JS ''Towada'' (AOE-422) is the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of the s 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) ...

. She was commissioned on 24 March 1987.

Construction and career

She is

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 17 April 1985 and launched on 25 March 1986. Commissioned on 24 March 1987 with the hull number AOE-422.

Gallery

File:JS Towada departs Pearl Harbor, -1 Jul. 1990 a.jpg, JS ''Towada'' leaving

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 R ...

after a goodwill visit on 1 July 1990. File:JS Towada(AOE-422) left rear view at Port of Kure May 6, 2018 02.jpg, JS ''Towada'' underway 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 ...

, Japan on 6 May 2018.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Towada (AOE-422) Auxiliary ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Ships built by Hitachi Zosen Corporation 1986 ships Towada-class replenishment ships