training ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classr ...
of the
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) ...
(JMSDF). Built to a unique design during the mid-1990s, ''Kashima'' is flagship of the JMSDF Training Fleet. The name ''Kashima'' comes from the famous
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...
Kashima Shrine
is a Shinto shrine located in Kashima, Ibaraki in the northern Kantō region of Japan. It is dedicated to , one of the patron deities of martial arts. Various dōjō of ''kenjutsu'' and ''kendō'' often display a hanging scroll emblazoned with ...
in
Ibaraki prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...
, located to the northeast of
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
.
Development and design
''Kashima'' is of a unique design referred to as the "''Kashima'' class cadet training ship". She is long, with a beam of , and a draft of . ''Kashima'' has a full load displacement of 4,050 tons. She is powered by a
combined diesel or gas
Combined diesel or gas (CODOG) is a type of propulsion system for ships that need a maximum speed that is considerably faster than their cruise speed, particularly warships like modern frigates or corvettes.
For every propeller shaft there is o ...
(CODOG) system, which uses two Mitsubishi S16U-MTK diesel engines for cruising, and two Kawasaki-
Rolls-Royce Spey
The Rolls-Royce Spey (company designations RB.163 and RB.168 and RB.183) is a low-bypass turbofan engine originally designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce that has been in widespread service for over 40 years. A co-development version of the ...
SM1C gas turbines (providing 26,150 shaft horsepower each): a diesel and a gas turbine are connected to each of the two controllable-pitch propeller shafts.
The ship is armed with a single
Otobreda 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 re ...
gun and two triple 324 mm torpedo tube sets. Four saluting cannon are also carried. ''Kashima'' has a ship's company of 370, including
officer cadet
Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...
s. Cadets are accommodated in two-person staterooms, allowing cadets of both sexes to train aboard the ship. The open aft deck was designed for use as a ceremonial and exercise assembly area, but can be used as a temporary helicopter landing zone.
Construction and career
The ship was originally authorised under the Financial Year budget ending in 1991, but construction did not start because of Japan's financial involvement in the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
. The ship was requested again under the 1992 budget, and was approved. ''Kashima'' was laid down by the
Hitachi Zosen Corporation
is a major Japanese industrial and engineering corporation. It produces waste treatment plants, industrial plants, precision machinery, industrial machinery, steel mill process equipment, steel structures, construction machinery, tunnel boring ma ...
at the former
Maizuru Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
History
The Maizuru Naval District was established at Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture in 1889, as the fourth of the naval districts responsible for the defense ...
shipyards on 20 April 1993. She was launched on 23 February 1994, and commissioned into the JMSDF on 26 January 1995. She is flagship of the JMSDF Training Fleet, and is homeported at
Kure
is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...
.
In July 2000, while visiting
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, ''Kashima'' was involved in a minor collision with ''
Queen Elizabeth 2
''Queen Elizabeth 2'' (''QE2'') is a retired British ocean liner converted into a floating hotel. Originally built for the Cunard Line, the ship, named as the second ship named ''Queen Elizabeth'', was operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic ...
''. The collision left a long scratch down the flank of the liner, and a dent in the warship's hull. The Japanese took the incident with good humour, with a Japanese admiral onboard commenting "it was an honour to be kissed by the Queen Elizabeth".
In June 2022, the Kashima made a port call in London as part of an exchange event between Japan and Britain and to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the
Anglo-Japanese Alliance
The first was an alliance between Britain and Japan, signed in January 1902. The alliance was signed in London at Lansdowne House on 30 January 1902 by Lord Lansdowne, British Foreign Secretary, and Hayashi Tadasu, Japanese diplomat. A dip ...
in 2022. The ship will participate in an exercise with Britain's Royal Navy.
Gallery
File:TV-3508 02l.jpg, JS ''Kashima'' underway, date unknown
File:TV-3508 01l.jpg, JS ''Kashima'' underway, date unknown
File:Japanese sailors jmsdf.jpg, Japanese officers and sailors assigned to the JDS ''Kashima'' on a port call in
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
, 2004
File:JS Kashima and JS Asagiri at the Port of Virginia, -3 Aug. 2011 a.jpg, JS ''Kashima'' and
JS Asagiri
JS ''Asagiri'' (DD-151) is an of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Development and design
The ''Asagiri'' class is equipped for combat and interception missions, and is primarily armed with anti-ship weapons. They carries two of the Mk-1 ...
at
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
on 3 August 2011.
File:JS Kashima (ship, 1994) TV3508, Split, 2013-09-02.jpg, JS ''Kashima'' at
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, enterta ...