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JS Kashima

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JS Kashima in Pearl Harbor during April 2008
History
Japan
Name
  • Kashima
  • (かしま)
NamesakeKashima
Ordered1992
BuilderHitachi, Osaka
Laid down20 April 1993
Launched23 February 1994
Commissioned26 January 1995
HomeportKure
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
TypeTraining ship
Displacement4,050 tons Standard displacement
Length143 m (469 ft)
Beam18 m (59 ft)
Draft4.6 m (15 ft)
Propulsion
Speed25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Complement370
Armament
Aviation facilitiesHelipad

JS Kashima (TV-3508) is a training ship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Built to a unique design during the mid-1990s, Kashima is flagship of the JMSDF Training Fleet. The name Kashima comes from the famous Shinto Kashima Shrine in Ibaraki prefecture, located to the northeast of Tokyo.

Development and design

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Kashima is of a unique design referred to as the "Kashima class cadet training ship".[1] She is 143 metres (469 ft) long, with a beam of 18 metres (59 ft), and a draft of 4.6 metres (15 ft).[1] Kashima has a full load displacement of 4,050 tons.[1] She is powered by a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) system, which uses two Mitsubishi S16U-MTK diesel engines[citation needed] for cruising, and two Kawasaki-Rolls-Royce Spey SM1C gas turbines (providing 26,150 shaft horsepower each): a diesel and a gas turbine are connected to each of the two controllable-pitch propeller shafts.[1]

The ship is armed with a single Otobreda 76 mm gun and two triple 324 mm torpedo tube sets.[1] Four saluting cannon are also carried.[1] Kashima has a ship's company of 370, including officer cadets.[1] Cadets are accommodated in two-person staterooms, allowing cadets of both sexes to train aboard the ship.[1] The open aft deck was designed for use as a ceremonial and exercise assembly area, but can be used as a temporary helicopter landing zone.[1]

Construction and career

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The ship was originally authorised under the Financial Year budget ending in 1991, but construction did not start because of Japan's financial involvement in the Gulf War.[1] The ship was requested again under the 1992 budget, and was approved.[1] Kashima was laid down by the Hitachi Zosen Corporation at the former Maizuru Naval Arsenal shipyards on 20 April 1993.[1] She was launched on 23 February 1994, and commissioned into the JMSDF on 26 January 1995.[1] She is flagship of the JMSDF Training Fleet, and is homeported at Kure.[1]

In July 2000, while visiting New York, Kashima was involved in a minor collision with Queen Elizabeth 2.[2] The collision left a long scratch down the flank of the liner, and a dent in the warship's hull.[2] The Japanese took the incident with good humour, with a Japanese admiral onboard commenting "it was an honour to be kissed by the Queen Elizabeth".[2]

In June 2022, the Kashima made a port call in London as part of an exchange event between Japan and Britain and to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 2022.[3] The ship will participate in an exercise with Britain's Royal Navy.[3] A second call in London was made in September 2024, marked by its band playing the theme from Thunderbirds while passing under Tower Bridge.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wertheim, Eric, ed. (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems (15th ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 396. ISBN 978-1-59114-955-2. OCLC 140283156.
  2. ^ a b c Broughton, Philip Delves (6 July 2000). "QE2 collides with warship at New York". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship arrives in London". NHK. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022.
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