Cha-203 or No. 203 (Japanese: 第二百十四號驅潜特務艇) was a No.1-class auxiliary submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served during World War II and with Japan during the post-war period.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Imperial Japanese Navy | |
| Name | Cha-203 |
| Builder | Murakami Shipyard, Ishinomaki |
| Yard number | 2053 |
| Laid down | 26 November 1943 |
| Launched | 15 June 1944 |
| Completed | 14 October 1944 |
| Commissioned | 14 October 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 20 November 1945 |
| Fate | mobilized by the Allied occupation forces, 1 December 1945 |
  Allied Occupation Force | |
| Acquired | 1 December 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 1 August 1947 |
| Fate | transferred to Ministry of Transportation, 28 August 1947 |
| Ministry of Transportation | |
| Acquired | 28 August 1947 |
| Fate | transferred to Japan Maritime Safety Agency, 1 May 1948 |
 Japan Maritime Safety Agency | |
| Acquired | 28 August 1947 |
| Renamed | Patrol Vessel Hiyodori (PB-22), 20 August 1948 Patrol Vessel Hiyodori (PS-22), 21 July 1950 Minesweeper Hiyodori (MS-84), 1 December 1951 |
| Fate | transferred to the Coastal Safety Force, 1 August 1952 |
 Japan Coastal Safety Force | |
| Acquired | 1 August 1952 |
| Fate | transferred to Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 1 July 1954 |
 Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
| Acquired | 1 July 1954 |
| Decommissioned | 31 March 1965 |
| Renamed | Minesweeper Inshore Hiyodori (MSI-700), 1 September 1957 |
| Fate | unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | No.1-class submarine chaser |
| Displacement | 130 long tons (132 t) standard[1] |
| Length | 29.20 m (95 ft 10 in) overall |
| Beam | 5.65 m (18 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.0 knots (20.4 km/h; 12.7 mph) |
| Range | 1,000 nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 10.0 kn (18.5 km/h; 11.5 mph) |
| Complement | 32 |
| Armament |
|
History
editHer construction was authorized under the Maru Sen Programme (Ship # 2001–2100). She was laid down on 26 November 1943 as ship 2053 at the Murakami Shipyard (村上造船所) in Ishinomaki[1] and launched on 15 June 1944.[2]
She was completed and commissioned on 14 October 1944,[2] fitted with armaments at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, and assigned to the Ōminato Guard District under lieutenant Keio Ebisawa (海老澤 経男).[2] On 1 November 1944, she was assigned to the Tsugaru Defense Force and tasked with defending the Tsugaru Strait.[2] She spent most of the war conducting anti-submarine and minesweeping patrols between the ports of Hachinohe, Hakodate, and Muroran.[2] Cha-203 survived the war and was decommissioned on 20 November 1945.[2][3]
On 1 December 1945, she was enrolled as a minesweeper by the occupation forces,[2] one of 269 Japanese ships that served as a minesweeper under the Allied forces after the war.[4] She conducted minesweeping operations based out of Ominato and later Shimonoseki.[2] On 1 August 1947, she was demobilized[2] and on 28 August 1947, she was released to the Ministry of Transportation.[2]
On 1 May 1948, she was assigned to the Japan Maritime Safety Agency, a sub-agency of the Ministry of Transportation, and designated on 20 August 1948 as patrol vessel Hiyodori (ひよどり) (PB-22).[2] On 21 July 1950, she was re-designated as patrol vessel Hiyodori (PS-22) and on 1 December 1951 she was redesignated as minesweeper Hiyodori (MS-84).[2] On 1 August 1952, she was assigned to the Coastal Safety Force.[2] On 1 July 1954, she was transferred to the newly created Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and re-designated on 1 September 1957 as minesweeper inshore Hiyodori (MSI-700).[2][5] She was delisted on 31 March 1965.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Toda, Gengoro S. (21 September 2019). "驅潜特務艇 (Cha - Stats)". Imperial Japanese Navy - Tokusetsukansen (in Japanese).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Toda, Gengoro S. "第二百二號驅潜特務艇の艦歴 (No. 203 submarine chaser - Ship History)". Imperial Japanese Navy -Tokusetsu Kansen (in Japanese).
- ^ Japanese Naval Vessels at the End of the War (PDF). 25 April 1947. pp. 113–115.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Cundall, Peter; Casse, Gilbert (2012). "Kakyakusen: IJN Escort CD-76: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ "MSI" refers to Minesweeper Inshore