''Shikishima'' is the

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

of her class of long-range patrol ships built for the

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard responsible for the protection of the Geography of Japan#Composition, topography and geography, coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It consists of about ...

(JCG). She was built by

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries , formerly known as is a Japanese engineering corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan that produces and offers ships, space launch vehicles, aircraft engines, marine diesel engines, gas turbines, gas engines, railway systems, turbochargers ...

, Tokyo.Saunders, p. 437 Planned to guard

plutonium Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four ...

transport ships, the ''Shikishima'' class is the largest and heaviest-armed patrol vessel of the JCG. With her cruising capacity, she can make voyages from Japan to Europe without making any calls. She is the only JCG ship equipped with anti-air radar and

Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon The Oerlikon GDF or Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon is a towed anti-aircraft gun made by Oerlikon Contraves (renamed as ''Rheinmetall Air Defence AG'' following the merger with Rheinmetall in 2009). The system was originally designated 2 ZLA/3 ...

s, so she has increased anti-air firepower. Usually, PL (Patrol vessels, Large) have only a navigation radar and a single-mounted 35 mm or 40 mm autocannon. And the JM61 20 mm Vulcan on the single-mounted

remote weapon system A remote controlled weapon station (RCWS), remotely operated weapon system (ROWS), or remote weapon system (RWS), is a remotely operated light or medium-caliber weapon system, often equipped with a fire-control system, that can be installed on Co ...

later became a model for the 20 mm RFS (Remote Firing System), which is on modern PMs and PSs such as the PS. The OPS-14 2D air search radar is the Japanese counterpart of the American AN/SPS-49. At present, she is frequently sent on long cruises to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

to foster international cooperation against

piracy in the Strait of Malacca Piracy in the Strait of Malacca has long been a threat to ship owners and the mariners who ply the 900 km-long (550 miles) sea lane. In recent years, coordinated patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore along with increased ...

. She is also assigned to the policing mission of

Senkaku Islands The Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Tiaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan. They were historically known in the Western world as the Pinnacle ...

because of her cruising capacity. There are plans for more ships of this design to be constructed.

References

Bibliography

External links

PLH31しきしま
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Shikishima-class patrol vessels 1991 ships Ships built by IHI Corporation {{Japan-mil-ship-stub