted.[2][3]

For this reason, it was built as a new type of minesweeper equipped with a domestic system that has the same performance as the overseas-made minesweeping system equipped in the Sugashima class, as well as realizing the installation of minesweepers on its own boat.[2]

Ships in the class
Pennant no. Name Builders Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Home port
MSC-672 Uwajima Nippon Kokan, Keihin 18 May 1989 23 May 1990 19 December 1990 24 June 2010 Yokosuka
MSC-673 Ieshima Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Kanagawa 12 May 1989 12 June 1990 16 May 2014 Yokosuka
MSC-674 Tsukishima 27 May 1991 23 July 1992 23 July 1993 21 March 2012 Yokosuka
MSC-675 Maejima 1 June 1992 10 June 1993 15 December 1993 27 March 2017 Yokosuka
MSC-676 Kumejima Nippon Kokan, Keihin 17 February 1993 9 December 1993 12 December 1994 27 March 2018 Kure
MSC-677 Makishima Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Kanagawa 12 May 1993 26 May 1993 2 April 2014 Kure
MSC-678 Tobishima Nippon Kokan, Keihin 22 June 1993 30 August 1994 10 March 1995 12 May 2014 Kure
MSC-679 Yugeshima Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Kanagawa 10 April 1995 24 May 1995 11 December 1996 1 October 2020 Kure
MSC-680 Nagashima Nippon Kokan, Keihin 14 April 1995 30 May 1996 25 December 1996 Kure

Citations
  1. Self-Defense Forces Equipment Yearbook 2006-2007. Asagumo Shimbun. pp. 250–251. ISBN 4-7509-1027-9.
  2. Details of the new minesweeper Hirashima, Ships of the World. Vol. 694. Japan: Gaijinsha. August 2008. pp. 154–159.
  3. Takahashi, Yoichi (May 2013). Mine Warships (Special Feature: Maritime Self-Defense Force's New Weapons)-(Notable New Weapons), Ships of the World. Vol. 778. Japan: Gaijinsha. pp. 92–97.
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