Japanese gunboat Chōkai

Chōkai (鳥海^?) was an early steam gunboat, serving in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy. She was the second vessel to be completed in the four vessel Maya-class gunboat, and was named after Mount Chōkai in between Yamagata and Akita Prefectures.

History

Chōkai was a metal-hulled two-masted gunboat with a horizontal double expansion reciprocating steam engine with two boilers driving two screws. Chōkai was laid down at the IHI Shipyards in Tokyo on January 1, 1886 and launched on August 20, 1887. She was completed on December 27, 1888.

Chōkai saw combat service in the First Sino-Japanese War, patrolling between Korea, Dairen and played a role at the Battle of Weihaiwei.

On 21 March 1898, Chōkai was re-designated as a second-class gunboat, and was used for coastal survey and patrol duties. During the Boxer Rebellion, Chōkai was assigned to patrol off the Taku Forts.

During the Russo-Japanese War, Chōkai assisted in the Siege of Port Arthur and in the Invasion of Sakhalin towards the end of the war.

She was removed from active combat status on 1 April 1908, and was used as a training vessel at the Sasebo Naval District. She was removed from the navy list and transferred to the Home Ministry on December 1, 1911 for use as a police boat in Kobe Harbor. She was subsequently demilitarized and sold for scrapped in 1912.

References

• Corbett, Sir Julian. Maritime Operations In The Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905. (1994) Originally classified, and in two volumes, ISBN 155-7501-297
• Chesneau, Roger and Eugene M. Kolesnik (editors), All The World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905, Conway Maritime Press, 1979 reprinted 2002, ISBN 0-85177-133-5
• Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 087021893X. 

External links

• Nishida, Hiroshi. "Materials of IJN". Imperial Japanese Navy. http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0630.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-03.