Shirase (AGB-5003)
Shirase (AGB-5003) ( Japanese し ら せ , English AGB “SHIRASE” Class 5003 ) is an icebreaker of the Japanese Sea Self- Defense Forces (JMSDF) , the de facto Navy of Japan. It is integrated into the Japanese Antarctic Research Program .
The ship has a displacement of 25,000 t with dimensions of 138 × 28 × 5.9 m and a draft of 9.2 m.
The ship is the fourth icebreaker to be built in Japan and used in the country. The previous ship ( Shirase AGB-5002 ) had the same name. According to the internal rules of the JMSDF, an icebreaker must have the name of a place. That is why the ship was named after the Shirase Glacier , which in turn bears the family name of Nobu Shirase , a Japanese Antarctic explorer.
Expeditions and incidents
On November 10, 2009 ( Japan Standard Time ), the ship set off on its first expedition.
In February 2013, the alleged animal rights group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that the Shirase got rid sent to monitor the disruptive actions of the Japanese whaling fleet. According to the National Institute of Polar Research , the ship was far from the whalers near the Shōwa station .
On February 17, 2014, the ship ran aground near the uninhabited Molodjozhnaya station in Antarctica. However, since only the outer shell of the double-walled ship was damaged, there was no danger to people or the environment.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 「し ら せ」 型 AGB "SHIRASE" Class 5003 「し ら せ｣ . (No longer available online.) Department of Defense, archived from original on May 25, 2015 ; Retrieved December 29, 2014 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
