Name Murasame class Succeeded by Akizuki class Completed 3 | Preceded by Ayanami class In service 1958–1989 | |
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Operators Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | ||
The Murasame-class destroyer was a destroyer class built for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in the late 1950s as a successor to the Ayanami-class destroyers. Like its predecessor, its main task was anti-submarine warfare, but its improved weaponry also enabled it to perform better in the anti-air role, so this class was classified as "DDA" (anti-air destroyer or all purpose destroyer) unofficially.
Like its predecessor, the Ayanami class, this class adopted a "long forecastle" design with inclined afterdeck called "Holland Slope", named after the scenic sloping street in Nagasaki City. The propulsion system was almost the same as the one of the Harukaze class.
The sensor suite and weapon system was almost the same as the one of the latter batch of the Ayanami class, but three 5-inch/54 caliber Mark 16 guns (with Mark 39 single mounts) were added to extend effective range against air and surface threats in addition to four 3-inch/50 caliber Mark 22 guns (with Mark 33 dual mounts). The 5-inch guns were controlled by one Mark 57 GFCS, and the 3-inch guns were done by one Mark 63 controller. The main air-search radar was an OPS-1, the Japanese version of the American AN/SPS-6.