Kongō class destroyer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kongō class destroyer | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 7500 tons standard 9500 tons full load |
| Length: | 528.2 ft (161 m) |
| Beam: | 68.9 ft (21 m) |
| Draft: | 20.3 ft (6.2 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 Ishikawajima Harima/General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines; two shafts, 100,000 shaft horsepower (75 MW) |
| Speed: | 30 knots (56 km/h) |
| Range: | 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots (8,334 km at 37 km/h) |
| Crew Complement: | 300 |
| Armament: | • RGM-84 Harpoon SSM • RIM-67 Standard SAM • RUM-139 Vertical Launch ASROC • 1 x 5 inch (127 mm) / 54 caliber Oto-Breda Compact Gun • 2 x 20 mm Phalanx CIWS • 2 x Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes (6 x Mk-46 torpedoes) |
| Aircraft: | Room for a helicopter to land on the rear deck, but no support equipment installed |
The Kongō class of guided missile destroyers, a modification of the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class (Flight I), serves as the core ship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)'s Escort Flotillas. The Kongō class employs the highly advanced Aegis fire control system and is armed with the RIM-66 SM2 Block II surface-to-air missile, RUM-139 vertically launched anti-submarine rocket, the RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile, two Mark 15 20 mm CIWS gun mounts, two torpedo mounts in a triple tube configuration, and an Oto Melara 127 mm/54 caliber gun. Its Mark 41 vertical launch system can hold 90 missiles. However, in keeping with the defensive mission of the JMSDF and passive nature of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in general, the Kongō-class lacks the Tomahawk missile.
As on other ships employing the Aegis system, the superstructure is dominated by the SPY-1's phased arrays, which eliminates the need for a traditional rotating antenna. The design of the superstructure also incorporates certain stealth features, designed to reduce radar cross section of the ship. However, as a consequence, the ship is considerably more top-heavy than a typical destroyer and requires a much deeper draft. As such, operations in a littoral (coastal) environment are limited. Overall, Kongō-class destroyers are much larger than traditional destroyers and at 9,485 tons displacement come close to cruisers in size. Because of being built to merchant standards rather than military, the Kongō-class ships' internal arrangement is quite different from that of the Arleigh Burke-class ships on which their design is based.
The Kongō class vessels are being modified to serve in a theater missile defense role, with the primary intention of countering North Korean ballistic missiles. This purpose and a financial crisis made the Flight II variant of the Arleigh Burke class the choice for the follow-on class to the Tachikaze and Asakaze. The new destroyer was named Atago in 2005.
Kongō class destroyers are powered by four Ishikawajima-Harima LM2500 gas turbines.
Contents |
[edit] Namesakes
All Kongō-class destroyers take their names from Japan's mountains, the class name referring to Mount Kongō. The class shares its name with the 1877 Japanese corvette Kongō and the previous Japanese class of battlecruisers named after the Kongō, all of which were lost during World War II (including the Kirishima). Other ships whose names are shared by Japan's modern destroyers: the heavy cruisers Myōkō and Chōkai.
[edit] Ships in the class
| Pennant no. | Name | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Home port |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DDG-173 | Kongō | 8 May 1990 | 26 September 1991 | 25 March 1993 | Sasebo |
| DDG-174 | Kirishima | 7 April 1992 | 19 August 1993 | 16 March 1995 | Yokosuka |
| DDG-175 | Myōkō | 8 April 1993 | 5 October 1994 | 14 March 1996 | Maizuru |
| DDG-176 | Chōkai | 29 May 1995 | 27 August 1996 | 20 March 1998 | Sasebo |
[edit] Trivia
- A fictional DDG-182 みらい (Mirai) is the subject of the manga Zipang.
- The fictional ship いそかぜ (Isokaze) from the Japanese movie 亡国のイージス ("Boukoku no Aegis") was designated DDG-175. The actual DDG-175 Myōkō in service with the JMSDF was used for the filming.
- The Kongō-class destroyer was used by the Yuktobanian Navy in Ace Combat 5 and the Belkan Navy in Ace Combat Zero.
[edit] External links
- GlobalSecurity.org; JMSDF DDG Kongo Class
- Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces page on Andrew Toppan's Haze Gray and Underway web site
Current and future combatant ship classes of the JMSDF
| DDH : Destroyer Helicopter | 13500t class | Shirane class | Haruna class |
| DDG : Guided Missile Destroyer | Atago class | Kongō class | Hatakaze class | Tachikaze class |
| DD : Destroyer | 5000t class | Takanami class | Murasame class | Asagiri class | Hatsuyuki class |
| DE : Destroyer Escort | Abukuma class | Yubari class | Ishikari |
| SS : Submarine | 2900t class | Oyashio class | Harushio class |
| See also | List of combatant ship classes of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force |
