JS ''Chihaya'' (ASR-403) is a
submarine rescue ship
A submarine rescue ship is a surface support ship for submarine rescue and deep-sea salvage operations. Methods employed include the McCann Rescue Chamber, deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV's) and diving operations.
List of active subm ...
of
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Development and design
She was built as a replacement for the dilapidated . In terms of design, it is said to be an expanded and improved version of the submarine rescue mother ship , and while abolishing the submarine mother ship function, it is strengthening medical equipment.
For
DSRV operation, the basic configuration of having a
moon pool in the center of the
hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
is the same as the 56AS, but the
poop deck has been extended to the vicinity of the
bridge structure, and the
standard displacement has been increased by 1,800 tons. As a result, the equipment that was previously stored in the exposed part can now be accommodated inside the ship. In addition, attention was paid to high-speed cruising ability so that the vessel can quickly advance to the distress site, a
bulbous bow was adopted to reduce wave-making resistance, and a ship bottom closing device was installed at the bottom of the center
well. This is a method of opening and closing the closing plate divided into two by hydraulic pressure, and structures such as a sliding type and an inward opening type were examined, but due to the certainty required for the mission of rescue, the double door method by opening outward was adopted.
The main engine is equipped with two
Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding 12V42M-A
diesel engines. This is the same series as the in-line 8-cylinder engine that was the main engine in ''Chiyoda'', but the output was increased by using a V-type 12-cylinder engine. As a propulsion device, in addition to two
variable pitch propeller axes, two side thrusters are provided on the
bow and
stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...
. Like ''Chiyoda'', they are equipped with a
dynamic positioning system
Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position reference sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors and gyrocompass ...
(DPS), which allows them to stand still at a point on the ocean.
Construction and career
''Chihaya'' was
laid down on 13 October 1997 at Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding,
Tamano and
launched on 8 October 1998. The vessel was
commissioned on 17 March 2000.
The government, which received a request from
Ehime Prefecture to search for survivors of the
''Ehime Maru'' incident that occurred on February 10, 2001, requested the Defense Agency respond. ''Chihaya'' began searching in August 2001.
The ship participated in the International Submarine Rescue Training Pacific Reach 2002 held in April 2002. In addition to successful operations despite stormy weather, the
DSRV
A deep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) is a type of deep-submergence vehicle used for rescue of downed submarines and clandestine missions. While DSRV is the term most often used by the United States Navy, other nations have different designa ...
succeeded not only in its originally planned soft mate (arrival at the sunken submarine), but also in its hard mate (opening the hatch, more practical rescue training). At this point, the transport helicopter
MH-53E Sea Dragon had succeeded in landing training.
In May 2008, a member of the explosives disposal corps on board set a record of in depth due to saturated diving, setting the second highest (at that time) record in the world after in
France.
In response to the
Great East Japan Earthquake caused by the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011, the ship was dispatched off
Sanriku as part of the disaster relief. ''Chihaya'' was engaged in this duty from June 26 to July 3.
From July 13, 2018, she provided support in response to the flooding in July 2018.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chihaya (ASR-403)
1998 ships
Ships built by Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding
Auxiliary ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Submarine rescue ships