Minegumo-class destroyer
The Minegumo-class destroyers were three small warships built for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to hunt submarines. They followed the Yamagumo class and were designed mainly for anti-submarine warfare. The ships were built by three yards (Uraga, Mitsui, and Maizuru) and served from the late 1960s until 2000, after which they were retired.
Key points
- Size and crew: about 115 meters long, around 210 crew, and standard displacement about 2,100 tons.
- Armament and sensors: two 3-inch/50 caliber guns, a single 76 mm gun on one ship (Murakumo) after a refit, one 375 mm anti-submarine rocket launcher, and two triple 324 mm torpedo tubes. They carried two QH-50D DASH anti-submarine helicopters (these were removed later). They also had radar and sonar systems to find submarines.
- Anti-submarine focus and upgrades: The class was built to use the QH-50D DASH helicopter for ASW, replacing the older ASROC system. When the DASH program ended in 1969, no further ships were built in this style and the JMSDF looked at other helicopter options, but cost stopped those plans. From 1979–82, the DASH facility was removed and ASROC missiles were fitted on the ships.
- Special note on Murakumo: One ship, Murakumo, received an OTO Melara 76 mm gun during refits, while the other two did not. Murakumo was also used as a gun trials ship during this period.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:42 (CET).