JS ''Hiei'' (DDH-142) was the second ship of the s of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force.

Overview

The ''Haruna''-class ships were Japan's first helicopter-equipped destroyers (DDH) and could carry and operate three helicopters in terms of equipment. They were the first vessels of the Japanese fleet 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 s ( Aegis ships), this class was the largest escort ship of the JMSDF.

Construction and career

''Hiei'' 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 8 March 1972 and launched on 13 August 1973 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 ...

Shipyard. She was commissioned on 27 December 1974, 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 ...

. 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 her sister ship , the submarine and eight P-2J aircraft. ''Hiei'', and eight P-2Js were dispatched to the United States from January 25, 1980, and participated in the Exercise RIMPAC 1980 exercise between February 26 and March 18. They were the first ships to participate outside Japan, returning on April 2. On March 30, 1983, the 51st Escort Corps was abolished and became a ship under the direct control of the 1st Escort Corps. On March 30, 1984, she was incorporated into the 4th Escort Corps as a

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 ...

. The FRAM refurbishment carried out from August 31, 1987 to March 13, 1989 improved anti-submarine search capability, individual ship air defense capability, combat command / information processing capability, and electronic warfare capability. However, the cost-effectiveness of FRAM refurbishment was not efficient, and similar large-scale refurbishment was only carried out on two ''Haruna''-class vessels. On March 2, 1995, due to the relocation of the 4th Escort Group Command to

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, ...

, the homeport was transferred to Kure. In 1996, she participated in the Exercise RIMPAC 1996. From May 11 to August 12, 1999, she participated in the US dispatch training with and . ''Hiei'' participated in the Japan-Russia search and rescue joint training conducted off the coast of

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (, ) is a city and the administrative center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. It is located in the Far East of the country and lies along the coast of Avacha Bay by the Pacific Ocean, nearby Khalaktyrskoye Lake. As of the 202 ...

, Russia from September 1 to 11, 2000 with . From May 16 to August 3, 2001, participated in the US dispatch training with the and . On September 17, 2002, based on the Act on Special Measures Against Terrorism, dispatched to the Indian Ocean with ''Samidare''. Engaged in missions until December of the same year, and returned to Japan on January 26, 2003. On October 28, 2003, she was dispatched to the Indian Ocean along with and . Engaged in missions until January 2004 and returned to Japan on March 3. From June 6 to 10, 2005, she visited

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 ...

, Russia, and participated in the Japan-Russia search and rescue joint training off the coast of Vladivostok on the 10th. In 2006, she participated in the Exercise RIMPAC 2006. On March 26, 2008, the escort corps was reorganized and transferred to the 4th Escort Corps. From July 23 to 27, 2010, participated in the Japan-Russia search and rescue joint training SAREX off the coast of Vladivostok, Russia, with . On March 16, 2011, she was decommissioned. Her final affiliation was the 4th Escort Corps and the homeport was Kure. The commissioning period was 36 years and 3 months, which is the longest among the ships of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in history, with a cruising distance of about 44 laps around the Earth and a voyage time of about 79,000 hours.

Gallery

File:JS Hiei underway, -3 Feb. 1985 a.jpg, ''Hiei'' underway on 3 February 1985 File:Hiei and Asagumo in Subic Bay, -1 Aug. 1988 a.jpg, ''Hiei'' and at

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...

on 1 August 1988 File:JS Hiei departs from Pearl Harbor, -5 Jul. 2006 a.jpg, ''Hiei'' departs

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 5 July July 2006 File:JS Hiei in the Pacific, -16 Nov. 2007 a.jpg, ''Hiei'' underway on 16 November 2007 File:DDH142Hiei.jpg, ''Hiei'' on 25 July 2009 File:US Navy 091117-N-3830J-643 Helicopters fly above the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers JDS Hiei (DDH 142) and JDS Kongo (DDG 173) as they maneuver into formation during Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX 21G).jpg, ''Hiei'' and underway on 17 November 2009 File:US Navy 091117-N-7280V-245 Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers JDS Hiei (DDH 142) and JDS Kongo (DDG 173) maneuver into formation during Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX 21G).jpg File:US Navy 091117-N-4010S-236 Aircraft from CVW-5 (ANNUALEX 21G).jpg File:JMSDF Hiei underway with JMSDF Ashigara and USS Curtis Wilbur.jpg, ''Hiei'', and underway on 17 November 2009 File:JS Hiei sails alongside USS Mustin in the Pacific, -10 Jun. 2010 a.jpg, ''Hiei'' alongside on 10 June 1010 File:Kure Naval Base, -29 Oct. 2011 a.jpg, ''Hiei'' and at

on 29 October 2011 File:Main Anchor of JS Hiei(DDH-142) at JMSDF 1st Service School May 6, 2019.jpg, ''Hiei''s anchor on display on 6 May 2019

References

External links

hazegray.org: ''Hiei'' DDH 142

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiei Haruna-class destroyers Ships built by IHI Corporation 1973 ships