JS ''Asahi'' (DD-119) is the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of the

Asahi-class destroyer The ''Asahi'' class of destroyers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is optimized for undersea warfare. The class was initially designated "25DD", referring to a date on the Japanese calendar, specifically the 25th fiscal year of the Heise ...

of the

Japanese 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) ...

. Her namesake came from “ Morning sun”.

Development

The procurement of the destroyer began in 2013 in response to the reduction in the number of destroyers (namely the ) within the JMSDF. The two major characteristics of this destroyer is its bigger emphasis on

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typi ...

and the adoption of the COGLAG (combined gas turbine electric and gas turbine) propulsion system. A second destroyer was procured a year later.

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 4 August 2015 and launched on 19 October 2016. Commissioned on 7 March 2018 with the hull number DD-119. On 21 May 2022, the ''Asahi'', the JS ''Makinami'' (DD-112), and the

replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. ...

, JS ''Hamana'' (AOE-424) sighted the

PLAN A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal ...

''Liaoning''

carrier strike group A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least ...

going towards

Miyako-jima is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Miyako Island is administered as part of the City of Miyakojima, which includes not only Miyako Island, but also five other populated island ...

Gallery

File:DD-119 Asahi and DD-178 Ashigara.jpg, JS ''Asahi'' next to

JS Ashigara JS ''Ashigara'' (DDG-178) is an Atago-class guided missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). ''Ashigara'' was named for Mount Ashigara, and is the first Japanese ship to bear the prefix ''JS'' (Japanese Ship) instea ...

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Moto ...

shipyard,

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in th ...

on 2 January 2017. File:JS Asahi(DD-119) at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki Shipyard November 25, 2017 01.jpg, JS ''Asahi'' at

shipyard,

on 25 November 2017. File:DD119 Asahi-2.jpg, JS ''Asahi'' underway 29 August 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asahi (DD-119) Ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 2016 ships Asahi-class destroyers