| JDS Amatsukaze (DDG-163) | |
|---|---|
 JMSDF Amatsukaze | |
| Career |  |
| Name: | Amatsukaze |
| Builder: | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Laid down: | 29 November 1962 |
| Launched: | 5 October 1963 |
| Commissioned: | 15 February 1965 |
| Decommissioned: | 29 November 1995 |
| Homeport: |
Yokosuka (1965-1986), Maizuru (1986-1995) |
| Nickname: | Jet coaster |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | guided missile destroyer |
| Displacement: |
3,050 long tons (3,099 t) standard 4,000 long tons (4,064 t) full load |
| Length: | 131.0 m (429 ft 9 in) overall |
| Beam: | 13.4 m (44 ft 0 in) |
| Draft: | 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion: |
2 x IHI/GE reaction steam turbines 2 x IHI Model FWD2 water tube boilers 60,000 shp (45 MW), 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h) |
| Complement: | 290 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
SPS-29 air-search radar SPS-39 3D radar SPG-51 fire-control radar SQS-4 search sonar SQR-8 attack sonar |
| Electronic warfare & decoys: | NOLR-1B intercept |
| Armament: |
• 4 × 3"/50 caliber Mk.22 guns • 1 × Mk.13 missile launcher (40 Tartar missiles) • 2 × Mk.15 Hedgehog ASW mortar • 2 × ASW torpedo racks |
JDS Amatsukaze was a guided missile destroyer (DDG) of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the only ship of its class. This was the first Japanese surface combatant equipped with surface-to-air missiles. She was launched on October 5, 1963, and decommissioned in 1995.
It was planned as the DDG variant of its predecessor Akizuki-class anti-aircraft destroyers at first, but unfortunately, the Tartar weapon system was more large-scaled than expected. So finally, the design became completely anew with enlarged hull with shelter deck design based on the one of Isuzu-class[1] and uprated steam turbines.[2]
This ship is one of the earliest foreign ships equipped with the Tartar Guided Missile Fire Control System (the other is the French Kersaint-class DDG).[3] Because of the financial burden of this expensive weapon system, the other equipment were almost the same as those of the Ayanami-class at first. But JMSDF applied a spiral model to this ship, so these equipment were continued to be constantly updated as the following table.
| 1965 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|
| SAM | RIM-24B Improved Tartar | RIM-66 SM-1MR |
| SUM | none | RUR-5 ASROC with Mk.112 octuple launcher |
| Torpedo launcher |
Mk.2 over-the-side launchers | Mk.32 triple torpedo tubes |
| 3D radar | AN/SPS-39 | AN/SPS-52 |
| GFCS | Mk.63 mod.14 | FCS-2-21D |
| Sonar | AN/SQS-4 (search) AN/SQR-8 (attack) |
AN/SQS-23 |
| EW | NOLR-1B (intercept) | NOLR-6B (intercept) OLR-9B (missile warning) OLT-3 (jammer) |
The Tartar weapon system of this ship made a strong impression on the JMSDF, but it was too expensive to have another Tartar DDG at once. So the JMSDF had to wait 10 years to have another DDG, Tachikaze-class.[4]
Ships in class[]
| Building no. | Pennant no. | Name | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Decommissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2303 | DDG-163 | Amatsukaze | 29 November 1962 | 5 October 1963 | 15 February 1965 | 29 November 1995 |
References[]
- ↑ "1. Hull (Hardware of JMSDF destroyers)" (in Japanese). Kaijin-sha. June 2011. pp. 100–105.
- ↑ Yasuo Abe (June 2011). "2. Propulsion system (Hardware of JMSDF destroyers)" (in Japanese). Kaijin-sha. pp. 106–111.
- ↑ Keiichi Nogi (March 2010). "1. Missiles (Shipboard weapons of JMSDF 1952-2010)" (in Japanese). Kaijin-sha. pp. 82–87.
- ↑ Heihachiro Fujiki (August 2007). "A history of JMSDF's missile destroyers" (in Japanese language). Kaijinn-sha. pp. p98-103.
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The original article can be found at JDS Amatsukaze (DDG-163) and the edit history here.