JS ''Haruna'' (DDH-141) was the

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

of the ''Haruna''-class

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) ...

of the

Japanese 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 ( ...

Overview

These ships were Japan's first helicopter-equipped

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

(DDH), and can carry and operate three helicopters in spite of their 5000 t class. In terms of equipment, it was the first self-defense ship to be equipped with a fin stabilizer to stabilize its attitude during helicopter operation, and a landing restraint device (bear trap) was installed to improve the safety and efficiency of flight work on a swaying ship. Until the introduction of the ( Aegis ship), this class (including the ) were the largest escort ships of the JMSDF.

Construction and career

''Haruna'' 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 19 March 1970 and launched on 1 February 1972 by

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese Multinational corporation, 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 prede ...

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

Shipyard. She was commissioned on 22 March 1973, into the 1st Escort Corps and deployed 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 ...

. She was dispatched in response to the that occurred 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 ...

on November 9, 1974. On November 26, she arrived at the incident site together with the escort vessels , , and . She was dispatched to

and fired to sink the vessel from the 27th to the 28th. On November 27, the 51st Escort Corps was formed under the 1st Escort Corps, and was incorporated together with , when she was commissioned on the same day. In July 1975, she participated in a joint anti-submarine warfare training with 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 ...

along with ''Hiei'', , and ''Narushio'', south of

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

. From July 3 to August 17, 1978, she participated in

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 ...

dispatch training with the ''Hiei'', , and eight P-2J aircraft. On March 27, 1981, the 52nd Escort Corps was formed under the 2nd Escort Corps, and was incorporated with , when she was commissioned on the same day. Home 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 November 2 to December 2, 1982, she participated in the Hawaii dispatch training with the escort vessels , and eight P-2Js. On March 30, 1983, the 52nd Escort Corps was abolished and became a ship under the direct control of the 2nd Escort Corps. On March 30, 1984, she was transferred to the 3rd Escort Group as their

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, 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 ...

. From March 31, 1986, FRAM repair started at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works. This refurbishment improved anti-submarine search capability, individual ship air defense capability, combat command / information processing capability, and electronic warfare capability, and extended the age of the ship by eight years. This FRAM repair work was completed on October 31, 1987, and returned to the flagship of the 3rd Escort Crops. From June 16 to September 6, 1989, she was dispatched to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with and and participated in the Japan-US joint exercise READIEX 89-4A. In 1990, participated in the Exercise RIMPAC 1990. From June 15 to September 5, 1995, she participated in the US dispatch training with and three P-3C aircraft. From June 9 to September 3, 1997, she participated in the US dispatch training with , and five P-3C aircraft. On March 20, 1998, her home port was transferred to

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 ...

. On October 13, the same year, she participated in the International Fleet Review to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Korea in

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, along with and ''Myōkō''. On February 18, 1999, during a firing circuit test of a high-performance 20mm machine gun (

CIWS A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of ...

) while berthed at Maizuru Port, two live ammunition were fired accidentally and landed near Mt. Aoba, east of the port. On March 24, the same year, in the case of a suspicious ship off the

Noto Peninsula The Noto Peninsula (, ''Noto-hantō'') is a peninsula that projects north into the Sea of Japan from the coast of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Honshū, the main island of Japan. Before the Meiji era, the peninsula belonged to Noto Province. Th ...

, the first "maritime security action" was announced, and it was dispatched with ''Myōkō'' and to fire warning shots at the suspicious ship. On February 12, 2002, based on the Act on Special Measures Against Terrorism, dispatched to the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

along with ''Sawakaze'' and . She was on duty until June of the same year and returned to Japan on August 7. On July 15, 2003, she was dispatched to the Indian Ocean along with the escort ship (at that time) and . She was on duty until October of the same year and returned to Japan on November 19. In 2004, she participated in the Exercise RIMPAC 2004. On August 21, 2007, she made a goodwill visit to the

Russian Pacific Fleet The Pacific Fleet () is the Russian Navy fleet in the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1731 as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the fleet was known as the Okhotsk Military Flotilla (1731–1856) and Siberian Military Flotilla (1856–1918), for ...

base in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

. The arrival press conference was held in the

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...

. On March 26, 2008, the escort corps was reorganized and transferred to the 3rd Escort Corps. In the same year, participated in the Exercise RIMPAC 2008. Removed from the register on March 18, 2009. The total cruising range was 959,652.1 miles (48 laps of the earth, equivalent to 2.3 round trips per month), the total number of helicopter landings were 55,013, and the total number of flights were 21,927 hours. In October 2009, she set off to a dismantling company located in

Etajima , also called , ''Nomijima'', ''Nomi Island'', or is an island in Hiroshima Bay located in southwestern Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The mess with island name originates from the ancient (and possibly legendary) strait at now town . Geography T ...

, and was completed dismantled in January 2010.

Gallery

File:DDH141 Haruna JMSDF(Japanese Navy).jpg, ''Haruna'' on 11 January 2003 File:US Navy 070318-N-5961C-262 Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) ship JS Haruna (DDH 141), USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) and USS Russell (DDG 59) steam in formation during a photo exercise (PHOTOEX) between the Ronald Reagan C.jpg, ''Haruna'', and underway on 18 March 2007 File:US Navy 070318-N-5961C-226 Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) ship JS Haruna (DDH 141) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) steam in formation during a photo exercise (PHOTOEX) between Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and JM.jpg, ''Haruna'' and underway on 18 March 2007 File:US Navy 040625-N-8157C-053 The Japanese destroyer JDS Haruna (DDH 141) passes Hospital Point in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.jpg, ''Haruna'' 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 26 June 2008 File:US Navy 080626-N-3931M-053 The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force ship JS Haruna (DDH 141) pulls into Pearl harbor for a scheduled port call before starting Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2008.jpg, ''Haruna'' arriving at Pearl Harbor on 26 June 2008 File:JS Haruna (DDH-141) arrives at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, 26 Jun 2008.jpg File:US Navy 081119-N-4010S-168 The amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) steams in formation with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Haruna (DDH 141).jpg, ''Haruna'' and underway on 19 November 2008 File:DDH-141 Haruna＆DDH-143 Shirane.jpg, ''Haruna'' and on 28 September 2009

References

External links

hazegray.org: ''Haruna'' DDH 141

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haruna Haruna-class destroyers Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 1972 ships