The Oyashio is a class of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese diesel-electric submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 operated by the JMSDF

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....

. The submarines entered service in the late 1990s. The submarines are larger than the earlier Harushio class submarine

Harushio class submarine

The Harushio is a Japanese diesel-electric submarine class operated by the JMSDF. The design is an evolution from the Yūshio class being slightly larger and with better noise reduction...

s, to provide space for a flank sonar

Sonar

Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...

 array.

Boats

There are a total of 11 boats in the class - the last boat was commissioned in 2008. Oyashio, Michishio, and Kuroshio are all named after WWII destroyers, none of which survived the war. Takashio was originally named for a third set of Yugumo class destroyers, of which were never built.

Project no.	Building no.	Pennant no.	Name	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Shipyard
S130	8105	SS-590		26 January 1994	15 October 1996	16 March 1998	Kawasaki, Kobe
	8106	SS-591		16 February 1995	18 September 1997	10 March 1999	Mitsubishi, Kobe
	8107	SS-592		6 March 1996	26 November 1998	9 March 2000	Kawasaki, Kobe
	8108	SS-593		26 March 1997	22 September 1999	29 March 2001	Mitsubishi, Kobe
	8109	SS-594		9 March 1998	27 November 2000	14 March 2002	Kawasaki, Kobe
	8110	SS-595		2 April 1999	4 October 2001	3 March 2003	Mitsubishi, Kobe
	8111	SS-596		27 March 2000	23 October 2002	8 March 2004	Kawasaki, Kobe
	8112	SS-597		30 January 2001	1 October 2003	9 March 2005	Mitsubishi, Kobe
	8113	SS-598		15 January 2002	4 November 2004	9 March 2006	Kawasaki, Kobe
	8114	SS-599		23 January 2003	5 October 2005	28 February 2007	Mitsubishi, Kobe
	8115	SS-600		23 February 2004	6 November 2006	6 March 2008	Kawasaki, Kobe

External links

• Oyashio class entry at GlobalSecurity