Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)

[Hood]

Excellent work, great to see the Koko navy growing and some AU flattops.

[BB1987]

SK-1 Class Auxiliary Minesweeper:

In the early 20s Koko no Kaigun had to build a fleet of small auxiliaries for tasks like Minelaying and Minesweeping that, until September 1921, had been operated for them by the IJN under the bilateral agreements that Koko had with Japan until 1897. To fill the gap untill some proper minesweepers entered service, four ships of the old Gyoraitei4-class Torpedo boats were chosen for the task. They were German-built units now approaching retirement age and too small to operate any kind of fleet duties and thus a perfect choice for a stop-gap conversion.
Named Sokaitokumutei (auxiliary minesweeper) 1 through 4 the ships were converted in 1922 and recommissioned in their new role in early 1923. They landed the 76mm cannon and torpedo tubes and embarked minesweeping gear. Given their small dimensions, they carried smaller 290kg paravanes instead of the standard 410kg ones.

Their service lasted only a couple of years, just as it was planned. As soon as the puropose-built units of the S-1 class started to enter service the SK-1 ships were decommissioned and scrapped, the last out of service by 1927.


Ships in class:

SK-1 (ex PT-10) Converted 1922-1923 - Decommissioned 1924
SK-2 (ex PT-11) Converted 1922-1923 - Decommissioned 1924
SK-3 (ex PT-12) Converted 1922-1923 - Decommissioned 1925
SK-4 (ex PT-13) Converted 1922-1923 - Decommissioned 1927

[BB1987]

SK-5 Class Auxiliary Minesweeper:

A former class of outdated Destroyers, the two SK-5 Auxiliary Minesweepers were converted to their new role in 1922. Like the SK-1 units they filled the gap until purpose-built minesweepers would have entered service. During the refit they landed all torpedo tubes and half of the 76mm gun armament, thus reduced to three barrels, and got fitted with paravanes and other minesweepeing gears.

Renamed Sokaitokumutei-5 and -6, the two ships served in their new role since early 1923 until they were ultimately decommissioned in 1928 and 1929 respectively.


Ships in class:

SK-5 (ex DD-10) Converted 1922-1923 - Decommissioned 1928
SK-6 (ex DD-11) Converted 1922-1923 - Decommissioned 1929

[RegiaMarina1939]

More awesome work on one of my favorite AU's here! Great job!

[Colosseum]

Superb.

[emperor_andreas]

Awesome work!

[BB1987]

SK-7 Class Auxiliary Minesweeper:

The two ships of the SK-7 class were the last auxiliary minesweepers commissioned by Koko no Kaigun in the early 20's. They srtarted their life as the first two units of the Kuchikukan-15 class of Destroyers, they were less capable of their later siblings and were thus chosen by the Naval Staff to be converted in their new role. Kuchikukan 15 entered the yards in 1923, she landed the 76mm guns and both torpedo tubes to carry two paravanes and minesweeping gears. Worth to be mentioned, they were the only auxiliary minelayers to be fitted with two depth charge racks- one on each side amidship- like the purpose-built ones. Renamed Sokaitokumutei-7 the ship was recommissioned in its new role by early 1924.

kuchikukan 17 was converted into SK-8 between 1925 and 1926. Together with her sister she was the longest serving of the eight auxiliary minesweepers, being decommissioned in 1933 and 1934 respectively.


Ships in class:

SK-7 (ex DD-15) Converted 1923-1924 - Decommissioned 1933
SK-8 (ex DD-17) Converted 1925-1926 - Decommissioned 1934

[emperor_andreas]

Very nice work!

[eswube]

Very nice additions.

[BB1987]

Yusokan 1 Class Landing Ship:

As an insular country Koko pretty much needed ships to transport troops for every possible military operation, something that the military leaders realized quite soon. Under the Second Rearmament Bill of 1936 a class of eight landing ships was included in the building program. The ships were 60,6m long, had a beam of 9,4 and a draft of 4,3m (2,5m at the bow) for a displacement of 700T. Diesel engines, driving a single shaft, pushed them to a 14,3knots top speed. Endurance was around 3.000nautical miles at top speed. Armament was made up by a single 76mm gun, two single 25mm machine guns and a 150mm mortar. With a crew of 40, they were capable of carrying 170 troops and five tanks.

The first ship, Yusokan No.1 (often shortened as Y-No.1), was laid down in late 1936 and commissioned in 1938. When the war broke up in europe, the order was increased from eight to twelve ships and production was sped up after 1941. Four units were in service at the start of the pacific war, all taking part in the Aleutian invasion. Three more joined in 1942, another four in 1943 and the last one in early 1944. All were eventually sent south to support operations in the Solomon islands, not before being all painted in olive-green scheme. During the course of the year some also recieved Type13 Air-search radars.

Yusokans No.3, 4 and 5 were all sunk by air attack during the attirton battles between Kokoan/Japanese forces and US/Recerchean ones in the Solomons. Yusokan No.1 and No.2 were sunk during the Truk raid in February 1945. The seven remaining units Returned to Koko, where they recieved improved R2Fa air radars of Thiarian design and a revised camouflage with brouwn splotches other than the olive-green tone. The anti-air armament was also increased to twelve 25mm machine guns in single mounts.

Thus refitted the ships were employed in the Aleutian theatre. No.6, 7 and No.11 were sunk in early 1946 during US bombardments on the harbor of Mizushimo. After the end of the war, the four surviving units were eventually decommissioned and scrapped between late 1946 and mid 1947.


Ships in class: (laid down-launched-commissioned - fate)

Yusokan No.1 1936-1937-1938 - sunk 1945
Yusokan No.2 1937-1938-1939 - sunk 1945
Yusokan No.3 1938-1939-1940 - sunk 1944
Yusokan No.4 1939-1940-1941 - sunk 1944
Yusokan No.5 1940-1941-1942 - sunk 1944
Yusokan No.6 1941-1942-1942 - sunk 1946
Yusokan No.7 1941-1942-1942 - sunk 1946
Yusokan No.8 1942-1943-1943 - Decommissioned 1946
Yusokan No.9 1942-1943-1943 - Decommissioned 1946
Yusokan No.10 1942-1943-1943 - Decommissioned 1946
Yusokan No.11 1942-1943-1943 - sunk 1946
Yusokan No.12 1943-1943-1944 - Decommissioned 1947