Type C escort ship

No.17 on 10 April 1944 at Tokyo Bay
Class overview
Name:	No.1 class escort ship
Builders:	Maizuru Naval Arsenal Kyōwa Zōsen Corporation Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Naniwa Dock Company Nihonkai Dock Company Nihon Kōkan Corporation Niigata Iron Works
Operators:	Imperial Japanese Navy Republic of China Navy Republic of China Army Soviet Navy People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by:	Ukuru class
Cost:	5,015,000 JPY
Built:	1943–1946
In commission:	1944–1980
Planned:	300
Completed:	56
Cancelled:	241
Lost:	28
Retired:	28
General characteristics
Type:	Escort ship
Displacement:	745 long tons (757 t) standard
Length:	67.5 m (221 ft)
Beam:	8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
Draught:	2.9 m (10 ft)
Propulsion:	2 shaft, geared diesel engines, 1,900 hp (1,417 kW)
Speed:	16.5 knots (19.0 mph; 30.6 km/h)
Range:	6,500 nmi (12,000 km) at 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Complement:	136
Sensors and processing systems:	Type 22-Go radar Type 93 sonar Type 3 hydrophone
Armament:	As built : 2 × 120 mm (4.7 in)/45 cal DP guns 6 × Type 96 25 mm (0.98 in) AA machine guns (2×3) 12 × Type 3 depth charge throwers 1 × depth charge chute 120 × depth charges From 1944 : as above, plus 1 × 80 mm (3.1 in) mortar

The Type C escort ships (丙型海防艦, Hei-gata kaibōkan^?) were a class of ships in the service of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The Japanese called them "Type C" ocean defense ships, and they were the fifth class of Kaibōkan (Kai = sea, ocean, Bo = defense, Kan = ship), a name used to denote a multi-purpose vessel.

The Type C, like the Ukuru-class and Mikura-class, were dedicated to the anti-aircraft and anti-submarine role.

On 22 April 1943, the Navy General Staff decided a mass production of escort ships, because of the urgent need to protect the convoys which were under constant attack. The plan was to build a basic escort ship of around 800 tons, with a simple design for easy construction. The first designs, for "Type A" Etorofu class and "Type B" Mikura class, still needed too many man-hours for building, so in June 1943, the Navy General Staff planned for a simplified design. The result was the Ukuru class, and a scaled-down model of the Mikura class, which became the "Type C" and "Type D" escort classes.

Because of Japan's deteriorating war situation, the Type C was a further simplification of the Ukuru design. They were smaller by 200 tons and the Diesel engines that propelled them were also smaller, at 1900 SHP vs 4200 for the Ukurus. Because of the decrease in engine power, the speed fell from 19.5 knots to 16.5. The range remained the same, 6500 miles at 14 knots. The number of 4.7" guns went from three to two. The number of depth charges aboard was the same, 120, but the number of depth charge throwers was decreased from 18 to 12 and the depth charge chutes were decreased from two to one.