The ''Ariake''-class destroyer is a class of destroyers of the

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

. Two ships of the were lent by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and were in commission from 1959 until 1974.

Development

JDS ''Ariake'' was commissioned as on 26 January 1944, and JDS ''Yūgure'' was commissioned as on 23 February 1944 at the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

. After

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, they were in a mothball state, but on 10 March 1959, they were handed over to Japan at

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in the

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based on the Japan-US Ship Loan Agreement, towed as it was, and moved to Yokosuka Port on 16 April. Both ships held a self-defense ship flag award ceremony on 20 April, and officially became self-defense ships. The mothball dismantling work was carried out at Uraga Dock for ''Ariake'' and at

Ishikawajima Heavy Industries , formerly known as , is a Japanese engineering corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan that produces and offers ships, space launch vehicles, aircraft engines, marine diesel engines, gas turbines, gas engines, railway systems, turbocharger ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

No. 2 Factory for ''Yūgure''. All the launch tubes were removed, a trainee auditorium with a capacity of 40 people was newly established, and a part of the fuel tank was converted into a fresh water tank. This is because this model has the main task of training, and later ''Ariake'' participated in the practicing voyage three times and ''Yūgure'' four times. At this time, ''Ariake'' replaced her

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects on ...

with QJA. After the construction was completed, ''Yūgure'' was recommissioned on 17 December 1959. At this point, the was under construction, making it the first Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ship to exceed the

standard displacement The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...

of 2,000 tons. ''Ariake'' suffered a breakage accident of the main turbine blade during

sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...

s, and it was necessary to order parts from the United States, so the recommission was delayed to 21 April 1960. On 2 March 1970, the 2nd Training Corps was abolished, and ''Ariake'' was incorporated into the Practical Experiment Corps (predecessor of the Development Corps). In March of the same year, Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries began

bow Bow often refers to: * Bow and arrow, a weapon * Bowing, bending the upper body as a social gesture * An ornamental knot made of ribbon Bow may also refer to: * Bow (watercraft), the foremost part of a ship or boat * Bow (position), the rower ...

extension work to replace the conventional bow in order to convert it to a low-frequency long-range prototype bow sonar T-101 experimental ship under development at the Technical Research and Development Institute of the Defense Agency. It was cut and replaced with a newly built bow sonar bow, which was longer. As a result, the No. 1 gun was removed, sonar-related equipment was stored in the ammunition storage and living quarters on the bow, and

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s were installed in the conventional auditorium. These refurbishments increased displacement by 230 tonnes. The construction was completed in March 1971 and the vessel was engaged in practical experiments since then. The T-101, which was repeatedly tested on this ship, was later equipped as the Type 75 detector OQS-101 and is mounted on the ''Shirane'' type. ''Yūgure'' moved to the 2nd Mine Warfare Force on 2 March 1970 and to the 1st Mine Warfare Force on 10 March 1972, both of which engaged in support missions as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

s. Both ships were removed from the register on 9 March 1974 due to aging, and were returned to the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The ...

. They were dismantled after being sold in 1976.

Ships in the class

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ariake-class destroyer (1959) Destroyer classes Fletcher-class destroyers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force