JS Shimokita

Shimokita was laid down on 30 November 1999 and launched on 29 November 2000 by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, Tamano. She was commissioned into the 1st Landing Group on 12 March 2002.[1]

7 September 2009, the fifth aviation group together with Okinawa Prefecture to participate in disaster prevention drills, Air Self-Defense Force, Fire Service, NTT, Okinawa Electric Power Company and the Japanese Red Cross Society to train for stacking a variety of vehicles such as ambulance.[2]

24 January 2011, from January 27, USS Tortuga implement transport special training together. In response to the Great East Japan Earthquake caused by the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake that occurred on March 11, the same year, she was dispatched as a disaster. At the time of the earthquake, the Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Tamano Plant was conducting an annual inspection, and the completion was accelerated to April 1st, and he joined the disaster relief team from April 6th.

From June 10 to 26, 2013, she participated for the first time in the integrated training Dawn Blitz 13, which was held by the US military alone in Camp Pendleton, California, and San Clemente Island.[3][4] In addition, JS Hyūga and JS Atago participated from the Ground Self-Defense Force, including the Western Army Infantry Corps and the Western Air Corpsnand during the exercise period, the US Marine Corps V-22 Osprey. A vertical takeoff and landing transport aircraft has landed aboard the ship.[5]

Participated in the Okinawa Prefectural Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Drill held on Miyakojima, Taramajima, and Irabujima as part of the 2014 remote island integrated disaster prevention drill held from September 3 to 6, 2014.[6] On November 4, in the Chenzi 26 exercise, which is a large-scale exercise of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Western Army , the MLRS of the Western Army was being trained to shoot on the ship's deck.[7]

On July 1, 2016, the 1st Transport Corps was reorganized under the Mine Warfare Force. July 6, departed Kure in order to participate in Pacific Partnership 2016, Vietnam, Palau and other port calls to make medical support, etc. and return to Kure on August 20.[8]

On April 9, 2018, joint training was conducted with the USS Wasp and several other ships in the waters west of Kyushu.[9] From May 8th to May 24th, she participated in amphibious rapid deployment exercises with the JS Hyūga in the western waters of Kyushu, Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, and the surrounding waters. From the Ground Self-Defense Force, the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, the 1st Helicopter Corps, the Western Air Corps, etc. participated.[10]

In response to the water outage in Kure city due to the heavy rain in July 2018, the special bath installed on the ship moored in the Kure base mooring moat area was opened to the victims on July 8th and 9th.[11] On July 10, she was in Hiroshima Ujina Port while transporting gasoline, diesel fuel about 124 such kiloliters loaded with tank trucks 7 Both  was transported. After that, bathing and water supply support was provided again until the 18th.[12][13][14] The people who took a bath were mainly residents of Etajima City, and were picked up by LCAC from the Hitonose LCAC Maintenance Center in the city.[15]

On August 25, the same year, joint training was conducted with the Royal Navy HMS Albion in the waters south of Honshu.[16]

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  JS Shimokita on 29 October 2006
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  JS Shimokita leaving Pearl Harbor on 20 May 2013
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  JS Shimokita and USS Halsey on 12 November 2014
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  JS Shimokita at Kure on 6 May 2018
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  JS Shimokita at Kure on 20 October 2019