Cha-231 or No. 231 (Japanese: 第二百三十一號驅潜特務艇) 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-231 |
| Builder | Yamanishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Ishinomaki |
| Laid down | 30 August 1944 |
| Launched | 1944 |
| Completed | 7 December 1944 |
| Commissioned | 7 December 1944 |
| Homeport | Sasebo |
| Fate | transferred to Japan Maritime Safety Agency, 1 January 1947 |
| History | |
 Japan Maritime Safety Agency | |
| Acquired | 1 January 1947 |
| Renamed | Shiratori (MS-17) |
| Fate | transferred to Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 1 July 1954 |
| History | |
 Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
| Acquired | 1 July 1954 |
| Decommissioned | 31 March 1962 |
| Renamed | Shiratori (MS-17) |
| 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 (12.7 mph; 20.4 km/h) |
| Range | 1,000 nmi (1,900 km) at 10.0 kn (11.5 mph; 18.5 km/h) |
| Complement | 32 |
| Armament |
|
History
editShe was laid down on 30 August 1944 at the Ishinomaki shipyard of Yamanishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (株式會社山西造船鐵工所) and launched later in the same year.[1][2] She was fitted with armaments at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal; completed and commissioned on 7 December 1944;[2] and assigned to the Sasebo Defense Force, Sasebo Naval District.[2] Cha-231 survived the war.[2]
On 1 December 1945, she was demobilized and enrolled as a minesweeper by the occupation forces.[2] On 1 January 1947, she was assigned to the Japan Maritime Safety Agency and on 20 August 1948 she was designated minesweeper MS-17.[2] On 1 December 1951, she was renamed Shiratori (しらとり).[2] On 1 July 1954, she was transferred to the newly created Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.[2] She was delisted on 31 March 1962.[2]