History
Imperial Japanese Navy
Name	Cha-196
Builder	Yamanishi Shipbuilding Iron Works, Ishinomaki
Yard number	2046
Laid down	6 March 1944
Launched	8 August 1944
Completed	15 October 1944
Commissioned	15 October 1944
Decommissioned	30 November 1945
Fate	mobilized by the Allied occupation forces, 1 December 1945
Allied Occupation Force
Acquired	1 December 1945
Decommissioned	1 August 1947
Fate	transferred to Ministry of Transportation, 28 August 1947
Ministry of Transportation
Acquired	28 August 1947
Fate	transferred to Japan Maritime Safety Agency, 1 May 1948
Japan Maritime Safety Agency
Acquired	1 May 1948
Renamed	Patrol Vessel Wakataka (PB-25), 23 August 1948 Patrol Vessel Wakataka (PS-25), 25 July 1950 Minesweeper Wakataka (MS-83), 1 December 1951
Fate	transferred to the Coastal Safety Force, 1 August 1952
Japan Coastal Safety Force
Acquired	1 August 1952
Fate	transferred to Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 1 July 1954
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Acquired	1 July 1954
Decommissioned	31 March 1965
Renamed	Special Service Boat No. 8 (MS-83), 1 April 1956 Special Service Boat No. 8 (ASM-58), 1 September 1957 Special Service Miscellaneous Ship No. 31 (YAS-31), 31 March 1962
Fate	unknown
General characteristics
Class and type	No.1-class submarine chaser
Displacement	130 long tons (132 t) standard[1]
Length	29.20 m (95 ft 10 in) overall
Beam	5.65 m (18 ft 6 in)
Draught	1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	1 × intermediate diesel shingle shaft, 400 bhp (300 kW)
Speed	11.0 knots (20.4 km/h; 12.7 mph)
Range	1,000 nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 10.0 kn (18.5 km/h; 11.5 mph)
Complement	32
Armament	1 × 13.2 mm machine gun 22 × depth charges 1 × dunking hydrophone 1 × simple sonar

Cha-196 or No. 196 (Japanese: 第百九十六號驅潜特務艇) was a No.1-class auxiliary submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served during World War II and with Japan during the post-war period.

History

Her construction was authorized under the Maru Sen Programme (Ship # 2001–2100). She was laid down on 6 March 1944 as ship 2046 at the Yamanishi Shipbuilding Iron Works (jp:ヤマニシ) in Ishinomaki^[1] and launched on 8 August 1944.^[2]

She was completed and commissioned on 15 October 1944,^[2] fitted with armaments at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, and assigned to the Ōminato Guard District under lieutenant Mitsuharu Haneda (海老澤　経男).^[2] On 1 November 1944, she was assigned to the Tsugaru Defense Force and tasked with defending the Tsugaru Strait.^[2] She spent most of the war conducting anti-submarine and minesweeping patrols from the port of Muroran.^[2] On 26 June 1945, she was assigned to the Maizuru Naval District.^[2] Cha-196 survived the war and was decommissioned on 30 November 1945.^[2][3]

On 1 December 1945, she was enrolled as a minesweeper by the occupation forces,^[2] one of 269 Japanese ships that served as a minesweeper under the Allied forces after the war.^[4] She conducted minesweeping operations based out of Ominato and later Shimonoseki.^[2] On 1 August 1947, she was demobilized^[2] and on 28 August 1947, she was released to the Ministry of Transportation.^[2]

On 1 May 1948, she was assigned to the Japan Maritime Safety Agency, a sub-agency of the Ministry of Transportation, and designated on 23 August 1948 as patrol vessel Wakataka (わかたか) (PB-25).^[2] On 25 July 1950, she was re-designated as patrol vessel Wakataka (PS-25) and on 1 December 1951 she was redesignated as minesweeper Wakataka (MS-83).^[2] On 1 August 1952, she was assigned to the Coastal Safety Force.^[2] On 1 July 1954, she was transferred to the newly created Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and re-designated on 1 April 1956 as special service boat No. 8 (MS-83).^[2] On 1 September 1957 she was re-designated as special service boat No. 8 (ASM-58) and on 31 March 1962 as special service miscellaneous ship No. 31 (YAS-31).^[2] She was delisted on 31 March 1964.^[2]

References