Zuiho-class Light Carrier
| Country | Japan |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
This article refers to the entire Zuiho-class; it is not about an individual vessel.
ww2dbaseThe Zuiho-class ships were originally laid down as submarine tenders with design flexible enough for them to be used as either light aircraft carriers or fleet oilers; they would indeed be converted to become light aircraft carriers, one after commission (Tsurugizaki/Shoho) and the other shortly after launched (Takasaki/Zuiho). Although Tsurugizaki was completed first as a submarine tender, because Zuiho had beaten Tsurugizaki/Shoho to service after conversion, Zuiho became the lead ship of the class of light carriers. These 11,443-ton ships, each having two centerline elevators and a single hangar, could each operated up to 30 aircraft; although the air groups they carried were small compared to their larger cousins, their speed meant they would nevertheless be valuable additions to fast carrier groups. Shoho's service as a carrier would last only months into the Pacific War, having been sunk at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, becoming the first Japanese carrier to be lost in the war. Zuiho, however, would see greater service, participating in the Battle of Midway, the campaign in the Solomon Islands, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the campaign in the Philippine Islands during which she would be sunk in the Battle off Cape Engaño.
ww2dbaseSources:
Nihon Kaigun
Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Jun 2012
Zuiho-class Light Carrier Interactive Map
Zuiho-class Light Carrier Operational Timeline
| 27 Dec 1940 | Zuiho was commissioned into service. |
| 30 Nov 1941 | Shoho was commissioned into service. |
| 7 May 1942 | At Coral Sea, Japanese carriers attacked US oiler Neosho and destroyer Sims thinking they were a carrier and cruiser, while US carriers attacked escort carrier Shoho (sank at 1135 hours after 13 bomb and 5 torpedo hits; 631 were killed, 203 survived) and nearby cruisers and destroyer thinking it was part of the main carrier force. At 1747 hours, 12 Japanese dive bombers and 15 torpedo bombers in search of the US carrier fleet was intercepted by 11 US fighters; 9 Japanese and 3 US aircraft were destroyed during the subsequent engagement. At the end of the day, both sides decided against a night battle and prepared for new attacks at dawn. |
| 26 Oct 1942 | At the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, US forces achieved victory but saw USS Enterprise, USS South Dakota, and USS San Juan damaged. Aircraft carrier USS Hornet (Yorktown-class) was badly damaged from aerial bombs and torpedoes and then finally hit by three Type 93 torpedoes launched from Japanese destroyers Akigumo and Makigumo which caused her to sink 30 minutes later. On the Japanese side, carriers Shokaku and Zuiho were damaged by dive bombers from USS Hornet and USS Enterprise, respectively. |
| 26 Oct 1942 | Kumano screened the carriers Shokaku, Zuikaku, and Zuiho in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. |
| 28 Feb 1943 | Yugure took on ground support crews of carrier Zuiho and departed Wewak, Australian New Guinea at 1200 hours. |
| 2 Mar 1943 | Yugure arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands at 1300 hours and unloaded support crews of carrier Zuiho. |
| 3 May 1943 | Destroyer Yukikaze departed Truk, Caroline Islands to escort carrier Zuikaku and Zuiho to Japan. |
| 8 May 1943 | Zuikaku, Zuiho, and Yukikaze arrived at Kure, Japan. |
| 25 Oct 1944 | Off northeastern Luzon, Philippines, aircraft from US Navy Task Force 38 attacked the Japanese carrier force consisted of fleet carrier Zuikaku and light carriers Zuiho, Chitose, and Chiyoda in the Battle off Cape Engaño. The Japanese force was escorted by two battleship-carrier hybrids (Hyuga and Ise; aircraft-less on this date), three light cruisers (Oyodo, Tama, and Isuzu), and nine destroyers at about 0830 hours, 26 minutes after those planes were detected by Zuikaku's radar. The overwhelmingly larger American force, under Admiral William Halsey, centered around fleet carriers USS Lexington, USS Intrepid, USS Essex, USS Franklin, USS Enterprise, further bolstered by a great many light carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. Zuikaku was damaged by skilled damage control teams extinguished the fires and corrected the listing by 0850 hours. Chitose was fatally damaged by the first attack wave, sinking at 0937 hours. At 0953 hours, a second attack wave struck, fatally damaging Chiyoda, leaving her dead in the water to be sunk by American destroyers later at 1655 hours. The second wave also damaged Zuiho's flight deck, the last functional flight deck of Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's force; Japanese combat air patrol planes in the air would need to ditch when they ran out of fuel. At 1032 hours, Ozawa transferred his flag from the damaged Zuikaku to Oyodo. At 1308, the Japanese sighted an incoming third wave of American aircraft. Six torpedoes struck Zuikaku, causing massive flooding and several fires in the hangar; the commanding officer addressed the surviving crew, ordered the lowering of the ensign, and gave the abandon ship order at 1358 hours; Zuikaku sank by the stern at 1414 hours. Zuiho suffered two torpedo, two bomb hits, and a great many near-misses during the third attack wave, and she was dead in the water at 1445 hours. At 1455 hours, a fourth wave struck, sealing the doom of Zuiho with ten near-misses, leading to Zuiho's commanding officer giving the abandon ship order; she sank at 1526 hours. |
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James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945
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