JS ''Kunisaki'' (LST-4003) is the third ship of the s of the

Japan 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 ( ...

(JMSDF).

Construction and career

''Kunisaki'' 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 7 September 2000 and launched on 13 December 2001 by

Hitachi Zosen Corporation , formerly , is a major Japanese industrial and engineering corporation. It produces waste treatment plants, industrial plants, precision machinery, industrial machinery, steel mill process equipment, steel structures, construction machinery, ...

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 ...

. 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 On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

. ''Kunisaki'' was the first-ever JMSDF ship to serve as the primary mission platform for the 2014

Pacific Partnership Pacific Partnership is an annual deployment of forces from the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy (USN), in cooperation with regional governments and military forces, along with humanitarian and non-government organizations. The deploymen ...

annual humanitarian and disaster response-focused mission. On 29 May 2014, she departed

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 ...

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 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 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 The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

'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 Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

. 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 Shoalwater Bay is a large bay on the Capricorn Coast of Central Queensland, Australia 100 km north of the coastal town of Yeppoon and 628 km north-north-west of the state capital, Brisbane. Since 1966, the land surrounding Shoalwater B ...

Exercise Area in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, 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 Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Australia, but she collided with the quay of the port. The stern door broke, and the quay also broke. File:JS Kunisaki (LST-4003) and USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) in the South China Sea, -14 Jun. 2010 a.jpg, JS ''Kunisaki'' and on 14 June 2010 File:US Navy 100614-N-6597H-394 The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), center, the Military Sealift Command dry cargo ammunition ship USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE 6).jpg File:JS Kunisaki (LST-4003) at Kure, -May 2011 a.jpg, JS ''Kunisaki'' at

in May 2011 File:Japanese ship Kunisake (LST-4003) at Da Nang in June 2014.JPG, JS ''Kunisaki'' at

Da Nang Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important p ...

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