JSChōkai

	JSChōkaidocked on 28 September 2005
History
Japan
Name	Chōkai; (ちょうかい);
Namesake	Mount Chōkai
Ordered	1993
Builder	IHI Corporation
Laid down	29 May 1995
Launched	27 August 1996
Commissioned	20 March 1998
Homeport	Sasebo
Identification	MMSI number:431999629; Pennant number:DDG-176;
Status	Active
General characteristics
Class and type	Kongō-classdestroyer
Displacement	7500 tons standard; 9500 tons full load;
Length	528.2 ft (161.0 m)
Beam	68.9 ft (21.0 m)
Draft	20.3 ft (6.2 m)
Propulsion	4 Ishikawajima Harima/General Electric LM2500-30gas turbines;; two shafts,; 100,000 shaft horsepower (75 MW);
Speed	30 knots (56 km/h)
Range	4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots; (8,334 km at 37 km/h);
Complement	300
Sensors and; processing systems	AN/SPY-1D; OPS-28 surface search radar; OQS-102 bow mounted sonar;
Electronic warfare; & decoys	NOLQ-2 intercept / jammer
Armament	1 ×127 mm (5 in)/54 Caliber Oto Melara Compact Gun; 8 ×RGM-84 Harpoon Anti-ship Missilein quad canisters; 2 × 20 mmPhalanx CIWS; 2 × HOS-302 tripletorpedo tubes:; Mark 46 torpedo; Type 73 torpedoes; 90-cellMk. 41Vertical Launching System:; SM-2MR Surface-to-air missile; SM-3 Anti-ballistic missile; RUM-139 Anti-Submarine Rocket; RIM-162 Surface-to-air missile;
Aircraft carried	1 × SH-60K helicopter

JSChōkai(DDG-176) is aKongō-classguided missiledestroyerin theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force(JMSDF).Chōkaiwas named afterMount Chōkai.She was laid down byIHI CorporationinTokyoon 29 May 1995 and was launched on 27 August 1996. Commissioning happened on March 20, 1998.

Service

Following her commissioning in March 1998, she was dispatched toHawaiifor the Aegis System Equipment Qualification Test (SQT) until November 4, 1998

From May 16 to August 3, 2001, she participated in US dispatch training with the destroyersHieiandSamidare.

Chōkai, along with the destroyerŌnamiand supply shipHamanawere assigned to the Indian Ocean in November 2004 to provide assistance to the Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group. She returned to Japan in March 2005.

From May 16 to August 1, 2007, she participated in US dispatch training with the destroyersKuramaandInazuma.

From 9 September 2008 to December 8, 2008, she participated inballistic missile defensetests for equipment certification, during which an interception from herRIM-161 Standard Missile 3failed due to a malfunction of the warhead's orbit and attitude control system.

This ship was one of several in the JMSDF fleet participating in disaster relief after the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.^[1]

In 2012,Chōkai,along withKongōandMyōkōwere deployed in cooperation with theUS Navyin preparation for theDemocratic Republic of Koreato test theKwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2.However, the ships were withdrawn after the satellite did not violate Japanese airspace.^[2]

From June 7 to August 23, 2016, she participated in the biannualExercise RIMPAC,conducted in the sea and airspace around Hawaii and the United States West Coast, accompanied by thehelicopter carrier Hyūga.^[3]

In 2019,Chōkaiparticipated in theMalabar naval exercise.She represented the JMSDF along with theKaga,Samidareand aKawasaki P-1.During this exercise, she took part in combat training,anti-submarine warfaretraining,naval gunnerytraining,anti-aircrafttraining, as well as offshore supply training.^[4]

Later in 2019, between October 15 and 17,Chōkai,along with the destroyerShimakazetook part in the Canadian and Japanese joint exercise known as KAEDEX19-2 nearYokosuka,working alongsideHMCSOttawa.^[5]

As of April 2020,Chōkaiis based inSasebo.