JS ''Hamayuki'' (DD-126) was a ''Hatsuyuki''-class

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 ...

of the

Japanese 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) ...

Development and design

Adopting Japan's first all-gas turbine engine (

COGOG Combined gas or gas (COGOG) is a propulsion system for ships using gas turbine engines. A high efficiency, low output turbine is used for cruising speeds with a high output turbine being used for high-speed operations. A clutch allows either turb ...

), equipped with well-balanced weapons such as helicopters, C4I systems, and various missiles, it is inferior to Western frigate at that time. It has been evaluated as a non-escort ship. Twelve ships were built as first-generation general-purpose escort vessels in the era of eight ships and eight aircraft, they supported the escort fleet for a long time, but now they are gradually retiring due to aging. In addition, there are many changes to training ships, and up to three ships have been operated in the training fleet as Shimayuki-class training ships, but the decline has begun with the conversion of Hatakaze-class destroyers to training ships. The core of the combat system is the OYQ-5 Tactical Data Processing System (TDPS), composed of one

AN/UYK-20 The AN/UYK-20 "Data Processing Set" was a ruggedized small computer manufactured by Univac and used by the United States Navy for small and medium-sized shipboard and shore systems built in the 1970s. It featured non-volatile magnetic core memory ...

computer and five OJ-194B

workstation A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by a single user, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems. The term ''workstat ...

s and capable of receiving data automatically from other ships via Link-14 (

STANAG In NATO, a standardization agreement (STANAG, redundantly: STANAG agreement) defines processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance. Each NATO st ...

5514). This is the first destroyer class in the JMSDF equipped with the Sea Sparrow Improved basic point defense missile system. The IBPDMS of this class uses FCS-2

fire-control system A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a ...

s of Japanese make and one octuple launcher at the afterdeck. And in the JMSDF,

OTO Melara 76 mm The OTO Melara 76 mm gun is a naval gun built and designed by the Italian defence company OTO Melara. It is based on the OTO Melara 76/62C and evolved toward 76/62 SR and 76/62 Strales. The system is compact enough to be installed on rel ...

compact gun and

Boeing Harpoon The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). The AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and later AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack Mi ...

surface-to-surface missile A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...

are adopted from the ship of FY1977 including this class. Also, ships built in FY1979 and beyond carried

Phalanx CIWS The Phalanx CIWS (often spoken as "sea-wiz") is a gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the Gene ...

and were retrofitted to previous ships.

Construction and career

She 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 ...

on 4 February 1981 and launched on 27 May 1982 at Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Shipyard in

Tamano is a city located in southern Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The city was officially founded on August 3, 1940. As of October 1, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 60,101 and a population density of 580 persons per km². The total area i ...

. She commissioned on 18 November 1983. In 1986, she participated in Exercise RIMPAC 1986. On March 6, 1990, the 42nd Escort Corps was reorganized under the 3rd Escort Corps group, and the homeport was transferred to

Maizuru 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 Pref ...

. In the same year, she participated in Exercise RIMPAC 1990. In March 2013, she underwent ship remodeling by Japan Marine United Maizuru. From the bow side to the stern, numbers 1 to 13 divided every 10 m and white and orange paint were applied, and drums for targets and heat sources were installed on the ship. On October 5, 2013, she left the Kitasui quay for shooting disposition by live-fire training. The training was held in the waters north of

Wakasa Bay is a bay located in the Chūbu region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Kyoto Prefecture, and Fukui Prefecture. Geography Wakasa Bay is the area south of the straight line from Cape Kyoga on the west of Tango Peninsula to Cape Echizen on the ...

from the 6th to the 11th, and was the target of shooting by five escort vessels and two patrol aircraft which dropped bombs on her.

Gallery

File:JS Hamayuki (DD-126) at Maizuru 01.jpg, JS ''Hamayuki'' at

on 13 August 2007. File:JS Hamayuki (DD-126) at Maizuru 02.jpg, JS ''Hamayuki'' at

on 13 August 2007. File:JS Myōkō and JS Hamayuki at Maizuru, -18 Jul. 2009 a.jpg, JS ''Hamayuki'' alongside

JS Myōkō JS ''Myōkō'' (DDG-175) is a guided missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). ''Myōkō'' was named after Mount Myōkō. Operational history She was laid down by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Nagasaki o ...

on 18 July 2009. File:JS Hamayuki (DD-126) and JS Matsuyuki (DD-130) at Maizuru, -9 Oct. 2011 a.jpg, JS ''Hamayuki'' alongside JS Matsuyuki at

on 9 October 2011. File:JS"HAMAYUKI"forTARGET rear view.JPG, JS ''Hamayuki'' painted as a

target ship A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used as a seaborne target for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing. Targets may be used with the intention of testing effectiveness of specific types of ammuniti ...

on 7 July 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamayuki 1982 ships Ships built by Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Hatsuyuki-class destroyers Destroyers of the Cold War