Enoshima-class minesweeper
 JS Enoshima on 29 November 2013 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Enoshima |
| Builders | |
| Preceded by | Harishima class |
| Succeeded by | N/A |
| Built | 2009-2013 |
| In commission | 2012-present |
| Planned | 3 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Active | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Minesweeper |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 57 m (187 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 9.8 m (32 ft 2 in) |
| Depth | 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Complement | 48 |
| Sensors and processing systems | |
| Armament | 1 × single JM61R-MS 20mm guns |
The Enoshima class is a class of coastal minesweepers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).[1]
Development
From lessons learned from the 1991 deployment of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to the Persian Gulf, the Maritime Self-Defense Force took the inspiration from the Royal Navy's Sandown-class minehunter,which was built after the 1994 plan to enhance mine clearance capabilities. However, since the Sandown-class is essentially a minesweeper without actual minesweeping capability, and given that many waters around Japan have many muddy seabeds unsuitable for minesweeping[why?], the JMSDF found it unacceptable to abandon minesweeping functionality. To address this, the ships were equipped with Australian-made DYAD[expand acronym]-sensitive minesweepers. However, due to magnetic management issues, it was decided that the minesweeping equipment would not be permanently installed but instead deployed from a mother ship at sea as needed [clarification needed]. This resulted in significant operational restrictions[clarification needed] and limited mobility.[2][3]
For these reasons, the Enoshima-class was developed as a new type of minesweeper, featuring a domestically designed system with performance equivalent to the foreign-made minesweeping system used in the Sugashima-class.[2]
Ships in the class
| Pennant no. | Name | Builders | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Home port |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSC-604 | Enoshima | Universal Shipbuilding Corporation, Keihin | 14 May 2009 | 25 October 2010 | 21 March 2012 | Yokosuka |
| MSC-605 | Chichijima | 24 May 2010 | 24 November 2011 | 21 March 2013 | Yokosuka | |
| MSC-606 | Hatsushima | Japan Marine United, Yokohama | 26 April 2012 | 6 December 2013 | 19 March 2015 | Yokosuka |
References
- ^ "我が国の防衛と予算" [Our Defense and Budget] (PDF) (in Japanese). Ministry of Defense. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ a b Details of the new minesweeper Hirashima, Ships of the World. Vol. 694. Japan: Gaijinsha. August 2008. pp. 154–159.
- ^ Takahashi, Yoichi (May 2013). Mine Warships (Special Feature: Maritime Self-Defense Force's New Weapons)-(Notable New Weapons), Ships of the World. Vol. 778. Japan: Gaijinsha. pp. 92–97.