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Description
Known as JS Izumo or JDS Izumo depending on the source, DDH-183 is the newest ship in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Built by the IHI shipyard, Izumo was commissioned on March 25, 2015 as a "helicopter destroyer" despite being configured more like an aircraft carrier. It has a 248-meter (814-foot) flight deck, elevators inside and outside to transfer aircraft from deck to hangar and vice versa, and four CIWS turrets for short-range defense. Izumo can carry up to 28 aircraft, but is normally expected to carry under a dozen helicopters for search-and-rescue (SAR) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions.

With neither a catapult nor a "ski jump" ramp, Izumo cannot launch airplanes and function as a traditional aircraft carrier, but it would be able to deploy VTOL and STOVL aircraft such as the V-22 Osprey and F-35 Lightning. It is the largest Japanese naval vessel since World War II, and its presence is of some concern to countries such as China, Korea, and Russia, who tend to be suspicious of any increase in Japanese military strength. I spotted this new ship docked near the Yokosuka naval base, and its appearance was of great interest to both the Japanese public and some American sailors on leave that day.

Description
Known as JS Izumo or JDS Izumo depending on the source, DDH-183 is the newest ship in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Built by the IHI shipyard, Izumo was commissioned on March 25, 2015 as a "helicopter destroyer" despite being configured more like an aircraft carrier. It has a 248-meter (814-foot) flight deck, elevators inside and outside to transfer aircraft from deck to hangar and vice versa, and four CIWS turrets for short-range defense. Izumo can carry up to 28 aircraft, but is normally expected to carry under a dozen helicopters for search-and-rescue (SAR) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions.

With neither a catapult nor a "ski jump" ramp, Izumo cannot launch airplanes and function as a traditional aircraft carrier, but it would be able to deploy VTOL and STOVL aircraft such as the V-22 Osprey and F-35 Lightning. It is the largest Japanese naval vessel since World War II, and its presence is of some concern to countries such as China, Korea, and Russia, who tend to be suspicious of any increase in Japanese military strength. I spotted this new ship docked near the Yokosuka naval base, and its appearance was of great interest to both the Japanese public and some American sailors on leave that day.