JS Tone

JS Tone is the sixth ship of the s. She was commissioned on 8 February 1993.

Construction and career

Tone was laid down at Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Tokyo Shipyard on 8 February 1991 and launched on 6 December 1991. She was commissioned on 8 February 1993 and deployed to Sasebo.
From 2–4 August 1999, Tone visited Busan, South Korea with the escort vessels and, and she conducted the first Japan-Korea joint training in the East China Sea from the 4–5 August.
It was planned for the destroyer escort to be open to the public at Shibushi Port, along with the escort vessels, JS Sawakaze, and the transport vessel at the Kanoya Air Festival held from 19 to 20 May 2001, but near Fukuejima, a Chinese Navy ice-breaking information gathering ship was sailing offshore, so the activity was canceled so that the ships could track and monitor the Chinese vessel. After leaving Sasebo on 2 October 2001, she engaged in warning and surveillance activities with the US Navy amphibious assault ship.
Around 5:30 PM on 16 February 2016, the Chinese Navy's East Sea Fleet sailed East-Northeast of Taneshima from the Pacific Ocean to the East China Sea. The frigate, spy ship, and supply ship were discovered together by P-3C aircraft belonging to the 5th Air Group and the support ship. After that, four ships were spotted heading West through the Ōsumi Strait. On 25 December, the Joint Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense announced that Tone was in the waters of the Central East China Sea at around 4 PM on the 24th of December, with the Chinese Navy aircraft carrier, three missile destroyers, three frigate ships, and one supply ship, visually confirming the aircraft carrier's presence. This is the first time that the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force had visually confirmed the aircraft carrier of the Chinese Navy.