''Fuji'' (AGB-5001) was an

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

of the

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force The , 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 ( ...

(JMSDF) in the mid-1960s. She is now a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

Construction and career

''Fuji'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

on 28 August 1964 and launched on 18 March 1965 by the Nippon Kokan

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

Shipyard. She was commissioned on 15 July 1965 and was homeported in

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, 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 city i ...

. On November 20, 1965, she left

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

at Harumi Pier and received a container containing messages and newspapers dropped by the 1st Fleet Air Corps P2V-7 on the southeastern sea of

Amami Oshima The The name ''Amami-guntō'' was standardized on February 15, 2010. Prior to that, another name, ''Amami shotō'' (奄美諸島), was also used. is a Japanese archipelago in the Satsunan Islands, which is part of the Ryukyu Islands, and is sout ...

. During the voyage, while conducting departmental training, an offshore memorial service was held off the coast of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

for the war dead of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. On December 5, she called at

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

. During the port call, maintenance, supply, rest and goodwill events were carried out, and the ship departed on the 11th. On the 17th, it passed 55 ° S and entered the

Antarctic Circle The Antarctic Circle is the most southerly of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of Earth. The region south of this circle is known as the Antarctic, and the zone immediately to the north is called the Southern Temperate Zone. So ...

. On the 20th, the rust prevention of the aircraft was released, and on the 27th, the drift ice margining off Syowa Station and the entry into the drift ice area began. It reached 31 degrees 38 nautical miles of fast ice from Syowa Station on the 30th, and started full-scale air transportation on January 3, 1966, and Syowa Station was reopened on the 20th. From the 25th, in parallel with air transportation, she entered the inner part of Luzoholm Bay, and on the 27th, she berthed at Syowa Station, landed snowmobiles and large supplies, and completed the transportation of all 435 tons of supplies. February 1 The 7th Wintering Corps was established. On the same day, ''Fuji'' left Syowa Station, left the drift ice edge on the 2nd, visited the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

's base on the 3rd, met with the Obi on the same day, departed from the base on the 6th, started westbound, and left the Lower Board One base in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

on the 10th. Visited, left Antarctica on the 13th and headed for

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

. Passing 55 ° S on the 18th, arriving in Cape Town on the 24th, departing on March 3, arriving in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

on the 19th, departing on the 23rd. Returned to Tokyo Harumi Pier on April 8. She was on the expedition for 140 days. On July 3, 1978, she participated in the launching ceremony of the '' Souya''. On December 31 of the same year, during the 29th Red and White Song Battle, a phone call was made inside the ''Fuji'' before

Hachiro Kasuga , born Minoru Watabe, was a Japanese enka singer. He has been dubbed "the first enka singer". Having seen Ichiro Fujiyama on stage, he attempted to become a popular singer. After he graduated from the Toyo Music School, he joined the Imperial ...

sang goodbye. On November 25, 1982, after receiving ''Souyas whistle in front of the

Museum of Maritime Science The Museum of Maritime Science (船の科学館, ''Fune-no-kagakukan'') is a marine science museum located in Higashiyashio, Shinagawa, Tokyo on Odaiba island, Japan. In 2011 the museum announced to cease the most parts of its operation for ren ...

, she was sent to Shirase and the 37th Escort Flotilla ('' Ayase'' and '' Chitose'') who took office on November 12 in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

and went to the last Antarctic line. This was the first mission of Shirase's self-defense ship. In December 1982, she was ranked 12th in the world in of icebreakers in the world as stipulated by Canadian regulations. On April 20, 1983, with the voyage to Harumi Wharf, the role of the Antarctic research ship was transferred to ''Shirase'', and the role of the second generation Antarctic research ship was completed. The number of days of action was 2,869, the number of transport personnel was 800, the transport volume was 8,529.5 tons, and the number of charges in the ice sea was 23,416. ''Fuji'' was larger than its predecessor '' Sōya'' and had better icebreaking performance, but suffered many difficulties during the harsh Antarctic research mission. From the 7th to the 11th, we succeeded in berthing in a row, but on the return trip of the 11th action, after the accident of total breakage of 4 right propulsion wings, aging began to appear, and after that, we berthed at Syowa Station. Became only the 19th observation, and stayed at berthing 6 times out of 18 times, but even if he could not berth, he acted as planned and completed the mission.https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/houdou/25/01/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2013/01/11/1329758_1_3.pdf

Gallery

File:Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha Stone.jpg, Antarctic rock recovered by ''Fuji'' on

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

. File:Main anchor of JS Fuji(AGB-5001) at Port of Nagoya May 30, 2015.jpg,

Anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

of ''Fuji'' File:Screw propeller & shaft(Right) of JS FUJI(AGB-5001) at Port of Nagoya May 30, 2015.jpg,

Propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

of ''Fuji'' File:Old exploratory car from Fuji Icebreaker - Nagoya Port - Japan (15244328113).jpg File:Japan Maritime Self-defense Force Icebreaker fuji 5001.JPG File:JS FUZI(AGB-5001) Behind the left at Port of Nagoya 20150530.JPG File:JS FUZI(AGB-5001) Left Side at Port of Nagoya 20150530.JPG File:Icebreaker fuji 2.JPG File:@Port of Nagoya -, Fuji ice breaker - panoramio.jpg File:Old Fuji Icebreaker - Nagoya Port - Japan (15676645000).jpg File:Aquarium + Giant wheel + Fuji Icebreaker - view from the lighthouse - Nagoya Port - Japan (15676490678).jpg File:南極観測船ふじ - panoramio.jpg

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuji Ships built in Japan 1965 ships Ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Icebreakers of Japan Auxiliary ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Japanese Antarctic Program Museum ships in Japan