JS ''Kurihama'' (ASE-6101) was an experimental ship 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 ( ...

Development and design

From the above circumstances, special consideration has been given to the

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

test. The hull is also a long

poop deck In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or " aft", part of the superstructure of a ship. The name originates from the French word for stern, , from Latin . Thus the poop deck is technic ...

, and the rear deck is one step lower, making it easier to lift and lower trial torpedoes. On the

starboard Port and starboard are Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z), nautical terms for watercraft and spacecraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the Bow (watercraft), bow (front). Vessels with bil ...

side of the rear work deck, a deck crane with a capacity of 5 tons is installed for the installation and operation of test equipment. In addition, a measurement room was set up in the adjacent section of the rear deck, and consideration was given to making it easier to monitor the measurement equipment. In addition, an ultrasonic measuring device and a torpedo launcher device were installed on the port side, and measuring equipment could be loaded and unloaded according to the content of the test. However, unlike the successor , the number of people involved in the test was limited to more than a dozen, so there were many day-trip tests. As for the onboard boats, an work boat was mounted on the port side and a work boat was mounted on the starboard side.

Construction and career

''Kurihama'' 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 23 March 1979 at

Sasebo Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. History The Sasebo Naval District was established at Sasebo, Nagasaki in 1886, as the third of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the ...

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 ...

and launched on 20 September 1979. The vessel was commissioned on 8 April 1980. In August 1997, data was collected using the former escort ship that was sunk as a target for the actual ship. On 22 March 2002, the Development Guidance Team was reorganized into the Development Team. In response to the

Great East Japan Earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

caused by the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake that occurred on 11 March 2011, 46 minutes after the earthquake, an emergency departure was made for disaster dispatch. On 6 April 2012, a self-defense ship flag return ceremony was held at

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 ...

Base and she was retired. In the history of the ship for about 32 years, the total voyage was 305,186 miles (565,204.5 km) for about 14.1 laps of the earth, and the total voyage time was 39,850 hours.

Gallery

File:DDG168tachikaze.jpg, JS ''Kurihama'' alongside ex- at

on 14 November 2008. File:ASE-6101.jpg, Ex-JS ''Kurihama'' at Yokosuka on 30 July 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurihama (ASE-6101) 1979 ships Ships built by Sasebo Naval Arsenal Auxiliary ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Experimental ships