In Japan, in the company’s shipyard Mitsubishi Heavy Industries held an official naming and launching ceremony in Nagasaki to mark the ship’s entry into service JS Yoshii, 12th and final Mogami-class frigates (FFM).
The event was announced on the official website Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Minister of Defense attended it Shinjiro Koizumiwho was personally present at the ceremony.
The vessel was named „Yoshii“ (Yoshii/よしい) after the Yoshii River, located in Okayama Prefecture. A notable detail is that the Imperial Japanese Navy had never used this name before.
After launching, the frigate will be towed to the pier where it will undergo completion and final systems integration. According to the plans of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the inclusion of the ship in the fleet is expected in the year 2026.
Another important point is the pace of construction. Laying of the keel has taken place July 3, 2024 and the launching took place only 17 months after the start of assembly, which is considered a short time for a ship of this category.
Main characteristics of the Mogami class
- Standard displacement: 3 900 t
- Full Displacement: approximately 5,500 t
- Body length: 132,5–133 m
- Width: 16,3 m
- Abyss: 9 m
- Crew: approximately 90 people
The main artillery armament is a cannon BAE Systems Mk 45 Mod 4 caliber 127 mmcapable of hitting surface, air and coastal targets. To combat air and submarine threats, the frigate is equipped with a vertical launch device Mk 41 s 16 shaftswhile close defense is provided by the system SeaRAM.
It carries a vessel in an anti-ship role eight Type 17 (SSM-2) missiles. The anti-submarine package includes torpedo tubes for light torpedoes Type 12. In addition, it has a frigate two remotely controlled combat modules caliber machine guns armed 12,7 mmdesigned to defend against asymmetric threats.
Another feature of the project is presence simplified equipment for laying minwhich enables the use of the frigate to deploy defensive minefields and increases its flexibility as a multi-purpose platform for the protection of territorial waters.
Mogami-class frigate (FFM) construction program
Construction of the Mogami-class frigates began in 2019 as part of the program to replace the missile boats of the class Hayabusa and escort class destroyers Also. A construction strategy was adopted to maintain a high pace two ships at the same time.
In 2019, the keels of the first two ships of the series were laid, Mogami a Kumanoa to October 29 and 30. However, the launch schedule was in reverse order: Kumano was launched November 19, 2020while the lead ship Mogami until March 3, 2021.
According to published information, the lead ship was delayed due to technical damage to the gas turbine Rolls-Royce MT30 during bench testing that was related to interaction with a faulty support component. As a result, the main ship was launched by four months later than Kumano.
After this event, the construction of another ten frigates continued without significant interruptions. According to the presented assessment, it is about the largest series of naval construction in Japan since the end of World War II.
Source and images: 防衛省 海海自衛隊 | X @JMSDF_PAO. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
