Atami-class gunboat

The Atami-class gunboats (熱海型砲艦) were a class of riverine gunboats of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The class consisted of two vessels, JAPANESE GUNBOAT Atami (熱海) and JAPANESE GUNBOAT Futami (二見). Designed for service on Chinese rivers, they were an improved version of the Seta-class gunboat. They were constructed by Fujinagata at Osaka, Japan in 1928 to 1930. The gunboats served in the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II until their surrender in 1945. They were taken over by the Republic of China and renamed Yung Ping and Yung An respectively. Both ships were captured in 1949 by Communist China during the Chinese Civil War.

Design and description
The Atami class were improved versions of the preceding Seta-class gunboat. Designed for use on Chinese rivers, the gunboats measured 151 ft long overall and 148 ft between perpendiculars and at the waterline with a beam of 22 ft and a draught of 3 ft. The vessels had a light displacement 206 t and a standard displacement of 225 t.

The gunboats were powered by a triple expansion engine fed steam by two Kampon boilers turning two shafts creating 1300 ihp. This gave the ships a maximum speed of 16+3/4 kn. They had capacity for 28 t of coal and 34 t of oil for fuel. The Atami class were initially armed with one 3.1 in/28 cal. anti-aircraft gun, one 13.2 mm gun and five 7.7 mm machine guns.

Construction and career
Two ships were authorised under the 1927 Programme. They were both constructed by Fujinagata at Osaka between 1928 and 1930. Both gunboats sailed from Japan to China for service on the Yangtze River. On 14 June 1933, Futami ran aground on an uncharted rock. The gunboat was refloated in August and sent to Shanghai for repairs. In 1937, at the onset of the Second Sino-Japanese War, both gunboats were assigned to the 11th Gunboat Division, with Atami acting as the force's flagship. The 11th Gunboat Division evacuated Japanese civilians from interior China to Shanghai in August. On 13 August, the division landed additional troops during the Second Battle of Shanghai and bombarded shore positions.

In 1940, the two gunboats were rearmed with five 25 mm guns replacing the machine guns and one 79 mm/40 cal. anti-aircraft gun. On 10 June 1943, Atami was damaged by Chinese aircraft on the Yangtze River near Tung Ting Lake. By 1945, the two gunboats had been stripped of their guns, which were used ashore. Both ships were surrendered by the Japanese in August 1945. Transferred to the Republic of China, Atami was renamed Yung Ping and Futami renamed Yung An. Both ships were captured by Communist China in 1949 during the Chinese Civil War.