Japanese submarine chaser Cha-241

Cha-241 or No. 241 (Japanese: 第二百四十一號驅潜特務艇) was a No.1-class auxiliary submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served during World War II.

History
She was laid down on 1 April 1944 at the Yokosuka shipyard of Koyanagi Shipyard Co., Ltd. (株式會社小柳造船所) and launched on 19 September 1944. She was completed and commissioned on 22 October 1944; fitted with armaments at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal; and assigned to the Kii Defense Force, Osaka Guard District under Ensign Koji Matsumoto. On 29 November 1944, Cha-241 joined the destroyers Hamakaze, Yukikaze, and Isokaze who were escorting the carrier Shinano en route from Yokosuka for Kure when the carrier was torpedoed and sunk by the US submarine USS Archerfish (SS-311) at 33.11667°N, 137.06667°W. Cha-241 survived the war.

On 1 December 1945, she was demobilized and enrolled as a minesweeper by the occupation forces. On 1 January 1947, she was assigned to the Japan Maritime Safety Agency and on 20 August 1948 she was designated a minesweeper (MS-04). On 1 December 1951, she was renamed Furutaka (ふるたか). On 1 April 1956, she was transferred to the newly created Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. She was delisted on 31 March 1962.