Enoshima-class minesweeper

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{{Infobox ship image

| Ship image = File:MSC-604 Enoshima in Yokosuka.JPG

| Ship caption = JS Enoshima on 29 November 2013

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| Class before = {{sclass|Harishima|minesweeper|4}}

| Class after =

| Name = Enoshima

| Builders = *USC, Keihin

JMU, Yokohama

| Total ships planned = 3

| Built range = 2009–2013

| Total ships on order =

| Total ships completed = 3

| Total ships active = 3

| In commission range = 2012–present

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{{Infobox ship characteristics

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| Ship type = Minesweeper

| Ship displacement = *{{convert|570|t|LT|lk=out|abbr=on}} standard

{{convert|650|t|LT|lk=out|abbr=on}} full load

| Ship length = {{convert|57|m|ftin|lk=on|abbr=on}}

| Ship beam = {{convert|9.8|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| Ship depth = {{convert|4.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| Ship draft =

| Ship propulsion = *2 × Mitsubishi 6NMU diesel electric engines

2 × shafts

| Ship speed = {{convert|14|kn|abbr=on|lk=in}}

| Ship range =

| Ship endurance =

| Ship test depth =

| Ship complement = 48

| Ship sensors = *OPS-39 surface-search radar

OYQ-201 sonar
ZQS-4 sonar

| Ship EW =

| Ship armament = 1 × single JM61R-MS 20 mm gun

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| Ship aircraft facilities =

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The Enoshima class is a class of coastal minesweepers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).{{Cite web|url=https://www.mod.go.jp/j/yosan/yosan_gaiyo/2013/yosan.pdf |title=我が国の防衛と予算 |language=ja |trans-title=Our Defense and Budget |access-date=31 May 2021 |archive-date=19 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219235642/https://www.mod.go.jp/j/yosan/yosan_gaiyo/2013/yosan.pdf |url-status=dead |publisher=Ministry of Defense}}

Development

From lessons learned from the 1991 deployment of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to the Persian Gulf, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) took the inspiration from the Royal Navy's {{sclass|Sandown|minehunter}}, which was built after the 1994 plan to enhance mine clearance capabilities. However, since the Sandown class is essentially a minesweeper without actual minesweeping capability, and given that many waters around Japan have muddy seabeds which can complicate minesweeping operations by obscuring or interfering with mine detection, the JMSDF found it unacceptable to abandon minesweeping functionality. To address this, the Enoshima class were equipped with Australian-made Dyad Influence Minesweeping Systems (DIMS), which are sensitive minesweepers. However, due to magnetic management issues, it was decided that the minesweeping equipment would not be permanently installed but instead deployed from a mother ship at sea as needed. This approach reduces the vessel's magnetic signature when not actively sweeping mines, minimizing the risk of prematurely triggering magnetic mines.

However, it introduced operational delays, logistical challenges, and reduced flexibility, limiting the vessel's ability to conduct immediate or independent minesweeping operations. This resulted in significant operational restrictions and limited mobility.{{Cite book|title=Details of the new minesweeper Hirashima, Ships of the World|publisher=Gaijinsha|date=August 2008|volume=694|location=Japan|pages=154–159}}{{Cite book|last=Takahashi|first=Yoichi|title=Mine Warships (Special Feature: Maritime Self-Defense Force's New Weapons)-(Notable New Weapons), Ships of the World|publisher=Gaijinsha|date=May 2013|volume=778|location=Japan|pages=92–97}}

For these reasons, the Enoshima class was developed as a new type of minesweeper, featuring a domestically designed system with performance equivalent to the foreign-made minesweeping system used in the {{sclass|Sugashima|minesweeper|4}}.