JDS ''Harusame'' (DD-109) was the third ship of the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

Construction and career

''Murasame'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

in Japan on 17 June 1958, launched on 18 June 1959 and commissioned with the

pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...

DD-109 on 15 December 1959. She was incorporated into the

Maizuru District Force is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Prefe ...

. On January 16, 1960, he was transferred to the 10th Escort Corps under the 1st Escort Corps. On February 1, 1961, the 10th Escort Corps was reorganized into the 2nd Escort Group under the Self-Defense Fleet. The Maritime Self-Defense Force began research on domestically produced fire control systems in 1959, made prototypes, and conducted practical experiments with ''Harusame''. In 1965, the Mk.63 and Mk.57 fire control systems on the bridge were removed and replaced with prototype fire control systems. After undergoing technical and practical tests on this ship, the 68-type fire control system (GFCS-0 type) was officially adopted in 1968. In March 1967, the stern depth charge rail and depth charge projector were removed and equipped with VDS (

Variable Depth Sonar A towed array sonar is a system of hydrophones towed behind a submarine or a surface ship on a cable. Trailing the hydrophones behind the vessel, on a cable that can be kilometers long, keeps the array's sensors away from the ship's own noise sour ...

). In 1968, participated in a practicing voyage to the ocean. On March 15, 1969, the 10th Escort Corps was reorganized under the 3rd Escort Corps group. From August 1 to September 14, 1979, anti-submarine weapons were replaced, the short torpedo launcher was removed, and a 68-type triple short torpedo launcher was installed. On March 30, 1984, the 10th Escort Corps was abolished and transferred to the 3rd Escort Corps as a ship under direct control. On March 5, 1985, the type was changed to a special service ship, and the ship registration number was changed to (ASU-7008). It was transferred to the 1st Submarine Group as a ship under direct control. She was decommissioned on May 31, 1989. In her 29-year history, she has sailed about 660,000 nautical miles, which is equivalent to about 30 laps of the earth.

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harusame (DD-109) Murasame-class destroyers (1958) Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 1959 ships