The fourth, Seta, was surrendered at the end of the war, and taken over by the Republic of China Navy and renamed Chang Teh.

[1][2] The four gunboats were ordered as part of the 1920–28 Fleet Building Program for service on Chinese rivers.

Seta was based at Changsha,[4] Hozu at Hankow,[5] Hira at Chongqing[6] and Katata at Shanghai.

[7] On 13 August 1937, the 11th Gunboat Division took part in the landing of additional Japanese troops during fighting in Shanghai.

[4][7] The 11th Gunboat Squadron took part in the assault on Xinguan on 13 December 1937, attacking fleeing Chinese troops as they sought to escape via boats and rafts.

On 12 December 1944, Katata was attacked by United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) aircraft at Jiujiang, damaged and driven aground.

[1] Hira was badly damaged and considered a constructive total loss[8] and broken up in early 1945, but only stricken from the naval vessel register on 10 May 1945.