 Seta on theYangtze River in 1935. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Seta class |
| Builders |
|
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Toba |
| Succeeded by | Atami class |
| Built | 1922–1923 |
| In commission | 1923–1945 |
| Planned | 4 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Lost | 3 |
| Retired | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | River gunboat |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 8.2 m (27 ft) |
| Draft | 1.02 m (3 ft 4 in) |
| Installed power | 1,600 kW (2,100 ihp), 2 cyl.compound steam engine |
| Propulsion | 2shafts |
| Speed | 16knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Range | 1,750 nmi (3,240 km; 2,010 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 62 |
| Armament |
|
TheSeta-class gunboats (勢多型砲艦,Seta-gata hōkan) were a class of four riverinegunboats of theImperial Japanese Navy. They entered service in 1923 for use along theYangtze River in China. The remained in service through theSecond Sino-Japanese War andWorld War II. Three of the gunboats were damaged beyond repair andbroken up during World War II. The fourth,Seta, was surrendered at the end of the war, and taken over by theRepublic of China Navy and renamedChang Teh. During theChinese Civil War,Chang Teh was captured byCommunist Chinese forces.
TheSeta class were a series of four rivergunboats constructed along the same dimensions of the precedingJapanese gunboat Toba. They measured 56 m (184 ft)long overall and 55 m (180 ft)between perpendiculars with abeam of 8.2 m (27 ft) and adraft of 1.02 m (3 ft 4 in).[1] They had astandard displacement of 338 t (333long tons) and 400 t (390 long tons) atfull load.[2][a]
The gunboats were powered steam from twoKampon boilers fed to a two-cylindercompound steam engine turning twoshafts creating 1,600 kW (2,100 ihp). TheSeta class had a maximum speed of 16knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) and had capacity for 74 t (73 long tons; 82 short tons) of coal and 25 t (25 long tons; 28 short tons) of oil for fuel, giving them a range of 1,750nautical miles (3,240 km; 2,010 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[1] The ships had a complement of 62. They were armed with two7.6 cm/40 cal. guns and three or six13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns.[1][2]
| Seta class construction data[1][2] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Builder | Launched | Completed | Fate | ||
| Seta (勢多) | Harima Shipbuilding,Harima | 30 June 1922 | 6 October 1923 | Surrendered 1945. Transferred toRepublic of China asChang Teh. Captured in 1949 by thePRC | ||
| Katata (堅田) | 16 July 1922 | 20 October 1923 | Broken up 1945 | |||
| Hira (比良) | Mitsubishi,Kobe | 14 March 1923 | 24 August 1923 | Broken up 1945 | ||
| Hozu (保津) | 19 April 1923 | 7 November 1923 | Sunk 26 November 1944, wreck broken up early 1945 | |||
The four gunboats were ordered as part of the 1920–28 Fleet Building Program for service on Chinese rivers.[1][2] They were constructed in sections in Japan and reassembled in China.Seta andKatata were reassembled by the Tungwha Shipbuilding Company ofShanghai andHira andHozu by Yangtze Engineering Company inHankou.[1] During theSecond Sino-Japanese War, the four gunboats were assigned to the 11th Gunboat Division in July 1937.Seta was based atChangsha,[4]Hozu at Hankow,[5]Hira atChongqing[6] andKatata at Shanghai.[7] On 13 August 1937, the 11th Gunboat Division took part in the landing of additional Japanese troops during fighting in Shanghai.[4][7] The 11th Gunboat Squadron took part in the assault onXinguan on 13 December 1937, attacking fleeing Chinese troops as they sought to escape via boats and rafts.[4][5][6]
DuringWorld War II, theSeta-class ships had their armament upgraded to two 7.6 cm/40 cal. guns and six 25 mm (0.98 in)anti-aircraft guns (AA guns). The 25 mm guns were later replaced with five 13.2 mm AA guns inSeta andKatata. However, by 1945, all of the guns aboard the gunboats were stripped for use ashore.[8]Seta was attacked and damaged by Chinese aircraft while operating on theYangtze River on 6 June 1943.Seta suffered damage but returned to service. On 12 December 1944,Katata was attacked byUnited States Army Air Forces (USAAF) aircraft atJiujiang, damaged and driven aground. The ship was salvaged and towed to Shanghai where it was damaged again on 2 April 1945 by USAAF aircraft. The vessel was surrendered in August 1945 andbroken up.[1]Hira andHozu were attacked by Chinese aircraft nearAnqing on the Yangtze on 26 November 1944.[1]Hira was badly damaged and considered aconstructive total loss[8] and broken up in early 1945, but only stricken from the naval vessel register on 10 May 1945.Hozu was sunk in shallow water and the wreck was broken up in early 1945. The ship was also only stricken from the naval vessel register on 10 May 1945.[1]Seta, the only surviving member of the class, was surrendered in August 1945 and handed over to theRepublic of China. RenamedChang Teh, the ship was captured by thePRC in 1949 during theChinese Civil War.[1] The ship was renamedMin Jiang in 1949 and was reported broken up in the 1960s.[9]
