KOBE -- The nation's largest submarine, completed just recently at a shipyard in the area here, was officially handed over March 16 to the Defense Agency.
Construction of the 52 billion yen Oyashio, which weighs 2,750 tons, started four years ago in 1994 at Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. at its Kobe plant. It is about 300 tons heavier than the Harushio class submarine, previously the largest sub in the nation, and is armored with special anti-detection tiles.
The handover ceremony March 16 was attended by Defense Agency dignitaries and about 300 crew members, along with officials from Kawasaki Heavy. The Maritime Self-Defense Force sub departed just after 2 p.m. for Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, where it will be based.
The Oyashio is named after the first sub built in Japan, which was deployed in 1960.