Showing posts with label Hakugei. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hakugei. Show all posts

Monday 17 October 2022

Third Taigei-Class Submarine JS Jingei Launched

 

SS515 Jingei Launched in MHI's Kobe shipyard


The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force ( JMSDF ) had launched its third Taigei-class submarine on 12 Oct 2022 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Kobe shipyard. It was named the Jingei, meaning swift whale. This came almost one year since the launch of the second-in-class the Hakugei which means white whale.

The Taigei-class submarines are advanced designs with lithium-ion batteries instead of the tried and proven lead-acid batteries. In Japanese, taigei means " big whale ". It is now almost certain that the entire class will be named after whales.

This will be the second Japanese naval vessel to bear the name Jingei, the first being the Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) submarine tender which was launched in 1922 and saw service in World War Two. In kanji ( Chinese characters ), Jingei would be written as 迅鯨. In hiragana it would be じんげい.

Since the IJN warships always had their names in kanji, in order to distinguish their modern warships from those of the IJN's WWII vessels, JMSDF deliberately avoids expressing the ship's name in kanji and officially uses the hiragana form instead.

According to the JMSDF ship naming convention, submarines would be named after maritime phenomenon, marine animals and auspicious creatures. The name jingei conjures a majestic whale, King of the Ocean, streaking through the waves at breakneck speeds ...

The Jingei will be commissioned around March 2024.



The Jingei is the 1330th ship built by the MHI Kobe shipyard. JMSDF


The Jingei all dressed up for the launch and naming ceremony. JMSDF


I name thee ... Jingei. JMSDF


SS515 Jingei ( じんげい ) name revealed. JMSDF


View from VIP stand with naming documents. JMSDF


Cord cutting with sacred ship launching silver axe followed. JMSDF


Sacred silver axe for launching the JS Jingei. JMSDF


The Jingei is launched. JMSDF


Ribbons flutter amidst the lively tune of the Gunkan March. JMSDF

Watch the Video below :







Thursday 14 October 2021

Second In The Pod : Hakugei SS-514 たいげい型潜水艦二番艦はくげい進水




JS Hakugei ( SS-514 ) shortly after launch. Photo : JMSDF

 

Japan's second Taigei-class lithium-powered attack submarine has been launched at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Kobe Shipyard this afternoon.  This came exactly a year after the launch of the Taigei. It has been named the Hakugei ( はくげい ) which literally translated means white whale. In kanji characters Hakugei would be written as 白鯨. 

JMSDF twitted that the name Hakugei refers to the white sperm whale ( マッコウクジラ makkokujira 抹香鯨 ). The ship naming and launching event was officiated by Rear Admiral Sonoda Naoki ( 園田直紀 ), Commander Kure District.

Official JMSDF video on the naming and launching ceremony of the Hakugei here :


Hakugei at Kawasaki Kobe Shipyard. Photo : JMSDF



RAdm Sonoda Naoki with silver ship launching axe.
Photo : JMSDF



The submarine is officially named by Minister for Defense
Kishi Nobuo ( 防衛大臣 岸信夫 ). Photo JMSDF



Hakugei going down the slipway. Photo : JMSDF



Hakugei SS-514 shortly after launch at KHI Kobe Shipyard. Photo : Wikipedia


                                                                                Video : Kobe Keizai News

The naval band played the theme song of Space Battleship Yamato at the beginning of the video ....