JAPANESE NAVY AUXILIARY VESSEL

Sokuten is the collective name for a large class of Japanese miners from the interwar period and World War II. The Sokuten class was divided into three subclasses: Sokuten, Hirashima, and Ajiro. Ships of the Hirashima subclass were launched in 1940-1943. In total, 9 units of this subtype were created. The length of the ships of the Hirashima subtype at the time of launching was 74.7 meters, and the width was 7.85 meters. The maximum speed was up to 20 knots. The main armament was a single 76.2 mm cannon, two 13.2 mm machine guns, for 36 Type 95 depth bombs and up to 120 sea mines. The entire Sokuten class was built for the needs of the Imperial Japanese Navy, as an essentially seagoing mine-laying class of considerable size and good seagoing prowess. The main purpose of these units was to complement the Natsushima-type units in the line. Units of the Hirashima sub-type, compared to their ancestors - the Sokuten sub-type ships - differed in a changed artillery armament, a slightly greater draft, a smaller crew, and above all - significantly more modern and richer electronic equipment. First of all, they use sonar and a hydrophone. The subclass has also been adapted to carry out escort tasks.