Zuikaku file photo [1991]

Zuikaku

CountryJapan
Ship ClassShokaku-class Aircraft Carrier
BuilderKobe
Launched27 Nov 1939
Commissioned25 Sep 1941
Sunk25 Oct 1944
Displacement29,800 tons standard; 32,000 tons full
Length845 feet
Beam85 feet
Draft29 feet
Machinery8 boilers, 4 Kampon geared turbines, 4 shafts
Bunkerage4,100t fuel oil
Power Output160,000 shaft horsepower
Speed34 knots
Range6,588nm at 18 knots
Crew1,660
Armament16x127mm Type 89 guns, 36x25mm Type 96 anti-aircraft guns
Aircraft72 operational, 12 in reserve

Contributor:

ww2dbaseCommissioned with Captain Yokokawa Ichibei in command only three months before the Pearl Harbor attack, fleet carrier Zuikaku nevertheless participated in the attack that started the Pacific War. During the Pearl Harbor attack, the first wave of 30 aircraft launched from her flight deck attacked Wheeler Field and Naval Air Station at Kaneohe, while the second wave of 44 aircraft attacked Hickam Field and battleships California and Maryland. The attack was a stunning success, and the pilots returned as heroes.

ww2dbaseOn 20 Jan 1942, Zuikaku's aircraft attacked Rabaul. On 21 Jan, they attacked Lae, New Guinea. In Apr 1942, she was a member of the task force that ventured into the Indian Ocean and struck the British naval bases at Ceylon.

ww2dbaseIn May 1942, Zuikaku participated in Operation MO, which was the invasion plan of Port Moresby. The Japanese signals were intercepted and decrypted by Allied intelligence, and carriers Yorktown and Lexington were dispatched. The ensuing Battle of the Coral Sea cost her half of her aircraft, while her sister ship Shokaku was heavily damaged by three bombs. As a result, both carriers were unable to participate in the Battle of Midway in the following month, where the presence of these two additional fleet carriers could have resulted in a much different outcome.

ww2dbaseUnder the command of Captain Tameteru Notomo, Zuikaku sailed for the Solomon Islands in Aug 1942. During the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 Aug 1942, light carrier Ryujo acted as bait to draw the attention of American aircraft, therefore allowed aircraft from Zuikaku and Shokaku to attack American fleet carriers. Zuikaku's aircraft heavily damaged Enterprise with several 1,000-lb bombs, but Enterprise's effective damage control kept the American carrier from becoming disabled. Enterprise was sidelined for repairs for three months after the battle.

ww2dbaseIn Feb 1943, Zuikaku and her aircraft covered the evacuation of Guadalcanal. Later that year, Captain Kikuchi Tomozo took over command of the carrier and countered American naval forces in the Marshall Islands area.

ww2dbaseIn Jun 1944, Zuikaku participated in Operation A-Go which led to the Battle of Philippine Sea. At the end of the battle, 429 Japanese aircraft were destroyed, along with the destruction of Taiho and Shokaku by submarines. Zuikaku was now the last surviving carrier of the Pearl Harbor attack.

ww2dbaseIn Oct 1944, Zuikaku was Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's flagship for the decoy fleet that successfully lured away Admiral William Halsey's fleet, therefore allowing the Battle off Samar to take place. On 24 Oct 1944, Halsey caught up with Ozawa. Zuikaku was struck by seven torpedoes and nine bombs and was abandoned at 1358 that day. She rolled over and sank at 1414. Captain Kaizuka Takeo and 842 men went down with her.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Sep 2006

Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku Interactive Map

Photographs

Zuikaku on the day of her commissioning, Japan, 25 Sep 1941Carrier Zuikaku, fall of 1941Japanese carriers Zuikaku (foreground) and Kaga (background) underway toward Hitokappu Bay, Iturup, Kurile Islands, Nov 1941; note ZuikakuJapanese carriers Zuikaku (foreground), Kaga (center), and Akagi (background) underway toward Hitokappu Bay, Iturup, Kurile Islands, Nov 1941; note Zuikaku
See all 22 photographs of Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku

Maps

Battle of the Coral Sea map and infographic, published 3 May 2017

Zuikaku Operational Timeline

8 Jan 1941 Zuikaku departed Hiroshima, Japan for Truk, Caroline Islands.
25 Sep 1941 Zuikaku was commissioned into service.
9 Nov 1941 Zuikaku arrived at Kure, Japan.
17 Jan 1942 Joseph Rochefort's cryptanalytic team in US Territory of Hawaii detected Japanese carrier Zuikaku at Truk, Caroline Islands.
30 Apr 1942 Carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku departed from Truk to support the Port Moresby, New Guinea invasion.
9 May 1942 Yugure and Ushio took on fuel from a tanker in the Coral Sea at 0015 hours. At 0515 hours, Yugure was ordered to escort the damaged Shokaku to Yokosuka, Japan; Shokaku was administratively reassigned to Carrier Division 5 of 1st Air Fleet for the upcoming dramatic dash past a cordon of American submarines alerted to intercept the Japanese carrier. Meanwhile, Ushio was ordered to escort Zuikaku, which was ordered to pursue any American ships remaining in the Coral Sea area.
26 Oct 1942 Kumano screened the carriers Shokaku, Zuikaku, and Zuiho in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
7 Jan 1943 Zuikaku, Mutsu, and Suzuya departed Truk, Caroline Islands, escorted by Yugure, Inazuma, Isonami, Asashio, and Ariake.
12 Jan 1943 Zuikaku, Mutsu, and Suzuya arrived at Kure, Japan, escorted by Yugure, Inazuma, Isonami, Asashio, and Ariake.




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Search WW2DB
More on Zuikaku
Personnel:
» Genda, Minoru
» Iwamoto, Tetsuzo
» Kondo, Masaichi
» Yamaoka, Mineo

Event(s) Participated:
» Attack on Pearl Harbor
» New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 1, Bismarck Islands
» Raids into the Indian Ocean
» Battle of Coral Sea
» Guadalcanal Campaign
» Solomon Islands Campaign
» Mariana Islands Campaign and the Great Turkey Shoot
» Philippines Campaign, Phase 1, the Leyte Campaign

Document(s):
» Interrogation Nav 10, Captain Mineo Yamaoka
» Japanese Aircraft Carrier Functions
» Japanese Aircraft Carrier Operational Status By Month
» Japanese Aircraft Carrier Specifications
» Japanese Aircraft Carrier Time Operational

Partner Sites Content:
» Zuikaku Tabular Record of Movement

Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku Photo Gallery
Zuikaku on the day of her commissioning, Japan, 25 Sep 1941
See all 22 photographs of Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku


Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"

George Patton, 31 May 1944


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