JS Hibiki

For other ships with the same name, see Japanese ship Hibiki.

JS Hibiki (AOS-5201) is a Hibiki-class ocean surveillance ship of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

JS Hibiki
History
Japan
Name	Hibiki (ひびき)
Namesake	Hibiki
Ordered	1989
Builder	Mitsui, Tamano
Laid down	28 November 1989
Launched	27 July 1990
Commissioned	30 January 1991[1]
Homeport	Kure
Identification	MMSI number: 431999584 Hull number: AOS-5201
Status	Active
General characteristics
Class and type	Hibiki-class ocean surveillance ship
Displacement	2,850–3,800 long tons (2,896–3,861 t) full load
Length	67.0 m (219 ft 10 in)
Beam	29.9 m (98 ft 1 in)
Draft	7.5 m (24 ft 7 in)
Propulsion	4 × Mitsubishi S6U-MPTK diesel engines 2 x shafts
Speed	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Complement	40
Sensors and processing systems	OPS-16 OPS-9 Sonar AN / UQQ-2
Aviation facilities	Helipad

Development and design

Hibiki-class vessels have a beam of 30 metres (98 ft 5 in), a top speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph), and a standard range of 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi).^[2] Each vessel has a crew of 40, including five American civilian technicians, and a flight deck for helicopters to operate off of.^[3][4] They are able to deploy on station for 90 days.^[4]

The vessels have an AN/UQQ-2 Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS), which was installed in the United States.^[5][4] Data from the sensors is relayed through the Defense Satellite Communications System and processed and shared with the United States.^[4] The data is fed into the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System.^[6]

Propulsion is provided by four Mitsubishi S6U-MPTK diesel electric engines.^[7]

Construction and career

Hibiki was laid down on 28 November 1989 at Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, Tamano and launched on 27 July 1990. She was commissioned on 30 January 1991. Currently, her homeport is in Kure.^{[citation needed]}

After deployment, from 9 March 1991, she was circulated to Oakland, California, United States, for proficiency training after service, and, after learning the SURTASS system, she was equipped with a sonar array in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After the equipment certification test was completed, she returned to Japan on 17 October 1991.^{[citation needed]}

Full-scale operation started in April 1992, and the actual operation was where the anti-submarine information analysis center on land began.^{[citation needed]}

On 1 December 2015, the Oceanographic Command Group was reorganized into the Oceanographic Command and Anti-submarine Support Group and was incorporated into the 1st Acoustic Measurement Corps, which was newly formed under the same group.^{[citation needed]}

On 1 November 2017, a crew system was introduced to the 1st Acoustic Measurement Corps for the first time as a JMSDF ship, and, from now on, the crew will not be fixed, as three crews will operate two ships alternately.^[8]