The ''Mashū''-class is a series of

replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. Th ...

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). They were built from 2002-04. The ships have the hull designator AOE. The ''Mashū''-class was designed as an enlarged, improved version of the ''Towada''-class fast combat support ships. The vessels are capable of mounting two

Phalanx CIWS The Phalanx CIWS () is an automated gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Co ...

by design. They have been in commission from 2004 onwards.

List of ships

Gallery

File:JS Mashū(AOE-425) right front view at JMSDF Maizuru Naval Base April 13, 2019 01.jpg, JS ''Mashū'' in Maizuru Naval Base on 13 April 2019. File:JMSDF December 2016 10.jpg, JS ''Ōmi'' underway in January 2017.

References

External links

{{Mashū-class replenishment ship Auxiliary replenishment ship classes Auxiliary ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Ships built by Hitachi Zosen Corporation