JS ''Samidare'' (DD-106) is the sixth 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). She was commissioned on 21 March 2000.

Design

In the ''Murasame'' class, the hull design was completely renovated from first-generation destroyers. In addition to increasing the size in order to reduce the underwater radiation noise, both the

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

and

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

were inclined to reduce the

radar cross-section Radar cross-section (RCS), denoted σ, also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected. An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy b ...

. However, there is no angled tripod mainmast as on American s because of the heavy weather of the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

in winter. The aft was designed like a "mini- Oranda-zaka" as with the to avoid interference between helicopters and

mooring A mooring is any permanent structure to which a seaborne vessel (such as a boat, ship, or amphibious aircraft) may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to ...

devices. Destroyers built under the First Defense Build-up Plan, including the former , adopted a unique long

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck (ship), deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is t ...

style called "Oranda-zaka". The engine arrangement is

COGAG Combined gas turbine and gas turbine (COGAG) is a type of propulsion system for ships using two gas turbines connected to a single propeller shaft. A gearbox and clutches allow either of the turbines to drive the shaft or both of them combined. Ma ...

, the same as in the ''Asagiri'' class, but a pair of engines were updated to Spey SM1Cs, and the remaining pair were replaced by LM2500s, as used in the ''Kongō'' class.

Construction and career

''Samidare'' 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 September 1997, by Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries at

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 ...

as part of the 1995 plan and launched on 24 September 1998. Commissioned on 21 March 2000, the vessel was incorporated into the 4th Escort Corps and deployed 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, ...

. ''Samidare'' was deployed to Somalia in 2009 as part of multinational efforts to protect ships passing through the Indian Ocean alongside . ''Samidare'' destroyer participated in Japan-US-India Joint Training (Malabar 2019) from 26 September to 4 October 2019. Exercises were carried out in the sea and airspace from

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 ...

to the south of the

Kanto region Japanese Kanto is a simplified spelling of , a Japanese word, only omitting the diacritics. In Japan Kantō may refer to: *Kantō Plain *Kantō region * Kantō-kai, organized crime group * Kanto (Pokémon), a geographical region in the ''Pokém ...

. The JMSDF also sent other escort vessels and , supply vessel , and P-1 patrol aircraft. , a P-8A aircraft, and a submarine from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, , , and a P-8I aircraft from the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

participated in anti-submarine warfare training, anti-submarine warfare training, conducted anti-water shooting training, anti-aircraft shooting training, and offshore replenishment training. On 16 October of the same year, ''Samidare'' conducted communication training using radio with the Chinese Navy destroyer (which was scheduled to participate in the JMSDF Fleet review on 14 October, but canceled due to

Typhoon Hagibis Typhoon Hagibis, known in Japan as Typhoon No.19 or , was a large and costly tropical cyclone that caused widespread destruction in Japan. The thirty-eighth depression, nineteenth tropical storm, ninth typhoon, and third super typhoon of the 201 ...

) in the Pacific Ocean south of Kanto region. This was the third Japan-China goodwill training for the JMSDF, the previous being in December 2011. On 4 May 2022, ''Samidare'' deployed to Djibouti for anti-piracy operations. In late May, ''Samidare'' was relieved by . On 20 June 2024, ''Samidare'' arrived at the

Port of Colombo The Port of Colombo , (known as Port of Kolomtota during the early 14th Century Kotte Kingdom) is the largest and busiest port in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean. Located in Colombo, on the southwestern shores on the Kelani River, it serves as a ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, as part of a formal visit. Following the completion of the official engagement, the vessel departed from the island on 22 June 2024. ''Samidare'' again arrived at the port of Colombo on 17 November on a formal visit. The vessel is captained by Commander Naoki Koga, and will depart the island on 19 November 2024.

Gallery

File:JS Samidare (DD-106) departs Pearl Harbor in support of RIMPAC 2006.jpg, ''Samidare'' departing

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 2006. File:USNS Rainier conducts a replenishment-at-sea. (25213713005).jpg, ''Samidare'' replenished by on 22 February 2016. File:USS Carl Vinson, left, transits the East China Sea. (33320124826).jpg, ''Samidare'', , and on 8 March 2017. File:USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and Japanese destroyer Samidare (DD-106) underway in the East China Sea on 9 March 2017.JPG, ''Samidare'' alongside USS ''Carl Vinson'' on 8 March 2017. File:170309-N-BL637-513 (33230393482).jpg, ''Samidare'' alongside USS ''Carl Vinson'' on 8 March 2017. File:JMSDF-samidare-201910.jpg, ''Samidare'' on 20 October 2019.

Citations

References

* * * Saunders, Stephen. ''IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2013-2014''. Jane's Information Group (2003). {{DEFAULTSORT:Samidare (DD-106) 1998 ships Murasame-class destroyers (1994) Ships built by IHI Corporation