JS Awaji and JS Hirado on 29 November 2013
Class overview
NameAwaji
BuildersJMU, Yokohama
Preceded byYaeyama class
Built2014–2019
Planned4
On order1
Completed3
Active3
General characteristics
TypeMinesweeper
Displacement690 t (680 long tons) standard
Length66.8 m (219 ft 2 in)
Beam11 m (36 ft 1 in)
Draft2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Depth5.2 m (17 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement54
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament1 × JM61R-MS 20 mm gun

The Awaji class is a class of minesweepers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.[1]

Development

The Awaji class is the successor to the Yaeyama class. The hulls are constructed of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) along the lines of the Enoshima class. Since many naval mines are of the magnetic type, it was necessary to avoid the use of metal in the hull of minesweepers that dispose of that type, and previously, most of them were constructed of wood. By making the Awaji class FRP, the standard displacement is reduced by 30% and the life of the hull is extended, although it has almost the same dimensions as the previous wooden Yaeyama class. In the image diagram of the budget request for the 2013 government budget, stealth was improved, but in the budget request for the following 2014, the Enoshima class was enlarged.

It is one of the largest FRP ships in the world. Japan Marine United (JMU), which possesses the construction technology and equipment for large FRP vessels, handed over the third ship Etajima to the Maritime Self-Defense Force on 16 March 2021.[2] The Ministry of Defense and the Maritime Self-Defense Force budgeted 12.6 billion yen for the construction of the fourth Awaji-class ship following Etajima in the 2020 budget.

Ships in the class

Pennant no. Name Builders Laid down Launched Commissioned Home port
MSO-304 Awaji Japan Marine United, Yokohama 27 February 2014 27 October 2015[3][4][5] 16 March 2017 Yokosuka
MSO-305 Hirado 10 April 2015 10 February 2017 16 March 2018 Yokosuka
MSO-306 Etajima 22 February 2018 12 December 2019[6] 16 March 2021[7] Kure
MSO-307 Nōmi Expected 2022 Expected 2024 24 October 2023


Citations

  1. ↑ "我が国の防衛と予算" [Defense Programs and Budget of Japan] (PDF) (in Japanese). Ministry of Defense. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "最新鋭掃海艦「えたじま」が就役――海自最大のFRP船（高橋浩祐） - Yahoo!ニュース". Yahoo!ニュース 個人 (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  3. ↑ 海上自衛隊 新型掃海艦「あわじ」進水 深い位置の機雷除去も可能に, retrieved 31 May 2021
  4. ↑ INC, SANKEI DIGITAL (27 October 2015). "海自の新型掃海艦の進水式 「あわじ」と命名 ２９年３月就役予定". 産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "掃海艦の命名ならびに進水式について｜2015年度｜プレスリリース｜ジャパン マリンユナイテッド株式会社". www.jmuc.co.jp. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "掃海艦の命名ならびに進水式について～国内最大のＦＲＰ製掃海艦の進水式～｜2019年度｜プレスリリース｜ジャパン マリンユナイテッド株式会社". www.jmuc.co.jp. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "掃海艦「えたじま」の引渡式・自衛艦旗授与式について" (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
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