Harushio (class)

History

Japan's important position in the Pacific necessitated the development of a capable navy. Its modern, powerful surface fleet is complemented by its commitment to an underwater force in the form of attack submarines. The Harushio class was once available for one of the active duty classes of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The seven ships were built from 1987 to 1997 and commissioned from 1990 to 1997. However, her reign on the high seas was relatively short, as the class was fully retired with the retirement of the Asakusa (SS-589).

February 2017.

Ships in this class include the lead ship Harushio (SS-583), followed by Natsushio (SS-584), Hayashio (SS-585/TSS-3606), Arashio (SS-586), Wakashio (SS-587) ), Winter Tide (SS-588/TSS-3607) and Morning Tide (SS-589/TSS-3601). The ships were decommissioned from 2009 to 2017.

The group was built to standards, with displacements ranging from 2,500 tons above ground to 3,200 tons underwater. The early ships had an overall length of 252.6 feet, and later ships were 255 and 285.4 feet in length. All boats in the class have a beam of 32.9 feet and a draft of 25.2 feet. The ships were given a flat bow and tubular hull.

The fin or sale is located midship forward and carries the dive plane. The rudder consists of a cruciform pattern with a single exposed propeller unit. Propulsion power is provided by a diesel-electric configuration to a single axle aft. This arrangement forces the vessel to surface to charge for underwater operations.

The diesel engine puts out 3,400 hp when cruising on the surface, while the electric motor puts out 7,200 hp when cruising underwater. The surface speed can reach 12 knots and the underwater speed can reach 20 knots.

Earlier ships in the series all had a crew of 75, while the SS-589 had a crew of about 70. Installed systems include Hughes/Oki ZQQ 5B hull mounted sonar systems and ZQR-1 series towed sonar arrays. The JRC ZPS-6 I-band forms a suitable search radar.

Weapons include 6 x 533 mm (21 in) forward torpedo tubes with 20 reloads. The ship can also launch the UGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile developed by the United States when needed.

The main ship Harushio (SS-583) was laid on 21 April 1987 and launched on 26 July 1989. She officially entered service on November 30, 1990, and lived a fairly quiet life until her retirement on March 27, 2009.

Natsushio was launched in March 1991 and operated until March 2010. Hayashio served from March 1992 to March 2011. Arashio served from March 1993 to March 2012. Wakashio served from March 1994 to March 2013. Fuyushio served from March 1995 to March 2015.

Asashio was the last of the class, commissioned on March 12, 1997, and served until February 27, 2017. She became a training submarine in March 2000 and was rebuilt and renamed TSS-3601 in March 2000. In April 2002, she was again converted into an experimental submarine before the stern.

Likewise, both Hayashio and Fuyushio were converted to training submarines before their days ended (March 2008 and March 2011 respectively).

Natsushio, Hayashio, Arashio and Asashio are named after former Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) destroyers of World War II (1939-1945).

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing