Background

• The IJN lost too many destroyers while employed as transporters ("Tokyo Express
  Tokyo Express
  The Tokyo Express was the name given by Allied forces to the use of Imperial Japanese Navy ships at night to deliver personnel, supplies, and equipment to Japanese forces operating in and around New Guinea and the Solomon Islands during the Pacific campaign of World War II...
  
  ") in the Guadalcanal Campaign
  Guadalcanal campaign
  The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
  
  .
• Therefore, the IJN wanted the enforced transporter which could penetrate the front line. It was realized rapidly after Operation Ke
  Operation Ke
  was the largely successful withdrawal of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal at the conclusion of the Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II. The operation took place between 14 January and 7 February 1943, and involved both army and navy forces under the overall direction of the Japanese Imperial...
  
  .

Design

• In April 1943, the General Staff
  Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
  The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo.-History:...
  
   requested a high-speed military transporter to the Technical Department
  Imperial Japanese Navy Technical Department
  The was the externally operating division of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan responsible for the administration of naval vessel construction. From 1923 onward, it took on the role of a research institution for the research and development of naval technologies and engineering...
  
  . The requirements were as follows:
  • Displacement: 1250 LT (1,270 t) standard
  • Propulsion: 1 × geared turbine, 2 × boilers, single shaft
  • Speed: 23 kn (28 mph; 45.1 km/h)
  • Range: 3500 nmi (6,482 km) at 18 kn (21.9 mph; 35.3 km/h)
  • Capacity: 2 × Landing craft (Daihatsu)
    Daihatsu class landing craft
    The Daihatsu Class or 14m landing craft was a type of landing craft, used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was similar to the Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel , with a bow ramp that was lowered to disembark cargo upon riding up onto the beach...
    
     and 200 tons freight
  • Armament: 2 × 127 mm (5 in) or 120 mm (4.7 in) AA guns, 9 × 25 mm AA guns and 36 × depth charge
    Depth charge
    A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
    
    s
• The General Staff thought it was possible to use a variant of the Matsu class destroyer
  Matsu class destroyer
  The were a class of destroyer built for the Imperial Japanese Navy , who referred to them as .-Design basis:The Matsu class were built late in World War II, and they were intended to be more cost-effective in response to the changing character of naval warfare at that time...
  
   for this plan, because they aimed to achieve the mass production effects. In this original plan, the equipment of a slope was not considered. They thought about a Japanese version of the High speed transport (APD)
  High speed transport
  High Speed Transports were converted destroyers and destroyer escorts used to support amphibious operations in World War II and afterward. They received the US Hull classification symbol APD; "AP" for transport and "D" for destroyer....
  
  .
• The Technical Department, however, did not agree to this plan. They submitted a more aggressive plan to the General Staff. They increased the number of landing craft carried and planned to reduce time for the landing.
• In addition, about the mass production effect, they intended to deal with this by reducing the shipyards.
• At that time, the stern slope and operative ability of the amphibious tanks were added.
• In September 1943, the Kure Naval Arsenal
  Kure Naval Arsenal
  was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands along with the establishment of the...
  
   finished the detailed design. Her project number was J37.

Construction

• The IJN nominated Kure Naval Arsenal as the main builder and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
  , or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...
  
   as support builder.
• Lead ship (Landing ship No.1) was constructed at Mitsubishi, laid down on 5 November 1943, launched on 8 February 1944, and completed on 10 May 1944.
• The Kure Naval Arsenal completed 15 vessels, Mitsubishi completed 6 vessels.
• The Kure Naval Arsenal was earnest. They made the original sized wooden samples, and learned a work procedure. And, they used the Yamato
  Japanese battleship Yamato
  , named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing...
  
  's dock and repeated built 2 vessels at the same time. Therefore most Kure's vessels were completed within 80 days from laid down.
• The completed vessels were spent one by one to the front.

Service

• Their primary role was that of a transporter, however since their armaments were strong they were useful as multi-purpose ships at the front, functioning as transporters, as minelayers and as escort ships.
• Most of these vessels were sent to the Battle of Leyte
  Battle of Leyte
  The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
  
   and transportation duty of the Bonin Islands. By that time, the IJN already lost air superiority and thalassocracy in those areas and these vessels suffered heavy losses.
• 5 vessels survived war and were surrendered to the Allies
  Allies of World War II
  The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
  
  .

Ships in class

See also

• High speed transport
  High speed transport
  High Speed Transports were converted destroyers and destroyer escorts used to support amphibious operations in World War II and afterward. They received the US Hull classification symbol APD; "AP" for transport and "D" for destroyer....
  
  
• No.1 class patrol boat
  No.1 class patrol boat (1940)
  The was a class of patrol boats of the Imperial Japanese Navy , serving during World War II. 2 vessels were converted from Minekaze-class destroyers in 1940.-Background:...
  
  
• No.31 class patrol boat
• No.101 class landing ship
  No.101 class landing ship
  The was a class of amphibious assault ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army , serving during and after World War II. The No.101 class was equipped with diesel engines, while the similar was equipped with turbine engine. The IJN called them . The No.103 class has the...