Kurama (DDH-144) at sea in 2011 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Shirane-class destroyer |
| Builders | Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries |
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Haruna-class destroyer |
| Succeeded by | Hyūga-class helicopter destroyer |
| Built | 1977–1981 |
| In commission | 1980–2017 |
| Planned | 2 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Retired | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 159 m (522 ft) |
| Beam | 17.5 m (57 ft 5 in) |
| Draft | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 31 knots (36 mph; 57 km/h) |
| Complement |
|
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 3 × SH-60J(K) anti-submarine helicopters |
The Shirane-class destroyers were a pair of Japanese destroyers originally built during the late 1970s. They are built around a large central hangar which houses up to three helicopters and they are the natural successor of the Haruna-class destroyers.
The Shirane class incorporates an improved design based on the Haruna-class destroyers. The ships propulsion includes two steam boilers with two shafts that produces 70.000 hp and gives a maximum speed of 32 knots.
Its armament includes two Mk.42 127mm guns, two 20-mm Phalanx close-in weapon systems, one surface-to-air RIM-7 Sea Sparrow launcher, torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets. The ships have been replaced by the new Izumo-class helicopter destroyers.
| Pennant No | DDH-143 | DDH-144 |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Shirane | Kurama |
| Laid Down | 25 February 1977 | 17 February 1978 |
| Launched | 18 September 1978 | 20 September 1979 |
| Commissioned | 17 March 1980 | 27 March 1981 |
| Decommissioned | 25 March 2015 | 22 March 2017 |
| Home port | Yokosuka | Sasebo |
On December 15, 2007, a fire broke out on board Shirane near the rudder house as it was anchored at Yokosuka. It took seven hours to extinguish the fire, which injured four crew members.
On 27 October 2009, JS Kurama collided with a South Korean container ship under the Kanmonkyo Bridge in the Kanmon Straits off the coast of Japan. While neither ship sunk, the bow of Kurama was badly damaged and burned for hours. Three Kurama crew members were reported injured.