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Etorofu-class escort ship

April 11, 2024

The Etorofu-class escort ships (択捉型海防艦, Etorofu-gata kaibōkan) were a group of fourteen kaibōkan escort vessels built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Eight of the fourteen ships were sunk during the war. The class was also referred to by internal Japanese documents as the "Modified A-class" coastal defense vessel (甲型海防艦, Kō-gata kaibōkan).

Etorofu in 1943
Class overview
Operators
Preceded byShimushu class
Succeeded byMikura class
Built1942–1944
Completed14
Lost8
General characteristics
TypeEscort vessel
Displacement870 long tons (884 t)
Length77.7 m (255 ft)
Beam9.1 m (29 ft 10 in)
Draught3.05 m (10 ft)
Speed19.7 knots (22.7 mph; 36.5 km/h)
Complement150
Armament

Background edit

The Shimushu-class kaibōkan, as with the Chidori-class torpedo boat, was a consequence of the 1930 London Naval Treaty, which placed limitations on the total destroyer tonnage the Imperial Japanese Navy was permitted. One way in which the treaty could be circumvented was to use a loophole in the treaty which permitted ships of between 600 and 2,000 tons, with no more than four guns over 76 mm (3 in), no torpedoes, and with a maximum speed of no more than 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). A new class of vessel was designed to use this loophole, and was given the obsolete designation of kaibōkan (Kai = sea, ocean, Bo = defence, Kan = ship), which had previously been used to designate obsolete battleships which had been reassigned to coastal defense duties. Immediately before the start of then Pacific War, the Imperial Japanese Navy suddenly decided to give more priority to convoy escorts, possibly in light of the ongoing successes of German U-boats against British shipping in the Atlantic. As the Shimushu class was not suited for mass-production and took too long to build, the 1941 Rapid Naval Armaments Supplement Programme authorized thirty modified versions of the Shimushu class, which were designated the Etorofu class.[1] However, sixteen of the projected thirty ships were subsequently re-ordered to the subsequent Mikura, Hiburi or Ukura designs.

Production began between February 1942 and August 1943. Despite simplification, the design was still too complex for mass production and one of the ships was not completed until early 1944.[1]

Description edit

The Etorofu class was almost identical to the Shimushu class but with a simplified bow, stern and bridge structure to facilitate production. The ships measured 77.72 meters (255 ft 0 in) overall, with a beam of 9.1 meters (29 ft 10 in) and a draft of 3.05 meters (10 ft 0 in).[2] They displaced 880 metric tons (870 long tons) at standard load and 1,040 metric tons (1,020 long tons) at deep load. The ships had two diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft, which were rated at a total of 4,200 brake horsepower (3,100 kW) for a speed of 19.7 knots (36.5 km/h; 22.7 mph). The ships had a range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at a speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).[3]

As with the Shimushu class the main battery of the Etorofu class consisted of three Type 3 120-millimeter (4.7 in) guns in single mounts, one superfiring pair aft and one mount forward of the superstructure. Anti-aircraft protection was by four Type 96 25-millimeter (1.0 in) anti-aircraft guns in two twin-gun mounts abreast the bridge. However, for a ship supposedly designed for convoy escort, only one Model 94 depth charge launcher was installed on the quarterdeck along with a Model 3 loading frame. The number of depth charges was initially 36, but this was increased to 60 while the ships were still in production, which necessitated the deletion of the two paravanes initially in the design for minesweeping. The ships were also equipped with a Model 93 sonar and a Type 93 hydrophone.[1]

During the Pacific War, the number of Type 96 anti-aircraft gun was increased to five triple-mounts and a varying number of single-mounts, up to 15 in total by August 1943. A Type 22 and Type 13 radar were also installed. A Type 97 81-millimeter (3.2 in) trench mortar was also installed front of the bridge[3]

Operational service edit

The Etorofu class proved to be an inadequate design by the time the final units entered service in 1944. Their speed was slower than most submarines, and with only one depth charge projector, their combat capability against the increasingly effective United States Navy submarine forces was ineffective. The Etorofu-class vessels were mostly deployed to the South China Sea or East China Sea as convoy escorts, but few recorded any attacks against Allied submarines. Conversely, six of the 14 ships in the class were sunk by American submarines. Of the six survivors, three were used as repatriation ships after the war, and were subsequently given as prize of war to Allied navies.[1]

Ships in class edit

Thirty ships (numbered #310 to #339) were included in the Rapid Naval Armaments Supplement Programme in 1941. These are listed below with the shipyard to which each was allocated:

While fourteen of the above ships were completed to the Etorofu design, eight ships - Mikura (#320), Miyake (#322), Awaji (#324), Nōmi (#326), Kurahashi (#327), Chiburi (#329), Yashiro (#331) and Kusagaki (#334) - were altered to be built to the Mikura design; three ships - Hiburi (#328), Daitō (#333) and Shōnan (#339) - were altered to be built to the Hiburi design; and five ships - Ukuru (#332), Okinawa (#335), Amami (#336), Aguni (#337) and Shinnan (#338) - were altered to be built to the 'Ukuru design. The fourteen completed to the (original) Etorofu design were as follows:

Kanji Name Builder Laid down Launched Completed Fate
択捉 Etorofu Hitachi-Sakurajima Shipyards 23 February 1942 29 January 1943 15 May 1943 Ceded to the United States, 1946. Scrapped 1947
松輪 Matsuwa Mitsui-Tamano Shipyards 20 April 1942 13 November 1942 23 March 1943 Sunk by USS Harder on 22 August 1944, Hidai Bay, Philippines [14-15N, 120-25E]
佐渡 Sado NKK-Tsurumi Shipyards 21 February 1942 28 November 1942 27 March 1943 Sunk by USS Haddo on 22 August 1944, Hidai Bay, Philippines [14-15N, 120-25E]
隠岐 Oki Uraga Dock Company 27 February 1942 20 October 1942 28 March 1943 Ceded to Republic of China Navy as Gu An (固安) in August 1947,
captured by PLAN and renamed Chang Bai (长白) in 1949, scrapped 1982
六連 Mutsure Hitachi-Sakurajima Shipyards 25 July 1942 10 April 1943 31 July 1943 Sunk by USS Snapper on 2 September 1943, Philippine Sea [08-40N, 151-31E]
壱岐 Iki Mitsui-Tamano Shipyards 2 May 1942 5 February 1943 31 May 1943 Sunk by USS Raton on 24 May 1944, 150 miles W of Sarawak
対馬 Tsushima NKK-Tsurumi Shipyards 20 June 1942 20 March 1943 28 July 1943 Ceded to Republic of China Navy as Lin An (臨安) 31 July 1947, scrapped 1963
若宮 Wakamiya Mitsui-Tamano Shipyards 16 July 1942 19 April 1943 10 August 1943 Sunk by USS Gato on 24 May 1944, East China Sea [28-38N, 122-05E]
平戸 Hirado Hitachi-Sakurajima Shipyards 2 November 1942 30 June 1943 28 September 1943 Sunk by USS Growler on 12 September 1944, South China Sea [17-54N, 114-49]
福江 Fukae[4] Uraga Dock Company 30 October 1942 2 April 1943 28 June 1943 Ceded to UK in July 1947, scrapped
天草 Amakusa Hitachi-Sakurajima Shipyards 5 April 1943 30 September 1943 20 November 1943 Sunk by Royal Navy aircraft 9 August 1945, Onagawa, Japan
満珠 Manju Mitsui-Tamano Shipyards 15 February 1943 31 July 1943 30 November 1943 Scrapped 1946
干珠 Kanju Uraga Dock Company 8 April 1943 7 August 1943 30 October 1943 Scuttled after mine damage, 15 August 1945, near Wonson, Korea [39-10N, 127-27E.]
笠戸 Kasado Uraga Dock Company 10 August 1943 9 December 1943 27 February 1944 Scrapped 1948

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d Stille, Mark (2017). Imperial Japanese Navy Antisubmarine Escorts 1941–45. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 20–24. ISBN 978-1-4728-1817-1.
  2. ^ Chesneau, p. 205
  3. ^ a b Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 187
  4. ^ Often spelled incorrectly Fukue in English literature.

References edit

  • Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Dodson, Aidan & Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: The Fate of Enemy Fleets after Two World Wars. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.
  • Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Etorofu class escort ships.
  • Combined Fleet: Etorofu

April 11, 2024
etorofu, class, escort, ship, 択捉型海防艦, etorofu, gata, kaibōkan, were, group, fourteen, kaibōkan, escort, vessels, built, imperial, japanese, navy, during, world, eight, fourteen, ships, were, sunk, during, class, also, referred, internal, japanese, documents, m. The Etorofu class escort ships 択捉型海防艦 Etorofu gata kaibōkan were a group of fourteen kaibōkan escort vessels built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II Eight of the fourteen ships were sunk during the war The class was also referred to by internal Japanese documents as the Modified A class coastal defense vessel 甲型海防艦 Kō gata kaibōkan Etorofu in 1943Class overviewOperators Imperial Japanese Navy Republic of China Navy People s Liberation Army NavyPreceded byShimushu classSucceeded byMikura classBuilt1942 1944Completed14Lost8General characteristicsTypeEscort vesselDisplacement870 long tons 884 t Length77 7 m 255 ft Beam9 1 m 29 ft 10 in Draught3 05 m 10 ft Speed19 7 knots 22 7 mph 36 5 km h Complement150Armament3 120 mm 4 7 in 45cal DP guns 4 Type 96 25 mm 0 98 in AA guns later up to 15 6 depth charge throwers 36 depth charges initially but later up to 60 1 81 mm 3 2 in mortar Contents 1 Background 2 Description 3 Operational service 4 Ships in class 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksBackground editThe Shimushu class kaibōkan as with the Chidori class torpedo boat was a consequence of the 1930 London Naval Treaty which placed limitations on the total destroyer tonnage the Imperial Japanese Navy was permitted One way in which the treaty could be circumvented was to use a loophole in the treaty which permitted ships of between 600 and 2 000 tons with no more than four guns over 76 mm 3 in no torpedoes and with a maximum speed of no more than 20 knots 37 km h 23 mph A new class of vessel was designed to use this loophole and was given the obsolete designation of kaibōkan Kai sea ocean Bo defence Kan ship which had previously been used to designate obsolete battleships which had been reassigned to coastal defense duties Immediately before the start of then Pacific War the Imperial Japanese Navy suddenly decided to give more priority to convoy escorts possibly in light of the ongoing successes of German U boats against British shipping in the Atlantic As the Shimushu class was not suited for mass production and took too long to build the 1941 Rapid Naval Armaments Supplement Programme authorized thirty modified versions of the Shimushu class which were designated the Etorofu class 1 However sixteen of the projected thirty ships were subsequently re ordered to the subsequent Mikura Hiburi or Ukura designs Production began between February 1942 and August 1943 Despite simplification the design was still too complex for mass production and one of the ships was not completed until early 1944 1 Description editThe Etorofu class was almost identical to the Shimushu class but with a simplified bow stern and bridge structure to facilitate production The ships measured 77 72 meters 255 ft 0 in overall with a beam of 9 1 meters 29 ft 10 in and a draft of 3 05 meters 10 ft 0 in 2 They displaced 880 metric tons 870 long tons at standard load and 1 040 metric tons 1 020 long tons at deep load The ships had two diesel engines each driving one propeller shaft which were rated at a total of 4 200 brake horsepower 3 100 kW for a speed of 19 7 knots 36 5 km h 22 7 mph The ships had a range of 8 000 nautical miles 15 000 km 9 200 mi at a speed of 16 knots 30 km h 18 mph 3 As with the Shimushu class the main battery of the Etorofu class consisted of three Type 3 120 millimeter 4 7 in guns in single mounts one superfiring pair aft and one mount forward of the superstructure Anti aircraft protection was by four Type 96 25 millimeter 1 0 in anti aircraft guns in two twin gun mounts abreast the bridge However for a ship supposedly designed for convoy escort only one Model 94 depth charge launcher was installed on the quarterdeck along with a Model 3 loading frame The number of depth charges was initially 36 but this was increased to 60 while the ships were still in production which necessitated the deletion of the two paravanes initially in the design for minesweeping The ships were also equipped with a Model 93 sonar and a Type 93 hydrophone 1 During the Pacific War the number of Type 96 anti aircraft gun was increased to five triple mounts and a varying number of single mounts up to 15 in total by August 1943 A Type 22 and Type 13 radar were also installed A Type 97 81 millimeter 3 2 in trench mortar was also installed front of the bridge 3 Operational service editThe Etorofu class proved to be an inadequate design by the time the final units entered service in 1944 Their speed was slower than most submarines and with only one depth charge projector their combat capability against the increasingly effective United States Navy submarine forces was ineffective The Etorofu class vessels were mostly deployed to the South China Sea or East China Sea as convoy escorts but few recorded any attacks against Allied submarines Conversely six of the 14 ships in the class were sunk by American submarines Of the six survivors three were used as repatriation ships after the war and were subsequently given as prize of war to Allied navies 1 Ships in class editThirty ships numbered 310 to 339 were included in the Rapid Naval Armaments Supplement Programme in 1941 These are listed below with the shipyard to which each was allocated Number Name Builder 310 Etorofu Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 311 Matsuwa Mitsui Tamano Shipyards 312 Sado NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 313 Oki Uraga Dock Company 314 Matsure Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 315 Iki Mitsui Tamano Shipyards 316 Tsushima NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 317 Wakamiya Mitsui Tamano Shipyards 318 Hirado Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 319 Fukae Uraga Dock Company 320 Mikura NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 321 Amakusa Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 322 Miyake NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 323 Manju Mitsui Tamano Shipyards 324 Awaji Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards Number Name Builder 325 Kanju Uraga Dock Company 326 Nōmi Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 327 Kurahashi NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 328 Hiburi Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 329 Chiburi NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 330 Kasado Uraga Dock Company 331 Yashiro Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 332 Ukuru NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 333 Daitō Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 334 Kusagaki NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 335 Okinawa NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 336 Amami NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 337 Aguni NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 338 Shinnan Uraga Dock Company 339 Shōnan Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards While fourteen of the above ships were completed to the Etorofu design eight ships Mikura 320 Miyake 322 Awaji 324 Nōmi 326 Kurahashi 327 Chiburi 329 Yashiro 331 and Kusagaki 334 were altered to be built to the Mikura design three ships Hiburi 328 Daitō 333 and Shōnan 339 were altered to be built to the Hiburi design and five ships Ukuru 332 Okinawa 335 Amami 336 Aguni 337 and Shinnan 338 were altered to be built to the Ukuru design The fourteen completed to the original Etorofu design were as follows Kanji Name Builder Laid down Launched Completed Fate択捉 Etorofu Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 23 February 1942 29 January 1943 15 May 1943 Ceded to the United States 1946 Scrapped 1947松輪 Matsuwa Mitsui Tamano Shipyards 20 April 1942 13 November 1942 23 March 1943 Sunk by USS Harder on 22 August 1944 Hidai Bay Philippines 14 15N 120 25E 佐渡 Sado NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 21 February 1942 28 November 1942 27 March 1943 Sunk by USS Haddo on 22 August 1944 Hidai Bay Philippines 14 15N 120 25E 隠岐 Oki Uraga Dock Company 27 February 1942 20 October 1942 28 March 1943 Ceded to Republic of China Navy as Gu An 固安 in August 1947 captured by PLAN and renamed Chang Bai 长白 in 1949 scrapped 1982六連 Mutsure Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 25 July 1942 10 April 1943 31 July 1943 Sunk by USS Snapper on 2 September 1943 Philippine Sea 08 40N 151 31E 壱岐 Iki Mitsui Tamano Shipyards 2 May 1942 5 February 1943 31 May 1943 Sunk by USS Raton on 24 May 1944 150 miles W of Sarawak対馬 Tsushima NKK Tsurumi Shipyards 20 June 1942 20 March 1943 28 July 1943 Ceded to Republic of China Navy as Lin An 臨安 31 July 1947 scrapped 1963若宮 Wakamiya Mitsui Tamano Shipyards 16 July 1942 19 April 1943 10 August 1943 Sunk by USS Gato on 24 May 1944 East China Sea 28 38N 122 05E 平戸 Hirado Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 2 November 1942 30 June 1943 28 September 1943 Sunk by USS Growler on 12 September 1944 South China Sea 17 54N 114 49 福江 Fukae 4 Uraga Dock Company 30 October 1942 2 April 1943 28 June 1943 Ceded to UK in July 1947 scrapped天草 Amakusa Hitachi Sakurajima Shipyards 5 April 1943 30 September 1943 20 November 1943 Sunk by Royal Navy aircraft 9 August 1945 Onagawa Japan満珠 Manju Mitsui Tamano Shipyards 15 February 1943 31 July 1943 30 November 1943 Scrapped 1946干珠 Kanju Uraga Dock Company 8 April 1943 7 August 1943 30 October 1943 Scuttled after mine damage 15 August 1945 near Wonson Korea 39 10N 127 27E 笠戸 Kasado Uraga Dock Company 10 August 1943 9 December 1943 27 February 1944 Scrapped 1948Notes edit a b c d Stille Mark 2017 Imperial Japanese Navy Antisubmarine Escorts 1941 45 Oxford UK Osprey Publishing pp 20 24 ISBN 978 1 4728 1817 1 Chesneau p 205 a b Jentschura Jung amp Mickel p 187 Often spelled incorrectly Fukue in English literature References editChesneau Roger ed 1980 Conway s All the World s Fighting Ships 1922 1946 Greenwich UK Conway Maritime Press ISBN 0 85177 146 7 Dodson Aidan amp Cant Serena 2020 Spoils of War The Fate of Enemy Fleets after Two World Wars Barnsley UK Seaforth Publishing ISBN 978 1 5267 4198 1 Jentschura Hansgeorg Jung Dieter amp Mickel Peter 1977 Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1869 1945 Annapolis Maryland United States Naval Institute ISBN 0 87021 893 X External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Etorofu class escort ships Combined Fleet Etorofu Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Etorofu class escort ship amp oldid 1162314297, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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