The commissioning ceremony for the first-in-class FFM Frigate ‘Mogami ’ 「もがみ」. JMSDF picture.

Japan Commissions First-In-Class FFM Frigate ‘Mogami ’ 「もがみ」

Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. held a delivery ceremony and a self-defense ship flag raising ceremony for the first-in-class frigate ‘Mogami’ (もがみ). The event took place today at the MHI shipyard in Nagasaki. The first of the FFM frigates is now officially commissioned with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

Xavier Vavasseur  28 Apr 2022

Right after the ceremony, Mogami set sail for its home port: Yokosuka Naval Base, as part of the Mine Warfare Force.

The vessel is named after the Mogami River (最上川, Mogami-gawa) located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. According to the JMSDF “The Mogami River is said to be the “Mother’s River” because it brings many blessings to people.” (最上川は、人々に多くの恵みをもたらしていることから〝母なる大河”と言われています。)

While Mogami (FFM-1) is the first-in-class ship, Kumano (FFM-2), the second ship of the class was commissioned first, in March 2022. This is because Mitsui E&S received a subcontracting order from MHI (the main contractor) for the construction of the 3,900-ton frigate for the JMSDF. Mogami was launched in March 2021 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in Nagasaki. Naval News’ Japanese contributor, Yoshihiro Inaba, attended the launch ceremony. Kumano was the first of the FFM ships to be launched, back in November 2020. She was built by local shipbuilder Mitsui E & S Shipbuilding Co., Ltd in Okayama. The third vessel in the class, Noshiro (のしろ), was launched by MHI in Nagasaki in June 2021. The fourth FFM, Mikuma (みくま), was launched by MHI in December 2021.

Mogami setting sail for its home port: Yokosuka Naval Base. Video by @su27cobra