The was a class of

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing control ...

s of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

(IJN), serving during and after 1929 through

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Ships in class

* 17 September 1928: Laid down as the at Yokohama Dock Company. * 22 March 1929: Reclassified to . * 24 April 1929: Launched. * 10 July 1929: Completed. * 30 May 1931: Reclassified to . * In 1936: Rebuilding by the ''Tomozuru'' Incident at Sasebo Naval Arsenal. * In 1938: Sortie for the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

. * 18 December 1941: Sortie for the invasion of the Lingayen Gulf. * (after): She spent all her time on convoy escort operations in East China Sea and Java Sea. * 1 February 1944: Reclassified to . * 1 March 1945: Sunk by air raid from U.S. Navy aircraft carrier at

Ishigaki Island , also known as ''Ishigakijima'', is a Japanese island south-west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group, behind Iriomote Island. It is located approximately south-west of Okinawa Hontō. It is within the ...

. * 10 May 1945: Removed from Navy List.

* 11 October 1928: Laid down as the Capture netlayer at Ōsaka Iron Works. * 22 March 1929: Reclassified to 2nd class minelayer. * 27 April 1929: Launched. * 30 August 1929: Completed. * 30 May 1931: Reclassified to Special service ship. * In 1936: Rebuilding by the ''Tomozuru'' Incident at Sasebo Naval Arsenal. * In 1938: Sortie for the Second Sino-Japanese War. * 18 December 1941: Sortie for the invasion of the Lingayen Gulf. * (after): She spent all her time on convoy escort operations in East China Sea,

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...

and Java Sea. * 1 February 1944: Reclassified to Minelayer. * 27 April 1944: Sunk by USS ''Halibut'' at north off

Naha is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area ...

. * 10 June 1944: Removed from Navy List.

Bibliography

*''Ships of the World special issue Vol.45, Escort Vessels of the Imperial Japanese Navy'', , (Japan), February 1996 *''The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.47, Japanese naval mine warfare crafts'', (Japan), January 1981 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tsubame 1929 ships Ships built by Osaka Iron Works