JS ''Asagiri'' (DD-151) is an 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) and is the oldest warship in commission in the JMSDF.

Development and design

The ''Asagiri'' class is equipped for combat and interception missions and is primarily armed with anti-ship weapons. They carry two of the Mk-141

Guided Missile Launching System The Guided Missile Launching System (GMLS) is a device for launching guided missiles, and is found on many U.S. Navy ships. This list includes all launchers that are part of the designation series. Included on this list are missile launchers that h ...

(GMLS), which are

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM or ASM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. ...

systems. The ship is also fitted to be used against

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s. She also carries Mk-32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes (SVTT), which can be used as an anti-submarine weapon. The ship has two of these systems abeam to

starboard Port and starboard are Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z), nautical terms for watercraft and spacecraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the Bow (watercraft), bow (front). Vessels with bil ...

and to port. The ship is also fitted with a

Oto-Melara OTO Melara was a subsidiary of the Italian company Finmeccanica, today Leonardo, active in the defence sector, with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. From 1 January 2016, the activities of OTO Melara merged into Leonardo's Defence Systems ...

62-caliber gun to be used against sea and air targets. They are long and have a range of at , with a top speed of . The ship can have up to 220 personnel on board. The ship is also fitted to accommodate for one aircraft. The ship's

flight deck The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface on which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters ...

can be used to service a SH-60J9(K) Seahawk

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

Construction and career

She 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 13 February 1985 and launched on 19 September 1986 by

IHI Corporation , 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, turbocharge ...

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 ...

. She was commissioned on 17 March 1988. On 16 February 2005, she was reclassified as a

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

, and the ship's hull number was changed to TV-3516. It was transferred to the training fleet 1st training corps. In 2008 and 2011, she participated in a practice voyage to the ocean with the training ship JS ''Kashima''. On 14 March 2012, she was reclassified to an

escort ship Ocean escort was a type of United States Navy warship. They were an evolution of the World War II destroyer escort types. The ocean escorts were intended as convoy escorts and were designed for mobilization production in wartime or low-cost mass ...

again, and the ship registration number was changed to DD-151. Reorganized into the 14th escort fleet, the ship's fixed port became

Maizuru is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34,817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Prefectu ...

. In late August 2019, she took over the mission of , and, on 1 September on her way back to Japan, she stopped at

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

, the capital of

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

in the Middle East and conducted tactical movements and communication & goodwill training with the in the waters around the country. Joint training with the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) () is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 91 combat ...

corvette was held from 24–26 September. On 4 October, she returned to Maizuru after completing her mission off the coast of

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

Gallery

File:JS Asagiri (TV-3516) in a maneuvering drill, -Atlantic Coast.jpg, JS ''Asagiri'' as a

on 31 July 2011. File:JS Asagiri enters Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, -10 Oct. 2011 a.jpg, JS ''Asagiri'' at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

on 10 October 2011. File:JS Asagiri enters Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, -10 Oct. 2011 b.jpg, JS ''Asagiri'' at Pearl Harbor on 10 October 2011. File:JS Asagiri TV-3516 DSCN2534 20111026.JPG, JS ''Asagiri'' alongside JS ''Kashima'' on 26 October 2011. File:JS Asagiri.jpg, JS ''Asagiri'' on 25 October 2014. File:JMSDF Destroyer JS "Setogiri" with Udaloy class destroyer.jpg, JS ''Asagiri'' with an on 23 June 2018.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asagiri (DD-151) Asagiri-class destroyers Ships built by IHI Corporation 1986 ships