# Uzushio-class submarine

The Uzushio-class submarine was a series of seven submarines in service with Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force during the Cold War between 1972 and the mid-1990s. They were the first generation of the teardrop type submarine that valued the underwater performance against that of the preceding conventional-hull type Asashio class. Many were converted to training submarines (ATSS) towards the end of their lives.

## General characteristics

The Uzushio class was the first Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine design to incorporate the teardrop hull. The Uzushios had a double hull construction which used NS-63 high-tensile steel to allow for a deeper diving depth of 200 metres (660 ft). The submarines measured 72.0 metres (236 ft 3 in) long between perpendiculars and 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in) at the beam. They had a maximum draught of 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) and had a standard displacement of 1,850 tonnes (1,820 long tons) and a 3,600 t (3,500 long tons) displacement when submerged.
The submarines were powered by a diesel-electric system composed of two Kawasaki-MAN V8V24/30AMTL diesel engines and two electric motors turning one shaft creating 3,400 brake horsepower (2,500 kW) surfaced and 7,200 shaft horsepower (5,400 kW) submerged. This gave the boats a maximum speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced and 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) dived. The submarines incorporated a separate emergency blowing system to all the vessels to surface rapidly and had a 3D automatic steering system which combined automatic depth and automatic direction maintenance systems.
The Uzushios were armed with Japanese Type 89 torpedoes fired from six 533-millimetre (21 in) torpedo tubes located amidships. The submarines had their sonar array located in the bow which was composed of a ZPS-4 surface search sonar, a ZQQ-2, ZQQ-3, or ZQQ-4 passive/active search sonar suite and a SQS-36J or SQS-4 active sonar.

## Boats

| Project no. | Building no. | Pennant no. | Name | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Note |
| S118 | 8081 | SS-566 | Uzushio (うずしお) | 25 September 1968 | 11 March 1970 | 21 January 1971 | Decommissioned 24 March 1987, scrapped |
| S118 | 8082 | SS-567 | Makishio (まきしお) | 21 June 1969 | 27 January 1971 | 2 February 1972 | Decommissioned 11 March 1988, scrapped |
| S119 | 8083 | SS-568/ ATSS-8001 | Isoshio (いそしお) | 9 July 1970 | 18 March 1972 | 25 November 1972 | Converted to auxiliary training submarine (ATSS-8001) on 24 March 1989, decommissioned 25 March 1992, sunk as target off Izu Ōshima August 1994 |
| S119 | 8084 | SS-569/ ATSS-8002 | Narushio (なるしお) | 8 May 1971 | 22 November 1972 | 28 September 1973 | Converted to auxiliary training submarine (ATSS-8002) on 8 June 1990, decommissioned 15 March 1993, scrapped |
| S119 | 8085 | SS-570/ ATSS-8003 | Kuroshio (くろしお) | 5 July 1972 | 22 February 1974 | 27 November 1974 | Converted to auxiliary training submarine (ATSS-8003) on 20 March 1991, decommissioned 1 March 1994, scrapped |
| S119A | 8086 | SS-571/ ATSS-8004 | Takashio (たかしお) | 6 July 1973 | 30 June 1975 | 30 January 1976 | Converted to auxiliary training submarine (ATSS-8004) on 6 June 1992, decommissioned 26 July 1995, scrapped |
| S119A | 8087 | SS-572/ ATSS-8005 | Yaeshio (やえしお) | 14 April 1975 | 19 May 1977 | 7 March 1978 | Converted to auxiliary training submarine (ATSS-8005) on 14 August 1994, decommissioned 1 August 1996, scrapped |
| S119A | ~ | One hull canceled because of the 1973 oil crisis, naval budget was used for the Chikugo-class destroyer escort and others. | One hull canceled because of the 1973 oil crisis, naval budget was used for the Chikugo-class destroyer escort and others. | One hull canceled because of the 1973 oil crisis, naval budget was used for the Chikugo-class destroyer escort and others. | One hull canceled because of the 1973 oil crisis, naval budget was used for the Chikugo-class destroyer escort and others. | One hull canceled because of the 1973 oil crisis, naval budget was used for the Chikugo-class destroyer escort and others. | One hull canceled because of the 1973 oil crisis, naval budget was used for the Chikugo-class destroyer escort and others. |