Cha-215 or No. 215 (Japanese: 第二百十五號驅潜特務艇) was a No.1-class auxiliary submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served during World War II.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Imperial Japanese Navy | |
| Name | Cha-215 |
| Builder | Tokushima Joint Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Tokushima |
| Laid down | 13 January 1944 |
| Launched | 1944 |
| Completed | 15 August 1944 |
| Commissioned | 15 August 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 30 November 1945 |
| Homeport | Saiki Tokuyama (from 10 June 1945) |
| Fate | released to the Ministry of Transportation, 1 January 1948 |
 Japan Maritime Safety Agency | |
| Acquired | 20 August 1948 |
| Renamed | Minesweeper No. 215 (MS-16), 20 August 1948 Minesweeper Special No. 215 (MS-16), 20 October 1949 Tomozuru (MS-16), 1 December 1951 |
| Fate | transferred to Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 1 July 1954 |
 Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
| Acquired | 1 July 1954 |
| Decommissioned | 31 March 1962 |
| Renamed | Tomozuru (MSI-693), 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
editShe was laid down on 13 January 1944 at the Tokushima shipyard of Tokushima Joint Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (徳島合同造船株式會社) and launched later in the year.[1][2] She was completed and commissioned on 15 August 1944,[2] fitted with armaments at the Kure Naval Arsenal,[citation needed] and assigned to the Saiki Defense Unit, Kure Naval District.[2] In December 1944, Captain Shunji Inuchi (井内 俊治) was appointed as commanding officer and on 10 June 1945, she was assigned to the Tokuyama Defense Force, Kure Naval District.[2]
She mostly conducted patrol and minesweeping duties in and around Saiki, Ōita and later Tokuyama.[2] Cha-215 survived the war and was decommissioned on 30 November 1945.[2]
On 1 December 1945, she was demobilized and enrolled as a minesweeper by the occupation forces.[2] On 1 January 1948, she was released to the Ministry of Transportation.[2] On 20 August 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 Minesweeper No. 215 (MS-16).[2] On 20 October 1949, she was re-designated as Minesweeper Special No. 215 (MS-16) and on 1 December 1951 she was assigned the name Tomozuru (ともづる) (MS-16).[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 Tomozuru (MSI-693).[2] She was delisted on 31 March 1962.[2]