Shokaku-class Aircraft Carrier

CountryJapan

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

This article refers to the entire Shokaku-class; it is not about an individual vessel.

Approved to be built in the Third Supplementary Program of 1937, the Shokaku-class aircraft carriers were completed in mid-1941, making them the most modern purpose-built fleet carriers of the Japanese Navy at the start of the Pacific War. They were based on the design of the Soryu-class, with the major difference being larger (to carry more aircraft) and heavier (result of thicker armor). As the two central members of the 5th Carrier Division, they participated in most of the major battles and campaigns in the Pacific War, and were both sunk during the war.

Photographs

The chief shipbuilders of carrier Shokaku posing with the hull of the ship two days prior to launching, Yokosuka, Japan, 30 May 1939Launching of Shokaku from the second construction slip of Yokosuka Dockyard, Japan, 1430 hours on 1 Jun 1939Carrier Shokaku at Yokosuka, Japan, 23 Aug 1941, photo 1 of 2Carrier Shokaku at Yokosuka, Japan, 23 Aug 1941, photo 2 of 2
See all 56 photographs of Shokaku-class Aircraft Carrier



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Shokaku-class Aircraft Carrier Photo Gallery
The chief shipbuilders of carrier Shokaku posing with the hull of the ship two days prior to launching, Yokosuka, Japan, 30 May 1939
See all 56 photographs of Shokaku-class Aircraft Carrier



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