Japanese escort ship Etorofu

For the island, see Iturup.

Etorofu was the lead ship of her class of fourteen ships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Etorofu in 1943
History
Empire of Japan
Name	Etorofu
Builder	Hitachi, Sakurajima
Laid down	23 March 1942
Launched	29 January 1943
Completed	15 May 1943
Stricken	5 November 1945
Fate	Broken up in 1947
General characteristics
Class and type	Etorofu-class escort ship
Displacement	870 long tons (884 t)
Length	77.7 m (255 ft)
Beam	9.1 m (29 ft 10 in)
Draught	3.05 m (10 ft)
Speed	19.7 knots (22.7 mph; 36.5 km/h)
Complement	150
Armament	3 × 120 mm (4.7 in)/45 cal DP guns Up to 15 × Type 96 25 mm (0.98 in) AA guns 6 × depth charge throwers Up to 60 × depth charges

Background and description

The Etorofu class was an improved version of the preceding Shimushu class with a greater emphasis on anti-submarine warfare. The ships measured 77.72 meters (255 ft 0 in) overall, with a beam of 9.1 meters (29 ft 10 in) and a draft of 3.05 meters (10 ft 0 in). They displaced 880 metric tons (870 long tons) at standard load and 1,040 metric tons (1,020 long tons) at deep load. The ships had two diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft, which were rated at a total of 4,200 brake horsepower (3,100 kW) for a speed of 19.7 knots (36.5 km/h; 22.7 mph). The ships had a range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at a speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).

The main armament of the Etorofu class consisted of three Type 3 120-millimeter (4.7 in) guns in single mounts, one superfiring pair aft and one mount forward of the superstructure. They were built with four Type 96 25-millimeter (1.0 in) anti-aircraft guns in two twin-gun mounts, but the total was increased to 15 guns by August 1943. 36 depth charges were stowed aboard initially, but this later increased by August 1943 to 60 depth charges with a Type 97 81-millimeter (3.2 in) trench mortar and six depth charge throwers. They received Type 22 and Type 13 radars and Type 93 sonar in 1943–44.

Construction and career

Etorofu was launched by Hitachi, Sakurajima, on 29 January 1943 and completed on 25 March. She served on repatriation duties until 1947 when she was turned over to the United States Navy on 5 August and broken up at Kure beginning on 13 October.

References

• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.