CD-51 was a C Type class escort ship (Kaibōkan) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War.

History
CD-51 was laid down by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at their Kobe Shipyard on 1 May 1944, launched on 20 August 1944, and completed and commissioned on 21 September 1944. During the war CD-51 was mostly busy on escort duties.

On 12 January 1945, while on convoy duty north of Qui Nhon (), CD-51 was attacked and sunk by planes from the aircraft carriers , ,  and  which were part of Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman's Task Group 38.3 that had entered the South China Sea to raid Japanese shipping. 159 of her crew were killed.

CD-51 was struck from the Navy List on 10 March 1945.

References

Additional sources

1944 ships
Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Type C escort ships
Maritime incidents in January 1945
World War II shipwrecks in the Sea of Japan
Ships sunk by US aircraft