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Japanese icebreaker Shirase (AGB-5003)

History
Japan
Name	Shirase (しらせ)
Namesake	Shirase Glacier
Laid down	15 March 2007
Launched	16 April 2008
Commissioned	20 May 2009
Homeport	Yokosuka
Identification	Hull number: AGB-5003 MMSI number: 431999533 Callsign: JSNJ
Status	Active
Class overview
Preceded by	Shirase class (1981)
Succeeded by	N/A
General characteristics [1]
Type	Icebreaker
Displacement	Approx. 20,000 tons
Length	138 m (452 ft 9 in)
Beam	28 m (91 ft 10 in)
Draft	9.2 m (30 ft 2 in)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric Four propulsion motors, 22,000 kW (30,000 hp) (combined) Two shafts; fixed-pitch propellers
Speed	19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) (maximum) 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) in 1.5 m (4.9 ft) ice
Capacity	80 scientists 1,100 tons of cargo
Complement	175
Aircraft carried	3helicopters

Shirase (しらせ) is a Japanese icebreaker operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and is Japan's fourth icebreaker for Antarctic expeditions. She inherited her name from her predecessor.

She was launched in April 2008 and commissioned in May 2009 with the hull number AGB-5003. She began her first voyage on 10 November 2009.

Name[edit]

In Japanese, the name "Shirase" is written in hiragana.^[2] Due to a JMSDF internal naming rule, an icebreaker must be named after a place.^[3] Accordingly, Shirase was named after the Shirase Glacier.^[2] This glacier bears the family name of Lieutenant Nobu Shirase, a Japanese pioneer in Antarctic exploration.^[4]

Operations[edit]

In February 2013, the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society claimed the Shirase was sent to monitor its interference with the Japanese cetacean research fleet.^[5] However, according to the National Institute of Polar Research, the icebreaker was in fact far to the west off the coast of Antarctica near the Showa Base, at the time.^[6] The Japanese government subsequently confirmed that the vessel was not involved in any operation related to the whaling program,^[7] and that Sea Shepherd's claims were "completely fake".^[8]

On 17 February 2014, the Shirase ran aground just off the unmanned Molodyozhnaya StationinAntarctica. While the outer hull was penetrated, the vessel was in no danger of sinking and no fuel oil leakage was reported.^[9]

On August 17, 2017, a CH-101 helicopter of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force assigned to the Shirase crashed at Iwakuni Air BaseinYamaguchi Prefecture. Four crewmembers were injured.^[10][11][12]

References[edit]