JS ''Hyūga'' (DDH-181) 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 s of the

Japan 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) ...

(JMSDF).

Development and design

They are sometimes referred to as an aircraft carrier (

helicopter carrier A helicopter carrier is a type of aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate helicopters, and 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 ...

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

helicopter destroyer A helicopter carrier is a type of aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate helicopters, and 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 ...

. 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 weapo ...

and

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

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 , 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, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide ele ...

and

Harrier Harrier may refer to: Animals * Harrier (bird), several species of birds * Harrier (dog) Media * Harrier Comics, a defunct British publisher * Space Harrier, a video game series Military * Harrier jump jet, an overview of the Harrier family: ...

, but the

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

says The operation of the fixed-wing aircraft in the model has not been officially announced, and Yoji Koda, a former self-defense fleet commander, states that the ship is completely different in nature from the aircraft carrier.

Construction and career

The ship 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 11 May 2006 and launched on 23 August 2007 by

IHI Marine United (informally JMU) is a Japanese ship building marine engineering and service company headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. It's Japan’s second largest shipbuilder after Imabari Shipbuilding, with shipyard facilities in Kure, Hiroshima, Yokohama, ...

and commissioned into military service on 18 March 2009. On 5 September 2009, medical verification was conducted at the port of

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of ...

using helicopters from local governments, police, fire departments, the Ground Self-Defense Force, and the

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard of Japan. The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...

. In October of the same year, she participated in the Maritime Self-Defense Force observing ceremony for the first time as a censored ship. She participated in the Annualex 21G Exercise (2009 Maritime Self-Defense Force Exercise), a bilateral exercise with the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 10 to 18 November of the same year. From 20 to 23 August 2010, in order to participate in Isewan Marine Festa 2010, , , , and the

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to sma ...

were at

Nagoya Port The , located in Ise Bay, is the largest and busiest trading port in Japan, accounting for about 10% of the total trade value of Japan. Notably, this port is the largest exporter of cars in Japan and where the Toyota Motor Corporation exports mos ...

. This ship delivered supplies and undertook disaster relief operations after the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six m ...

. Around 17:00 on 10 February 2012, four

Chinese Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the Naval warfare, maritime Military branch, service branch of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAN traces its lineage to naval u ...

Type 054A The Type 054A (NATO/OSD Jiangkai II) is a class of guided-missile frigate from the People's Republic of China. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate; compared to its predecessor, the Type 054A has medium-range air defense capability in the ...

and

Type 053H2G frigate The Type 053H2G (NATO codename Jiangwei I) were Chinese frigates that entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in the 1990s. They were later variants of the Type 053 frigate family, and were the PLAN's first multi-rol ...

s, , , , and , which were sailing about northeast of

Miyakojima 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 islands ...

, were discovered by ''Hyūga''. She became the first Japanese vessel to have an American

MV-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...

land aboard the ship during exercise Dawn Blitz in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

on 14 June 2013. On 25 March 2015, the vessel's home port was transferred to

Maizuru is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Pref ...

after being transferred to the 3rd Escort Corps of the 3rd Escort Corps by reorganization. ''Hyūga'' participated in the integrated training Dawn Blitz 15 held in the United States from 18 August to 9 September 2015 with and under the command of the Mine Warfare Force. ''Hyūga'' was deployed in the

Yatsushiro Sea The , which is also called the , is a shallow semi-enclosed inland sea separating the island of Kyūshū from the Amakusa Islands. It lies mostly within Kumamoto Prefecture and at the southern end of the sea it also borders Kagoshima Prefectu ...

to support the areas affected by the Kumamoto earthquake that occurred in April 2016, and served as a base for accumulating supplies and operating bases for helicopters. On 19 April, the US Marine Corps vertical takeoff and landing transport aircraft MV-22 Osprey, which supports transportation, landed on board, loaded with relief supplies such as water, food, and simple toilets, and airlifted to Minamiaso Village. ''Hyūga'' participated in the Japan-US-India joint training (MALABAR 2016) held in the waters east of

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

from 10 to 17 June 2016, and then sailed to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

with until 23 August. After that she participated in the US dispatch training ( RIMPAC 2016) conducted in the sea and airspace around the west coast of the United States. In June 2017, ''Hyūga'' alongside JS ''Ashigara'' joined the US Navy's

Carrier Strike Group 1 Carrier Strike Group One (CSG-1 or CARSTRKGRU 1) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. is the strike group's current flagship, and other units currently assigned are the ship's Carrier Air Wing 2 and embarked Destroyer Squadron 1, deployed with ...

and

Carrier Strike Group 5 Carrier Strike Group 5, also known as CSG 5 or CARSTRKGRU 5, is the U.S. Navy carrier strike group assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet and permanently forward deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet. CSG 5 is responsible for unit-level train ...

off the

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

in response to increased tensions over

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

's nuclear weapons program. From 8 to 24 May 2018, she participated in the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade Exercise in the waters west of

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

Tanegashima is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 444.99 km2 in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to New ...

, Kagoshima Prefecture, and the surrounding waters with the . From the Ground Self-Defense Force, the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, the 1st Helicopter Corps, the Western Air Corps, etc. On 14 October of the same year, assuming a huge Nankai Trough earthquake, a Japan-US joint disaster prevention drill was held in Shirahama Town,

Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 () and has a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefect ...

. From 27 November to 5 December of the same year, Japan-US joint cruising training was conducted with the aircraft carrier and several other ships in the sea and airspace from around the

Bashi Channel The Bashi Channel is a waterway between Y'Ami Island of the Philippines and Orchid Island of Taiwan. It is a part of the Luzon Strait in the Pacific Ocean. It is characterized by windy storms during the rainy period, June to December. The Ba ...

to the south of the Kantō region. From 15 to 17 December 2020, Japan-US-France joint training was conducted with the ,

P-8A The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN). Th ...

, and the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in th ...

submarine in the sea and airspace around

Okinotorishima , or Parece Vela, is a coral reef with two rocks enlarged with tetrapod-cement structures. It is administered by Japan with a total shoal area of and land area . Its dry land area is mostly made up by three concrete encasings and there is a ...

. Between 4-8 November 2023, ''Hyūga'' participated in a Multi-Large Deck Event, with

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) USS ''Carl Vinson'' (CVN-70) is the United States Navy's third supercarrier. She is named for Carl Vinson (1883-1981), a congressman from Georgia, in recognition of his contributions to the U.S. Navy. The ship was launched during Vinson's lifet ...

and

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) USS ''Ronald Reagan'' (CVN-76) is a , nuclear-powered supercarrier in the service of the United States Navy. The ninth ship of her class, she is named in honor of Ronald W. Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was b ...

and their task force ships, in the

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago (hence the name), the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of . The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. Its ...

.US, Japan navies stage aircraft carrier meetup in Western Pacific
Mike Yeo,

Defense News ''Defense News'' is a website and newspaper about the politics, business, and technology of national security published by Sightline Media Group. Founded in 1986, ''Defense News'' serves an audience of senior military, government, and industry d ...

, 2023-11-10 Currently, she is assigned to the 3rd Escort Group, 3rd Escort Corps, and the home port is

Gallery

File:Hyuuga 04.JPG, JS ''Hyūga'' docked at

on 6 September 2009. File:JMSDF DDH-181 Hyuga elevator1.jpg, JS ''Hyūga''s elevator on 6 September 2009. File:JS Hyuga (DDH-181) - Starboard beam view.jpg, JS ''Hyūga'' on 9 October 2009. File:US Navy 091117-N-6233H-098 The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH 181) leads a formation of U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force sips during Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX 21G).jpg, JS ''Hyūga'' on 17 November 2009. File:US Navy 091117-N-6233H-234 The aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH 181) transit the Pacific Ocean.jpg, JS ''Hyūga'' and on 17 November 2009. File:JS Hyūga (DDH-181) Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS).jpg, JS ''Hyūga''s Mk.41 VLS on 22 August 2010. File:Japanese ships arrive in Pearl Harbor for port visit 130516-N-QF605-049.jpg, JS ''Hyūga'' in

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 ...

on 16 May 2013. File:A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 161 is lowered into the hull of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JDS Hyuga (DDH 130613-M-SF473-050.jpg,

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

MV-22B Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...

aboard JS ''Hyūga'' on 13 June 2013. File:151123-N-TE278-055 (24145988250).jpg, JS ''Hyūga'' and on 23 November 2015. File:U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft work with Japan to deliver earthquake relief supplies. (25936524984).jpg,

aboard JS ''Hyūga'' on 19 April 2016. File:Japanese Helicopter Ship JS Hyuga (DDH 181) Arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam During RIMPAC.ogv, JS ''Hyūga'' arriving at Pearl Harbor on 3 August 2016. File:SH-60K taking off from a JMSDF DDH-181 Hyuga.jpg, An

SH-60K SH6 may refer to: * State Highway 6 (New Zealand) * Texas State Highway 6 * Minnesota State Highway 6 See also * List of highways numbered 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * Asian Highw ...

taking off from JS ''Hyūga'' on 25 September 2016.

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyuga (DDH-181) Helicopter carriers 2007 ships Hyūga-class helicopter destroyers Ships built by IHI Corporation