JDS Kashima (TV-3508) is a training ship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

The , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....

 (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 Kashima Shrine

Kashima Shrine

Kashima Shrine is a shrine dedicated to the Shinto kami Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto , one of the patron deities of martial arts. Dojo of kenjutsu and kendo sometimes display a kakejiku emblazoned with Kashima Taishin...

 Shinto

Shinto

or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...

 shrine in Ibaraki prefecture

Ibaraki Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...

, located to the northeast of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

.

Design and construction

Kashima is of a unique design referred to as the "Kashima class cadet training ship". She is 143 metres (469.2 ft) long, with a beam of 18 metres (59.1 ft), and a draft of 4.6 metres (15.1 ft). Kashima has a full load displacement of 4,050 tons. She is powered by a Combined Diesel Or Gas

Combined diesel or gas

Combined diesel or gas ' is a type of propulsion system for ships that need a maximum speed that is considerably faster than their cruise speed, particularly warships like modern frigates or corvettes....

 system, which uses two Mitsubishi S16U-MTK diesel engines for cruising, and two Kawasaki

Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation

-External links:*...

-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

Controllable pitch propeller

A controllable pitch propeller or variable pitch propeller is a type of propeller with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change their pitch...

 shafts.

The ship is armed with a single Otobreda 76 mm

Otobreda 76 mm

The Otobreda 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defence conglomerate Otobreda. It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier...

 gun and two triple 324 mm torpedo tube sets. Four saluting cannon are also carried. Kashima has a ship's company of 370, including officer cadet

Officer Cadet

Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...

s. Cadets are accommodated in two-person staterooms, allowing cadets of both sexes to train aboard the ship. 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.

The ship was originally authorised under the Financial Year budget ending in 1991, but construction did not start because of Japan's financial involvement

Checkbook diplomacy

Checkbook diplomacy, or chequebook diplomacy, is used to describe international policy openly using economic aid and investment between countries to carry diplomatic favor....

 in the Gulf War

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

. The ship was requested again under the 1992 budget, and was approved. Kashima was laid down by the Hitachi Zosen Corporation at the former Maizuru Naval Arsenal

Maizuru Naval Arsenal

was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Maizuru Naval District was established at Maizuru, Kyoto in 1889, as the fourth of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands. After the establishment of the...

 shipyards on 20 April 1993. She was launched on 23 February 1994, and commissioned into the JMSDF on 26 January 1995.

Role and operational history

She is flagship of the JMSDF Training Fleet, and is homeported at Kure.

In July 2000, while visiting New York, Kashima was involved in a minor collision with RMS Queen Elizabeth II

RMS Queen Elizabeth 2

Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the QE2, is an ocean liner that was operated by Cunard from 1969 to 2008. Following her retirement from cruising, she is now owned by Istithmar...

. The collision left a long scratch down the flank of the liner, and a dent in the warship's hull. 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".

External links

GlobalSecurity.org; JMSDF TV Kashima Class