In Japan, an official naming and launching ceremony was held at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki to mark the entry into the water of JS Yoshii, the 12th and final Mogami-class frigate (FFM).
The event was announced by the official page of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and was attended by the Minister of Defense, Shinjiro Koizumi, who was present at the ceremony.
The vessel was named “Yoshii” (Yoshii/よしい) after the Yoshii River, located in Okayama Prefecture. A notable detail is that the Imperial Japanese Navy had never previously used this name.
After launching, the frigate will be towed to the pier for the outfitting phase and final systems integration. According to JMSDF plans, the ship is scheduled to be commissioned into the fleet in 2026.
Another relevant point is the pace of construction. Keel laying took place on July 3, 2024, and the launch occurred just 17 months after the start of assembly, a timeframe considered short for a ship of this category.
Main characteristics of the Mogami class
- Standard displacement: 3,900 t
- Full displacement: approximately 5,500 t
- Hull length: 132.5–133 m
- Beam: 16.3 m
- Draft: 9 m
- Crew: approximately 90 personnel
The main artillery armament is the BAE Systems Mk 45 Mod 4 127 mm gun, capable of engaging surface, air, and shore targets. To counter aerial and submarine threats, the frigate is equipped with a Mk 41 vertical launcher with 16 cells, while close-in defense is provided by the SeaRAM system.
In the anti-ship role, the ship carries eight Type 17 (SSM-2) missiles. The anti-submarine warfare package includes torpedo tubes for Type 12 lightweight torpedoes. In addition, the frigate features two remotely controlled combat modules armed with 12.7 mm machine guns, intended for defense against asymmetric threats.
An additional design feature is the presence of simplified mine-laying equipment, allowing the frigate to be used for deploying defensive minefields, enhancing its flexibility as a multifunctional platform for protecting territorial waters.
Mogami-class frigate construction program (FFM)
Construction of the Mogami-class frigates began in 2019 as part of a program to replace the Hayabusa-class missile boats and the Abukuma-class escort destroyers. To maintain a rapid pace, a strategy of building two ships simultaneously was adopted.
In 2019, the first two ships of the series, Mogami and Kumano, had their keels laid on October 29 and 30, respectively. The launch schedule, however, occurred in reverse order: Kumano was launched on November 19, 2020, while the lead ship Mogami was launched only on March 3, 2021.
According to the information released, the delay of the lead ship occurred after technical damage to the Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine during bench tests, associated with interaction with a defective support component. As a result, the launch of the lead ship took place four months after Kumano.
After this episode, construction of the subsequent ten frigates proceeded without significant interruptions. According to the assessment presented, this represents the largest naval shipbuilding series in Japan since the end of World War II.
Source and images: 防衛省 海上自衛隊 | X @JMSDF_PAO. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
