Kamishima-class minelayer

Class overview
Kamishima in 1947
Name:	Kamishima class minelayer
Builders:	Sasebo Naval Arsenal Kawanami Kōgyō Corporation
Operators:	Imperial Japanese Navy Soviet Navy
Preceded by:	Ajiro class
Built:	1945–1946
In commission:	1945–1947
Planned:	9
Completed:	2
Cancelled:	7
Retired:	2
General characteristics
Type:	Minelayer
Displacement:	766 long tons (778 t) standard
Length:	74.50 m (244 ft 5 in) overall
Beam:	7.85 m (25 ft 9 in)
Draught:	2.60 m (8 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:	Kamishima 2 × Kampon Mk.23B Model 8 diesels, 2 shafts, 1,900 bhp Awashima 2 × MAN Mk.3 Model 10 diesels, 2 shafts, 3,600 bhp
Speed:	Kamishima 16.5 knots (19.0 mph; 30.6 km/h) Awashima 19.5 knots (22.4 mph; 36.1 km/h)
Range:	Kamishima 3,000 nmi (5,600 km) at 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Complement:	Kamishima 94
Armament:	Kamishima, 1945 2 × Type 5 40 mm L/65 AA guns 16 × Type 96 25 mm AA guns 36 × Type 2 depth charges 120 × Type 93 naval mines 4 × Type 3 depth charge projectors 8 × depth charge throwers 1 × 22-Gō surface search radar 1 × 13-Gō early warning radar 2 × Type 3 active sonars 1 × Type 93 hydrophone 1 × Paravane

The Kamishima class minelayer (神島型敷設艇,, Kamishima-gata Fusetsutei) was a class of minelayers of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), serving during and after World War II. 9 vessels were planned under the Maru Sen Programme, however only 1 vessel was completed until the end of war.

Background

End of 1944, Japanese sea lanes were cut apart by United States Navy. The IJN wanted to secure only the security of the Sea of Japan.
Therefore, the IJN had to lay a naval mine in La Pérouse Strait, Tsugaru Strait and Tsushima Strait. However, the IJN already exhausted minelayers.
The IJN planned two kinds of minelayers. One was the large-sized Minoo class, the other the small-sized Kamishima class.

Design

The Navy Technical Department (Kampon) revised the Hirashima's drawings, and gave escort ship (Kaibōkan) armaments.
Their Type 5 40 mm AA was the latest anti-aircraft gun in the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. It was a Japanese version of the Bofors 40 mm.

Ships in class

Ship #	Ship	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
1801	Kamishima (神島)	Sasebo Naval Arsenal	20 February 1945	12 June 1945	30 July 1945	Decommissioned 5 September 1945. Surrendered to Soviet Union at Nakhodka, 3 October 1947.
1802	Awashima (粟島)	Sasebo Naval Arsenal^[1]	20 February 1945	26 July 1945	18 April 1946	Incomplete until the end of the war (90%). Surrendered to United States on 1 October 1947. Sunk as target at 35°24′N 123°53′E / 35.400°N 123.883°E / 35.400; 123.883 on 7 October 1947.
1803 - 1806						Cancelled in May 1945.
1807	Hikoshima (彦島)	Sasebo Naval Arsenal
1808 - 1809

Footnotes

↑ Kawanami Kōgyō Corporation undertook her postwar constructions.

Bibliography

"Rekishi Gunzō". , History of Pacific War Vol.51, The truth histories of the Imperial Japanese Vessels Part.2, Gakken (Japan), June 2002, ISBN 4-05-602780-3
Ships of the World special issue Vol.45, Escort Vessels of the Imperial Japanese Navy, "Kaijinsha". , (Japan), February 1996
The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.47, Japanese naval mine warfare crafts, "Ushio Shobō". (Japan), January 1981
Daiji Katagiri, Ship Name Chronicles of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet, Kōjinsha (Japan), June 1988, ISBN 4-7698-0386-9

Awashima in 1947

Japanese auxiliary ship classes of World War II

Colliers and oilers	Notoro Ondo Sunosaki Ashizuri Kazahaya^S Hayasui^S Hario^S Muroto Teiyō Maru^S Ōse (ex-Dutch tanker Genota)^SC

Food supply ships	Mamiya^S Nosaki^S Kinesaki Irako^S Kurasaki^SC

Landing ships	No.1 No.101 Shinshū Maru^S (Army) SS (Army)

Armed merchant cruisers	Aikoku Maru^S Kongō Maru^S Noshiro Maru^S

Minelayers and cable layer	Tokiwa^SC Itsukushima^S Yaeyama^S Okinoshima^S Tsugaru^S Minoo^SC Shirataka^S Hatsutaka Tsubame Natsushima (1933) Sokuten (1938) Hirashima Ajiro^S Kamishima Hashima Sokuten (1913) Aux. No.1 Aux. No.101 (ex-HMS Barlight)^SC

Minesweepers	No.1 (1923) No.5 (1928) No.13 No.17 No.7 (1938) No.19 No.101 (ex-HMS Taitam and HMS Waglan)^C Aux. No.1 Aux. No.101 (ex-HNLMS DEFG-class) Aux. No.104 (ex-HNLMS DEFG-class)

Patrol boats	No.1^C No.31^C No.46^SC No.101 (ex-HMS Thracian)^SC No.102 (ex-USS Stewart)^SC No.103 (ex-USS Finch)^SC No.104 (ex-Dutch East Indies Valk and Arend)^C No.105 (ex-Philippine customs Arayat)^SC No.106 (ex-HNLMS Banckert)^SCI No.107 (ex-USS Genesee)^SC No.109 (ex-Dutch East Indies Fazant)^SC Aux. No.1

Repair ships	Asahi^SC Akashi^S Hayase (ex-Chinese passenger Chin Kiang)^SC Hitonose (ex-ROCN Min Sheng)^SC

Seaplane tenders	Notoro Kamoi^SC Chitose Mizuho^S Nisshin^S Akitsushima^S Kamikawa Maru

Submarine chasers	No.1 No.3^S No.4 No.13 No.28 No.60 Aux. No.1 Aux. No.101 (ex-HNLMS Tjerimai)^SC Aux. No.102 (ex-HNLMS Ardjoeno class)^C Aux. No.103 (ex-HNLMS B1 class)^C Aux. No.111 (ex-HNLMS P13 or P14)^SC Aux. No.112 (ex-HNLMS A class)^C Aux. No.117 (ex-HNLMS Bantam)^C Aux. No.251 Aux. No.253^S

Submarine tenders	Komahashi^SC Jingei Taigei^S

Survey ships	Tsukushi^S Katsuriki^SC Hakusa (ex-China customs Fu Hsing)^SC

Target ships	Settsu^SC Yakaze^SC Hakachi^S Ōhama^S

Training ships	Fuji^SC Shikishima^SC Asama^SC Azuma^SC Kasuga^SC Atada (ex-ROCN Yat Sen)^SC

Others	Sōya (freighter)^SC Kashino (turret transporter)^S Ōtomari (icebreaker)^S Tategami (salvage tug) Kasashima (salvage tug) Miura (salvage tug) Kaiyō No.1 (oceanographic research ship) Asuka (traffic ship, ex-ROCN Yung Chien)^SC

S Single ship of class C Converted to ship type I Incomplete until the end of war

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