LocationandTopography
HACHINOHE
LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY
The port of Hachinohe, Japan is located at 40°33'N 141°32'E on the northeastern coast of Honshu, the largest of the four main Japanese islands (Figure V-144).
Hachinohe is situated on a relatively small bay on the mostly north-south oriented coastline, approximately 11 nmi south-southeast of Misawa. Hachinohe is a busy port, with much of the traffic related to the local chemical plants and petroleum refinery. The port is also an important fishing harbor and is home to a multitude of fishing boats.
Approaches to the port should be made from seaward rather than along the coast. There are numerous submerged scallop nets in several locations within 3 nmi of the coastline of northern Japan, and they may pose a fouling hazard. Harbor personnel advise calling the harbor on VHF Channel 16 to check on net location if a coastal route is necessary.
The terrain in the land areas immediately adjacent to the port is low-lying, but elevations increase somewhat just short distances from the port (Figure V-145). One peak reaches the height of 2,428 ft (740 m) just 8.5 nmi south-southeast of the port, while another reaches 2,018 ft (615 m) about 13 nmi to the southwest. A small peninsula east of the port has hills exceeding 164 ft (50 m) in several locations. Other elevations routinely exceed 328 ft (100 m) within 3 nmi of the port. Farther west, the northern part of the mountain range commonly called the Japanese Alps parallels the coastline and influences the weather at Hachinohe.
The astronomical tidal range at Hachinohe is relatively small. During a port visit in 1987, USS Blue Ridge (LCC-l9) reported a range of only 3.2 ft (0.97 m). Currents within the harbor are generally less than 1 kt.
Source: http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/port_studies/thh-nc/japan/hachinoh/text/sect1.htm
