Kasashima-class salvage tugboat
# Kasashima-class salvage tugboat

The Kasashima-class salvage tugboats (笠島型救難船兼曳船,, Kasashima-gata Kyūnansen-ken-eisen) were a class of rescue ship / tugboat of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), serving during World War II. The IJN official designation for this class was 600-ton salvage tugboat (六〇〇瓲救難船兼曳船,, 600-ton Kyūnansen-ken-eisen) for all vessels.

## Background

Under the Russo-Japanese War, the IJN purchased many steamships and converted them to salvage vessels. However, when they entered in 1930s, deterioration became remarkable. The IJN initially planned for the Tategami class to succeed them. The IJN was going to build the Tategami class one by one for three years from fiscal year 1936. However, the plan came to an impasse due to budget shortages by the second year. The IJN postponed building of the second ship for two years, and built two cheap 600-ton ships instead: the Hashima (later renamed Kasashima) and Futakami.

## Ships in class

| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Kasashima (笠島) ex-Hashima (波島) | Harima Zōsen | 15 December 1937 | 8 March 1938 | 27 May 1938 as Hashima | Renamed Kasashima on 25 October 1940; sunk by aircraft off Taipei 26°22′N 120°56′E﻿ / ﻿26.367°N 120.933°E﻿ / 26.367; 120.933 on 25 January 1944. |
| Futakami (二神) | Harima Zōsen | 21 October 1938 | 27 March 1939 | 30 April 1939 | Survived war in Truk; decommissioned on 3 May 1947 (?); later scuttled off Tonowas. |

## Footnotes

* 1 2 Ships of the world (1995), p. 403
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Harima Zōsen (1960), pp. 456–457
* ↑ JACAR C05110821000, p. 2
* ↑ Editorial Committee of the Navy, p. 191
* ↑ Cable layer Hatsushima was renamed Hashima on 25 October 1940, therefore, salvage tugboat Hashima was renamed Kasashima. The Maru Special (1981), p. 50
* ↑ Shinshichirō Komamiya, p. 129
