Type C escort ship

No.17 on 10 April 1944 at Tokyo Bay
Class overview
Name:	No.1 class escort ship
Builders:	Maizuru Naval Arsenal Kyōwa Zōsen Corporation Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Naniwa Dock Company Nihonkai Dock Company Nihon Kōkan Corporation Niigata Iron Works
Operators:	Imperial Japanese Navy Republic of China Navy Republic of China Army Soviet Navy People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by:	Ukuru class
Cost:	5,015,000 JPY
Built:	1943–1946
In commission:	1944–1980
Planned:	300
Completed:	56
Cancelled:	241
Lost:	28
Retired:	28
General characteristics
Type:	Escort ship
Displacement:	745 long tons (757 t) standard
Length:	67.5 m (221 ft)
Beam:	8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
Draught:	2.9 m (10 ft)
Propulsion:	2 shaft, geared diesel engines, 1,900 hp (1,417 kW)
Speed:	16.5 knots (19.0 mph; 30.6 km/h)
Range:	6,500 nmi (12,000 km) at 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Complement:	136
Sensors and processing systems:	Type 22-Go radar Type 93 sonar Type 3 hydrophone
Armament:	As built : 2 × 120 mm (4.7 in)/45 cal DP guns 6 × Type 96 25 mm (0.98 in) AA machine guns (2×3) 12 × Type 3 depth charge throwers 1 × depth charge chute 120 × depth charges From 1944 : as above, plus 1 × 80 mm (3.1 in) mortar

The Type C escort ships (丙型海防艦, Hei-gata kaibōkan) were a class of ships in the service of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The Japanese called them "Type C" ocean defense ships, and they were the fifth class of Kaibōkan (Kai = sea, ocean, Bo = defense, Kan = ship), a name used to denote a multi-purpose vessel.^[1]

Background

The Type C, like the Ukuru-class and Mikura-class, were dedicated to the anti-aircraft and anti-submarine role.

On 22 April 1943, the Navy General Staff decided a mass production of escort ships, because of the urgent need to protect the convoys which were under constant attack. The plan was to build a basic escort ship of around 800 tons, with a simple design for easy construction. The first designs, for "Type A" Etorofu class and "Type B" Mikura class, still needed too many man-hours for building, so in June 1943, the Navy General Staff planned for a simplified design. The result was the Ukuru class, and a scaled-down model of the Mikura class, which became the "Type C" and "Type D" escort classes.

Design

Because of Japan's deteriorating war situation, the Type C was a further simplification of the Ukuru design. They were smaller by 200 tons and the Diesel engines that propelled them were also smaller, at 1900 SHP vs 4200 for the Ukurus. Because of the decrease in engine power, the speed fell from 19.5 knots to 16.5. The range remained the same, 6500 miles at 14 knots. The number of 4.7" guns went from three to two. The number of depth charges aboard was the same, 120, but the number of depth charge throwers was decreased from 18 to 12 and the depth charge chutes were decreased from two to one.

Due to the simplifications of the design, a significant saving was made in construction time. The Type C escorts required approximately 20,000 man-hours each, compared to the 35,000 man-hours of the Ukurus and the 57,000 man-hours of the Mikuras.

Construction

The design work of the Type C ships started in March, 1943, the same time as the Ukuru class. They were built concurrently with the Ukuru class and the Type D. The Type C class were given odd numbers, while the D Type were given even numbers. The Type C were constructed using prefabricated sections that enabled them to be built in as little as three to four months. The lead ship, No.1 (CD-1) was constructed at Mitsubishi, laid down on 15 September 1943, and completed with the No.3 (CD-3) on 29 February 1944.

Service

No.1 on 6 April 1945

The C Type escorts were assigned to the Destroyer Divisions and Escort Divisions for convoy escort operations. However, by 1944 the advantage had passed to the US, and many C Type vessels became casualties as the Japanese merchant fleet was devastated by the American submarine offensive. There were 53 finished during the war of the 300 planned, and several completed after World War II ended. 26 were sunk during the war.

Successes

• USS Growler was sunk on November 8, 1944 by CD-19 with Chiburi and destroyer Shigure.^[2]
• USS Trigger was sunk on March 28, 1945 by CD-33 and CD-59 with Mikura.^[2]
• USS Bonefish was sunk on June 19, 1945 by C Types CD-63, CD-75 and CD-207 with Okinawa and CD-158.^[2]
• USS Salmon was rendered unfit for further service by damage from CD-33 and CD-29 with CD-22 on October 30, 1944.

Ships in class

See also

• Type D escort ship
• Ukuru class escort ship
• Hiburi class escort ship
• Mikura class escort ship
• Etorofu class escort ship
• Shimushu class escort ship
• Destroyer escort
• Tacoma class frigate
• Flower class corvette

Notes

References

• Kaibokan @combinedfleet.com (Retrieved May 4, 2009)
• C type escorts @IJN(Retrieved May 4, 2009)
• C class @warships of WWII (Retrieved May 4, 2009)
• US Submarine losses @NavalHistory&Heritage (Retrieved May 4, 2009)
• ja:丙型海防艦
• Worth, Richard, Fleets of World War II, Da Capo Press (2001), ISBN 0-306-81116-2

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