The ''Towada'' class is a series of

replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...

s 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) ...

. Three ships of the class were built between 1985 and 1989. The ships have the hull designator AOE. The ''Towada'' class was designed as an enlarged, improved version of the ''Sagami''-class fast combat support ships. The vessels are capable of mounting the

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 ...

by design, although this is not a common occurrence.

List of ships

References

External links

GlobalSecurity.org entry
{{Towada-class replenishment ship Auxiliary replenishment ship classes Ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Ships built by Hitachi Zosen Corporation