JS ''Kunisaki'' (LST-4003) is the third ship of the s of the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Construction and career
''Kunisaki'' was
laid down on 7 September 2000 and
launched on 13 December 2001 by
Hitachi Zosen Corporation,
Maizuru. She was
commissioned into the 1st Landing Group on 26 February 2003.
This ship was one of several in the JMSDF fleet that participated in disaster relief 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 minutes ...
. ''Kunisaki'' was the first-ever JMSDF ship to serve as the primary mission platform for the 2014
Pacific Partnership annual humanitarian and disaster response-focused mission. On 29 May 2014, she departed
Yokosuka to participate in the 2014 Pacific Partnership. She provided Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines with medical aid and carried out cultural exchanges. On 24 July the ship returned to
Kure.
The vessel participated in the integrated training Dawn Blitz 15 in the United States from 18 August to 9 September 2015 with and under the command of the
Mine Warfare Force, and amphibious warfare training. From 3 to 9 September ''Kunisaki'' participated in the
ADMM Plus Humanitarian Aid / Disaster Relief and Defense Medical College Exercise (AM-HEx2016) in Thailand from September 3 to 9 of the same year.
Beginning on 5 May 2017, ''Kunisaki'' performed joint training with the
French Navy's in the waters around Japan.
On 11 and 12 January 2019, the ship conducted a joint cruise training with several ships including and 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 ...
. From 3 June to 21 August, the ship was under the command of the Mine Warfare Force commander during training with the U.S. military (
Talisman Saber 19) at the
Shoalwater Bay Exercise Area in
Queensland, Australia and the surrounding waters. On 18 June, while participating in the training, she was towed by a tugboat and tried to turn around to leave
Brisbane, Australia, but she collided with the quay of the port. The stern door broke, and the quay also broke.
Da Nang
Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
in June 2014
File:JS Kunisaki arrives in Da Nang 140606-N-QW372-088.jpg
File:USS Green Bay (LPD 20) and the Japan ship JS Kunisaki (LST 4003) sail in formation during a training exercise. (48036785657).jpg, JS ''Kunisaki'' and underway on 10 June 2019
Citations
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunisaki (LST-4003)
Ōsumi-class tank landing ships
Ships built by Hitachi Zosen Corporation
2001 ships