JS Sōryū

JS Sōryū (SS-501) is the first boat of the Sōryū-class submarines. She was commissioned on 30 March 2009.

This article is about the submarine. For the aircraft carrier used by the Imperial Japanese Navy, see Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū.

JS Sōryū
History
Japan
Name
  • Sōryū
  • (そうりゅう)
Ordered2004
BuilderMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Cost¥64.3 billion
Laid down31 March 2005
Launched5 December 2007
Commissioned30 March 2009
HomeportKure
IdentificationSS-501
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeSōryū-class attack submarine
Displacement
  • Surfaced: 2,900 tonnes (2,854 long tons)
  • Submerged: 4,200 t (4,134 long tons)
Length84.0 m (275 ft 7 in)
Beam9.1 m (29 ft 10 in)
Draught8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
  • 1-shaft 2× Kawasaki 12Ｖ 25/25 SB-type diesel engines diesel-electric
  • 4× Kawasaki Kockums V4-275R Stirling engines
  • 3,900 hp (2,900 kW) surfaced
  • 8,000 hp (6,000 kW) submerged
Speed
  • Surfaced: 13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph)
  • Submerged: 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)[1]
RangeAIP endurance (est.): 6,100 nautical miles (11,300 km; 7,000 mi) at 6.5 knots (12.0 km/h; 7.5 mph)[1]
Complement65 (9 officers, 56 enlisted)
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament

Operational history

Sōryū was laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe Shipyard on 31 March 2005 as the 2900-ton submarine No. 8116, based on the medium-term defense capability development that was planned in 2004. At the launching ceremony on 5 December 2007, she was named Sōryū and launched, subsequently deploying to Kure.

After leaving Yura Port for confirmation operation after regular inspection before 7:00 am on 8 October 2012, Sōryū began diving started at 8:47 am. At around 2:18 pm, a petty officer disappeared on duty during the dive. When the Sōryū surfaced and a search was conducted, he was found to be in the flooded area inside the bridge sail. The Accident Investigation Commission concluded that the seaman committed suicide.[2]

On 2 September 2013, while the Sōryū was anchored at Kure base, an officer attempted to commit suicide in his quarters, using a pistol taken from the boat's weapons locker. Although the suicide attempt was unsuccessful, the officer was left with a serious disability. In 2015, the Maritime Self-Defense Force determined that the cause of the suicide attempt was the assault by a superior officer, and took disciplinary action by suspending the senior officer and those who had tolerated the assault. However, it was reported in various media on 12 January 2016 that the JMSDF had not announced the disposition of their investigation because of ongoing discussions. The parents of the disabled officer announced that they filed a lawsuit in the Yamaguchi District Court in January 2016, seeking damages of 30 million yen against the government.[3]

The Sōryū participated in the Japan-US-India Joint Training (Malabar 2018) exercise held on and around Guam Island from 8 to 16 June 2018.[4] Participating units included JS Sōryū, escort vessels JS Ise, JS Suzunami, JS Fuyuzuki, five onboard aircraft, and two P-1 patrol aircraft.[5]

On 8 February 2021, Sōryū collided with commercial bulk carrier Ocean Artemis about 40 kilometres (22 nmi) southeast of Cape Ashizuri, when surfacing during a training exercise. The submarine sustained damage to its communications equipment, conning tower, and diving planes, and three Japanese sailors were injured. The commercial vessel suffered no damage or injuries.[6][7][8]

Citations
  1. Pike, John. "SS-501 Soryu / 16SS / SS 2,900 ton Class". www.globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  2. 「海上自衛隊ニュース 航海中の「そうりゅう」で乗員1名が死亡」 『世界の艦船』第770集（2012年12月号）海人社 P.100
  3. "「上官の暴力で自殺未遂」…家族が国提訴へ". Mainichi Daily News (in Japanese). 13 January 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  4. "日米印共同訓練（マラバール２０１８）の実施について" (PDF) (in Japanese). JMSDF. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  5. "日米印共同訓練（マラバール２０１８）の参加について" (PDF) (in Japanese). JMSDF. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  6. NEWS, KYODO. "Japan submarine collision left more damage than initially thought". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  7. Ogura, Junko. "Japanese submarine collides with commercial ship while surfacing in Pacific". CNN. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  8. "BREAKING: Japanese Attack Submarine Soryu Involved In Collision With Cargo Ship". Overt Defense. 8 February 2021.

References
  • 『世界の艦船 増刊第66集 海上自衛隊全艦艇史』（海人社、2004年）

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