JS ''Ise'' (DDH-182) is a 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). She is the second ship to be named ''Ise'', the first being the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

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 ...

-era

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

Development and design

They are sometimes referred to as an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

(

helicopter carrier A helicopter carrier is a type of aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate helicopters. It has a large flight deck that occupies a substantial part of the deck, which can extend the full length of the ship like of the Royal Navy (RN ...

) from the ship's type of flight deck, but officially follows the predecessor ''Haruna''-class destroyer, and as they are also a

helicopter destroyer A helicopter carrier is a type of aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate helicopters. It has a large flight deck that occupies a substantial part of the deck, which can extend the full length of the ship like of the Royal Navy (RN) ...

. In addition to advanced command and control capabilities, the ship itself has powerful

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon ...

and

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

combat capabilities due to the

vertical launch system A vertical launching system (VLS) is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and submarines. Each vertical launch system consists of a number of ''cells'', which can hold one or mo ...

that can launch anti-submarine and anti-aircraft missiles and the newly developed C4ISTAR system. Instead, the function as an escort ship that can perform anti-submarine warfare with its own equipment is also emphasized. This point is one of the features that is significantly different from the ''Izumo''-class helicopter destroyer, which specializes in on-board helicopter operation, with only the minimum weapons for self-defense (two each for close-range air defense missiles and high-performance 20 mm machine guns). They have the ability to operate a large number of helicopters at the same time due to its vast full deck and large hull volume. As a result, it has superior zone anti-submarine warfare capability than conventional helicopter-equipped destroyers, and can also handle transport helicopters and rescue helicopters. Respond to various missions such as support. Since the hull size is larger than some conventional light aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, it may be compared with light aircraft carriers that operate STOVL aircraft such as the

F-35 The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both air superiority and strike missions, it also has electronic warf ...

and Harrier. However, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has not announced the operation of fixed-wing aircraft in the model, and Yoji Koda, a former fleet commander of the JMSDF, states that the ship is completely different in nature from an aircraft carrier.

Construction and career

The vessel 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 30 May 2008 and launched on 21 August 2009 by IHI Marine United at

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 ...

and her first

sea trial A sea trial or trial trip 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 op ...

started on July 20, 2010. She was commissioned into service on 16 March 2011. She was transferred to the 4th Escort Group 4th Escort Corps. Her home port is

Kure is a city in the Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 208,024 in 106,616 households and a population density of 590 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . With a strong industrial and naval heritage, ...

. Her name plate was made by Naotake Takatsuka, Ise Jingu Omiyaji, and her wood was the

zelkova ''Zelkova'' (from the Georgian language, Georgian ''dzelkva'', 'stone pillar') is a genus of six species of deciduous trees in the elm family Ulmaceae, native to southern Europe, and southwest and eastern Asia. They vary in size from shrubs (''Ze ...

used for Uji Bridge. She assisted in post-

Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that is among List of the most intense tropical cyclones, the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon ...

disaster relief efforts in 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 ...

as part of the

JSDF The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense wi ...

's in November 2013. ''Ise'' participated in

RIMPAC The Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. RIMPAC is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii, with the exception of 2020 where it was held ...

alongside the from June 26 to August 1, 2014. ''Ise'' docked in the

on April 26, 2016 for a four-day goodwill visit. On March 22, 2017, due to the reorganization of the second ''Izumo''-class helicopter destroyer JS ''Kaga'', she was transferred to the 2nd Escort Group, and the fixed port was transferred to

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...

. From September 11 to 28 of the same year, she participated in joint training, along with JS ''Akebono'' and , with the USS ''Ronald Reagan'' and the Aegis ships of the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in the waters south of the

Japanese archipelago The is an archipelago of list of islands of Japan, 14,125 islands that form the country of Japan. It extends over from the Sea of Okhotsk in the northeast to the East China Sea, East China and Philippine Sea, Philippine seas in the southwest al ...

. On November 12, the same year, she conducted joint US-Japan training with several ships including USS ''Ronald Reagan'', USS ''Nimitz'', and USS ''Theodore Roosevelt'', along with JS ''Inazuma'' and JS ''Makinami'' in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

. From March 11 to 23, 2018, Japan-US joint cruising training was conducted with several ships including the USS ''Carl Vinson'' in the sea and airspace from the northern part of the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

to the area around

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

. From June 8 to June 16 of the same year, she participated in the Japan-US-India Joint Training (MALABAR 2018) conducted on Guam Island and the sea and airspace around the island. In addition to ''Ise'', the participating units include JS ''Fuyuzuki'' and JS ''Suzunami'', five onboard aircraft, JS ''Soryu'', and two P-1 patrol aircraft. ''Ise'' continued to participate in the RIMPAC 2018, which were held from June 27 to August 2. On September 22, she arrived at Karatsu Port for the first time in five years. The welcome ceremony was attended by officials such as the local mayor. On December 1, ''Ise'' sailed south of

Yakushima is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of 13,178. It is accessible by hydrofoil ferry, car ferry, or by air to Yakushima Airport. Administratively, the island consists of the town ...

Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...

, in search of a man in his forties who fell into the sea from the JS ''Kongō'' the day before. Around 4 am on the 1st, the crew of ''Ise'' discovered him drifting about 50 km south of

, clinging to a drifting object such as a cooler box, and were able to rescue him. She was placed under the command of the Mine Warfare Force commander during training with the U.S. military (Talisman Saber 19), which was conducted from June 3 to August 21, 2019 at the

Shoalwater Bay Shoalwater Bay is a large bay on the Capricorn Coast of Central Queensland, Australia 100 km north of the coastal town of Yeppoon and 628 km north-north-west of the state capital, Brisbane. Since 1966, the land surrounding Shoalwater B ...

Exercise Area in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and the surrounding waters. In addition, JS ''Kunisaki'' and the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade and the 1st Helicopter Corps from the Ground Self-Defense Force participated in joint landing and land combat between Japan and the United States, joint cruise training, etc. ''Ise'' alongside took part in RIMPAC exercise in the waters near

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

from August 17 to 30 of 2020. Both ships arrived two weeks before the start of the exercise. In September 2023, the first landings by Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) V-22 aircraft were conducted on the helicopter carrier. The landings were part of efforts to strengthen inter-operability and create the JGSDF's

Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade The is the only marines brigade units of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) responsible for conducting amphibious warfare, coastal defence, and rapid response operations to security threats in island areas in Japanese territorial waters ...

for the purpose of better defending Japan's southern

Nansei Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands ( Ōsumi, Tokara and Amami) and Okinawa Prefecture ( Daitō, Miyako, Y ...

Gallery

File:JS Ise (DDH-182) and JS Kunisaki (LST-4003) at Yokosuka.jpg, JS ''Ise'' and JS Kunisaki at

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 20 March 2011. File:Kure Naval Base, -29 Oct. 2011 a.jpg, JS ''Ise'' at

Kure Naval Base was the second of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the Inland Sea of Japan and the Pacific coasts of southern Honshū from Wakayama to Yamaguchi prefectures, eastern and northern Ky� ...

on 29 October 2011. File:JS Ise (DDH-182) afgemeerd op berth E in Kure, -30 augustus 2014 a.jpg, JS ''Ise'' in

on 20 August 2014. File:JS Ise JS(DDH-182) JS Kirishima(DDG-174).jpg, JS ''Ise'' alongside JS Kirishima on 28 September 2014. File:JMSDF DDH 182 Ise.jpg, JS ''Ise'' on 4 August 2015. File:160330-N-ZU663-288 160330-N-ZU663-288.jpg, JS ''Ise'' and USS John C. Stennis on 29 March 2016. File:JS Ise (DDH-182). At Kure Port. November 2016.jpg, JS ''Ise'' at

in November 2016. File:JS ISE（DDH-182）RIMPAC 2020.jpg, JS ''Ise'' during RIMPAC 2020. File:HMS Queen Elizabeth USS America JS Ise.jpg, JS ''Ise'' alongside and on 24 August 2021.

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ise (DDH-182) Helicopter carriers 2009 ships Hyūga-class helicopter destroyers Ships built by IHI Corporation IHI Corporation