Takatsuki-class destroyer explained
The
Takatsuki-class destroyer was a series of four
destroyers constructed for and operated by the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Built between 1964 and 1970, the destroyers were mainly used for
anti-submarine warfare (ASW) duties and were designed to operate the
DASH unmanned ASW drone system. The system did not work and was removed from all four ships in 1977. In the mid-1980s, the first two ships of the class were modernized, receiving
surface-to-air and
anti-ship missiles. The final two ships were scheduled to be modernized, but the program was cancelled.
Modernization
From 1985 to 1988, Takatsuki and Kikuzuki were upgraded with Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile launchers, Harpoon missile anti-ship missile launchers, Phalanx CIWS systems (Kikuzuki only), new FCS (FCS-2-12) fire control radar and TASS. Mochizuki and Nagatsuki were in the upgrade program, but were eventually not upgraded.[1]
Ships
| Takatsuki class construction data |
|---|
| Pennant no. | Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|
| DD-164 | | Ishikawajima-Harima, Tokyo | 8 October 1964 | 7 January 1966 | 15 March 1967 | Decommissioned 16 August 2002 |
| DD-165 | | Mitsubishi HI, Nagasaki | 15 March 1966 | 25 March 1967 | 27 March 1968 | Decommissioned 6 November 2003 |
| DD-166 | | Ishikawajima-Harima, Tokyo | 25 November 1966 | 15 March 1968 | 25 March 1969 | Converted to an auxiliary ship (Pennant no. ASU-7019) on 16 March 1995, decommissioned on 19 March 1999 |
| DD-167 | | Mitsubishi HI, Nagasaki | 2 March 1968 | 19 March 1969 | 12 February 1970 | Decommissioned 1 April 1996 and sunk as target on 3 August 1998 | |
References
Bibliography
- Book: Scheina . Robert L. . Grove . Eric . Japan . Gardiner . Robert . Chumbley . Stephen . Budzbon . Przemysław . amp . 1995 . Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 . Naval Institute Press . Annapolis, Maryland . 1-55750-132-7 . 220–242.
Further reading
- The Maru Special, Ships of the JMSDF No.57 Takatsuki class escort vessels, Ushio Shobō (Japan), November 1981
- The Maru Special, Ships of the JMSDF No.78 Electronics weapons, Power Plants and Helicopters, Ushio Shobō (Japan), August 1983
Notes and References
- Web site: D-Mitch . The evolution of Japanese destroyers after WWII . 2024-06-13.
