SS-class landing ship

SS No.19
Class overview
Name:	SS-class landing ship
Builders:	Harima Zōsen Corporation Fujinagata Shipyards Ōsaka Iron Works Naniwa Dock Company Kawanami Kōgyō Corporation
Operators:	Imperial Japanese Army
Succeeded by:	SB-class
Subclasses:	SS No.1 (Prototype) SS No.2 (Supplementary Prototype) SS No.3 (General production type)
Built:	1941–1945
In service:	1942–1947
In commission:	1944–?
Planned:	over 30
Completed:	18[1] or 21[2] or 22[3]
Lost:	?
Retired:	?
General characteristics SS No.3 class
Displacement:	730 long tons (742 t) gross
Length:	65.00 m (213 ft 3 in) overall
Beam:	9.50 m (31 ft 2 in)
Draught:	2.89 m (9 ft 6 in)
Draft:	5.65 m (18 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:	2 × intermediate diesels, 2 shafts, 1,100 bhp[1] or 1,200 bhp[2]
Speed:	14.0 knots (16.1 mph; 25.9 km/h) [1] or 14.5 knots (16.7 mph; 26.9 km/h) [3] or 13.7 knots (15.8 mph; 25.4 km/h) [2]
Range:	3,000 nmi (5,600 km) at 13.4 kn (15.4 mph; 24.8 km/h)
Capacity:	5 tanks and 170 troops
Complement:	40
Armament:	1 × Type 4 75 mm shipboard gun 1 × Type 96 150 mm Infantry Mortar 3 × Type 98 20 mm AA guns

The SS-class landing ship (SS艇 or 機動艇,, SS-tei or Kidōtei) was a class of amphibious assault ships of the Imperial Japanese Army, serving during World War II. The SS meaning are Sensha-Small.^[1]

Background

Gorō Maru in 1939

• October 1938, the IJA succeeded the amphibious operations for Bias Bay with Shinshū Maru. However, long time needed for the operations, because they used low speed landing craft. Therefore, the damage was big, too.
• The IJA thought about amphibious warfare for "small damage" and "quick action".
• In 1939-1940, the IJA repeated an experiment with Gorō Maru (300 tons gross) and Yorihime Maru (526 tons gross). And they analyzed experiment data and placed an order for prototype Kōryū (later SS No.1).
• The IJN was interested in second prototype Banryū (later SS No.2). As for the IJN, 16 ships placed an order, However, they adopted No.101-class, the ordering was canceled.

Ships in classes

SS No.1

• Kōryū / SS No. 1 (蛟龍, 機動第一号艇)

SS No.2

• Banryū / SS No. 2 (蟠龍, 機動第二号艇)

SS No.3 class

See also

• No.101 class landing ship
• Landing craft tank

Footnotes

1. 1 2 3 4 Monthly Armor Modelling special issue
2. 1 2 3 Ships of the World
3. 1 2 Rekishi Gunzo
4. ↑ "Long Lancers". Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 4 December 2013. 

Bibliography

• Monthly Armor Modelling special issue, Navy Yard Vol.9 Tora! Tora! Tora! part-2, Dainippon Kaiga (Japan), November 2008
• Rekishi Gunzō, History of Pacific War Vol.37, Support Vessels of the Imperial Japanese Forces, Gakken (Japan), June 2002, ISBN 4-05-602780-3
• Ships of the World No.506, "Kaijinsha". , (Japan), February 1996
• 50 year History of Harima Zōsen, Harima Zōsen Corporation, November 1960