SS-class landing ship

Class overview
SS No.19
Name:	SS-class landing ship
Builders:	Harima Zōsen Corporation Fujinagata Shipyards Ōsaka Iron Works Naniwa Dock Company Kawanami Kōgyō Corporation
Operators:	Imperial Japanese Army
Succeeded by:	SB-class
Subclasses:	SS No.1 (Prototype) SS No.2 (Supplementary Prototype) SS No.3 (General production type)
Built:	1941–1945
In service:	1942–1947
In commission:	1944–?
Planned:	over 30
Completed:	18^[1] or 21^[2] or 22^[3]
Lost:	?
Retired:	?
General characteristics SS No.3 class
Displacement:	730 long tons (742 t) gross
Length:	65.00 m (213 ft 3 in) overall
Beam:	9.50 m (31 ft 2 in)
Draught:	2.89 m (9 ft 6 in)
Draft:	5.65 m (18 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:	2 × intermediate diesels, 2 shafts, 1,100 bhp^[1] or 1,200 bhp^[2]
Speed:	14.0 knots (16.1 mph; 25.9 km/h) ^[1] or 14.5 knots (16.7 mph; 26.9 km/h) ^[3] or 13.7 knots (15.8 mph; 25.4 km/h) ^[2]
Range:	3,000 nmi (5,600 km) at 13.4 kn (15.4 mph; 24.8 km/h)
Capacity:	5 tanks and 170 troops
Complement:	40
Armament:	1 × Type 4 75 mm shipboard gun 1 × Type 96 150 mm Infantry Mortar 3 × Type 98 20 mm AA guns

The SS-class landing ship (SS艇 or 機動艇,, SS-tei or Kidōtei) was a class of amphibious assault ships of the Imperial Japanese Army, serving during World War II. The SS meaning are Sensha-Small.^[1]

Background

Gorō Maru in 1939

October 1938, the IJA succeeded the amphibious operations for Bias Bay with Shinshū Maru. However, long time needed for the operations, because they used low speed landing craft. Therefore, the damage was big, too.
The IJA thought about amphibious warfare for "small damage" and "quick action".
In 1939-1940, the IJA repeated an experiment with Gorō Maru (300 tons gross) and Yorihime Maru (526 tons gross). And they analyzed experiment data and placed an order for prototype Kōryū (later SS No.1).
The IJN was interested in second prototype Banryū (later SS No.2). As for the IJN, 16 ships placed an order, However, they adopted No.101-class, the ordering was canceled.

Ships in classes

SS No.1

Kōryū / SS No. 1 (蛟龍, 機動第一号艇)

Builder	Harima Zōsen Corporation
Laid down	18 July 1941
Launched	26 January 1942
Completed	7 April 1942
Displacement	641 long tons (651 t) gross
Length	53.9 m (176 ft 10 in) overall
Beam	9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
Draught	3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	2 × intermediate diesels, 2 shafts, 1,246 bhp
Speed	14.56 knots (16.76 mph; 26.97 km/h)

SS No.2

Banryū / SS No. 2 (蟠龍, 機動第二号艇)

Builder	Harima Zōsen Corporation
Laid down	8 August 1942
Launched	17 May 1943
Completed	30 July 1943
Displacement	730 long tons (742 t) gross
Length	63.02 m (206 ft 9 in) overall
Beam	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.00 m (13 ft 1 in)
Propulsion	2 × intermediate diesels, 2 shafts, 1,284 bhp
Speed	13.96 knots (16.06 mph; 25.85 km/h)
Fate	Sunk in action on 24 September 1944

SS No.3 class

Kairyū / SS No.3 (海龍, 機動第三号艇)
SS No.4, Sunk in action on 12 October 1944
SS No.5, Sunk in action on 30 November 1944
SS No.6, Sunk in action on 7 December 1944
SS No.7
SS No.8, Sunk in action on 19 November 1944
SS No.9, Sunk in action on 6 December 1944
SS No.10, went missing on the night of December 1-2, and lost with all hands after departing Palompon, Leyte. USS Conway, USS Cony, USS Eaton, and USS Sigourney, all ( United States Navy) did report sinking an enemy vessel in the area the convoy would have been in.^[4]

SS No.11
SS No.12, Sunk in action on 21 January 1945
SS No.13
SS No.14, Sunk in action on 22 May 1945
SS No.15
SS No.16
SS No.17
SS No.18
SS No.19
SS No.20

SS No.21
SS No.22, Sunk in action on 10 August 1945

Footnotes

1 2 3 4 Monthly Armor Modelling special issue
1 2 3 Ships of the World
1 2 Rekishi Gunzo
↑ "Long Lancers". Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 4 December 2013.

Bibliography

Monthly Armor Modelling special issue, Navy Yard Vol.9 Tora! Tora! Tora! part-2, Dainippon Kaiga (Japan), November 2008
Rekishi Gunzō, History of Pacific War Vol.37, Support Vessels of the Imperial Japanese Forces, Gakken (Japan), June 2002, ISBN 4-05-602780-3
Ships of the World No.506, "Kaijinsha". , (Japan), February 1996
50 year History of Harima Zōsen, Harima Zōsen Corporation, November 1960

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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