The ''Minegumo''-class destroyer is a

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 ...

class 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) ...

, the successor of the . This class derived from its predecessor to be fitted with the QH-50D DASH, the new anti-submarine drone helicopter in return for the removal of the

ASROC The RUR-5 ASROC (for "Anti-Submarine Rocket") is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed ...

system. And similarly, it mainly tasked with

Anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

. In 1969, after the production of the QH-50D ceased, this class was no longer built and construction of the ''Yamagumo''-class resumed. The JMSDF considered refitting

Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System The Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) is the United States Navy's program that develops crewed helicopters to assist the surface fleet in anti-submarine warfare. The purpose of LAMPS is to scout outside the limits of a fleet's radar an ...

Mk.1 with the

Kaman SH-2 Seasprite The Kaman SH-2 Seasprite is a ship-based helicopter originally developed and produced by American manufacturer Kaman Aircraft Corporation. It has been typically used as a compact and fast-moving rotorcraft for utility and anti-submarine warfar ...

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

in return for the facility of DASH, but this plan was abandoned because of the problem of cost. Finally, the facility of DASH was removed in 1979-82, and Mk.16 GMLS for the ASROC system was fitted. Murakumo was refitted in 1978 for use as a gun trials ship. Rear Mk.33 gun was removed and a new

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 ...

gun was added.

Names

References

* *The Maru Special, ''Ships of the JMSDF No.58 "Escort ship Yamagumo-class and Minegumo-class"'', Ushio Shobō (Japan), December 1981 {{Combatant ship classes of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Destroyer classes