the jinzu class was a class of guided missile frigate designed in the mid 1970s, the class was designed to be a inexpensive general purpose escort vessels for carrier battle group, as well as to replace the myriad of older frigates and destroyers which had been performing these duties since the end of World War II.
Ordered: 21 September 1974
Laid down: 23 December 1975
Launched: 19 February 1977
Commissioned: 26 September 1978
Decommissioned: 3 February 1998
Struck: 29 February 2000
Fate: to be sunk as target ship
Status: sunk 2001
General characteristics
Displacement: 5,150 tons standard , 5,890 tons full load
Length: 149.3 m (490 ft)
Beam: 14.8 m (48 ft)
Draft: 7.3 m (24 ft)
Installed power: 2 x General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, generating 41,000 shp through a single shaft
Speed: 30 knots (34 mph; 55 km/h)
Armament: as commissioned 1978
1 × single TYPE 67 7cm/62 ( 76mm guns)
1 × single MK 13 Missile launcher
2 GWS-22 Seacat launchers
missiles carried:
RIM-55A Typhon MR Anti-aircraft missiler
Harpoon Anti-ship missiler/TYPE 83 Anti-ship missiler
Armament: as decommissioned 2017
1 × single TYPE 67 7cm/62 ( 76mm guns)
1 × single MK 13 Missile launcher
Sea Wolf 10-Cell vertical launch system
the Jinzu was commissioned on the 26th of September 1978, during her sea trials she was found to be in excellent Ocean Going vessel even in the harshest of conditions as well as her role being within the acceptable boundaries, from 1978 to 1980 a further 9 of her class would be commissioned, followed by a second batch of 14 beginning construction in 1979. in 1982 one of the ships from the class was selected for experimental modifications, Tenryu was fitted with the British Sea Wolf missile system and had her Mark 13 missing system removed and replace with a type 67 5 inch gun. In 1985 with the start of the South China Sea War the class was quickly put to the test in actual combat conditions, and the class proved to be a resilient one able to shrug off hits that to other ships would be fatal, however through the course of the 1 year conflict 8 of the class would be lost in combat.
after the end of the conflict in 1986 the remainder of the class was sent into dry dock for refit starting in 1987, this refit entail the removal of the obsolete SeaCat point defence missile system and the edition of the Sea Wolf missile system, as well as an upgrade to the radar equipment. Throughout the rest of the 20th century class didn't do anything remarkable, starting in 1998 decommissioning of the first batch of the class began with all of them being decommissioned by the year 2000, however the second batch remained in service for a bit longer just long enough to see another refit in the early to mid 2000s with the last one of them being decommissioned in 2017
Ships in class: (laid down-launched-commissioned - fate)
Original batch (built 1975-1977)
Jinzu (FFG-5) 1975-1977-1978 - Decommissioned 1998
Tokoro (FFG-6) 1975-1977-1978 - Decommissioned 1997
Yamakuni (FFG-7) 1975-1977-1978 - sunk 1985
Sendai (FFG-8) 1976-1978-1979 - Decommissioned 1999
Onga (FFG-9) 1976-1978-1979 - Decommissioned 2000
Honmyo (FFG-10) 1976-1978-1979 - sunk 1985
Kushida (FFG-11) 1977-1979-1980 - Decommissioned 1997
Toyo (FFG-12) 1977-1979-1980 - Decommissioned 1998
Kiso (FFG-13) 1977-1979-1980 - sunk 1985
Rumoi batch (built 1979-1981)
Rumoi (FFG-14) 1979-1982-1983 - Decommissioned 2008
Chitose (FFG-15) 1979-1982-1983 - sunk 1986
Makomanai (FFG-16) 1979-1982-1983 - Decommissioned 2006
Ishikari (FFG-17) 1979-1982-1983 - Decommissioned 2010
Oyabe (FFG-18) 1979-1982-1983 - sunk 1986
Seki (FFG-19) 1980-1983-1984 - Decommissioned 2011
Rokkaku (FFG-20) 1980-1983-1984 - Decommissioned 2013
Tenryu (FFG-21) 1980-1983-1984 - sunk 1985
Fuji (FFG-22) 1980-1983-1984 - Decommissioned 2011
Kumano (FFG-23) 1981-1984-1985 - Decommissioned 2013
Hino (FFG-24) 1981-1984-1985 - Decommissioned 2013
Ota (FFG-25) 1981-1984-1985 - sunk 1986
Doki (FFG-26) 1981-1984-1985 - Decommissioned 2017
Shonai (FFG-27 1981-1984-1985 - sunk 1986