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Japanese repair ship Akashi

IJN repair ship AKASHI in 1939.jpg
Akashi off Sasebo in July 1939
History
Name: Akashi
Namesake: Akashi Strait
Builder: Sasebo Naval Arsenal
Cost:
  • 10,000,000 JPY as Akashi
  • 23,027,000 JPY as Mihara and Momotori
Launched: 29 June 1938
Completed: 31 July 1939
Decommissioned: 10 May 1944
Fate: Sunk on 30 March 1944
General characteristics
Type: Repair ship
Displacement:
  • 9,000 long tons (9,144 t) standard
  • 10,500 long tons (10,668 t) trial
Length:
  • 158.50 m (520 ft 0 in) overall
  • 154.66 m (507 ft 5 in) waterline
Beam: 20.50 m (67 ft 3 in)
Draught: 6.29 m (20 ft 8 in)
Installed power: 10,000 bhp
Propulsion: 2 × Mitsubishi/MAN Model 60 diesels, 2 shafts
Speed: 19.2 knots (22.1 mph; 35.6 km/h)
Range: 8,000 nmi (15,000 km) at 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Crew: 336 men and 433 engineers
Armament:
Armour: none

Akashi was a Japanese repair ship, serving during World War II. She was the only specifically designed repair ship operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The navy based her design on the US Navy's USS Medusa.

In 1937 the Imperial Japanese Navy had converted the old battleship Asahi to serve as a repair ship. After the conversion of Asahi, a decision was made to build a dedicated repair ship with better capabilities for that task. The Imperial Japanese Navy planned for her to carry out 40% of the repairs needed by the Combined Fleet (needing approximately 140,000-man-hours). Therefore, she was equipped with the latest machine tools imported from Germany.

During the war Akashi operated out of the Japanese base in the Truk atoll where she repaired various types of battle-damaged Japanese warships, including the Shōkaku in October 1942 and the Yamato in December 1943. In February 1944 the Americans made a raid on Truk (Operation Hailstone), sinking and damaging many ships. Akashi was damaged in these attacks and escaped to the Japanese atoll of Palau.

On 30 March 1944, while anchored off Urukthapel in the Palau Islands, Akashi was hit numerous times by bombs and rockets from American aircraft from Task Group 58, during Operation Desecrate One. She was sunk in shallow water with her bridge still remaining above the water.


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