 Shōkaku upon completion, 23 August 1941 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Shōkaku |
| Namesake | 翔鶴, "Soaring Crane" |
| Builder | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal |
| Laid down | 12 December 1937 |
| Launched | 1 June 1939 |
| Commissioned | 8 August 1941 |
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk, 19 June 1944 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | Shōkaku-classaircraft carrier |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 257.5 m (844 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 26 m (85 ft 4 in) |
| Draft | 8.8 m (28 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 4 × shafts; 4 × gearedsteam turbines |
| Speed | 34.2 kn (63.3 km/h; 39.4 mph) |
| Range | 9,700 nmi (18,000 km; 11,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement | 1,660 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried |
|
Shōkaku (Japanese:翔鶴; meaning "Soaring Crane") was thelead ship ofher class of twoaircraft carriers built for theImperial Japanese Navy (IJN) shortly before thePacific War. Along with hersister shipZuikaku, she took part in several keynaval battles during the war, including theattack on Pearl Harbor, theBattle of the Coral Sea, and theBattle of the Santa Cruz Islands, before being torpedoed and sunk by the U.S. submarineUSS Cavalla at theBattle of the Philippine Sea.[2]
TheShōkaku-class carriers were part of the same program that also included theYamato-classbattleships. No longer restricted by the provisions of theWashington Naval Treaty, which expired in December 1936, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) was free to incorporate all those features they deemed most desirable in an aircraft carrier, namely high speed, a long radius of action, heavy protection and a large aircraft capacity.Shōkaku waslaid down atYokosuka Dockyard on 12 December 1937,launched on 1 June 1939, andcommissioned on 8 August 1941.
With an efficient modern design, a displacement of about 32,000 long tons (32,514 t), and a top speed of 34 kn (63 km/h; 39 mph),Shōkaku could carry 70–80 aircraft. Her enhanced protection compared favorably to that of contemporaryAllied aircraft carriers and enabledShōkaku to survive serious damage during the battles of theCoral Sea andSanta Cruz.[3]
In appearance,Shōkaku resembled an enlargedHiryū, though with a 35.3 m (116 ft) longer overall length, 4.6 m (15 ft) wider beam and a larger island. As inHiryū, the forecastle was raised to the level of the upper hangar deck to improve seakeeping. She also had a wider, more rounded and heavily flared bow which kept the flight deck dry in most sea conditions.[4]
The carrier's forefoot was of the newly developed bulbous type, sometimes referred to informally as aTaylor pear, which served to reduce the hull's underwater drag within a given range of speeds, improving both the ship's speed and endurance. Unlike the larger bulbous forefeet fitted to the battleshipsYamato andMusashi, however,Shōkaku's did not protrude beyond the ship's stem.[4]
Shōkaku was 10,000 tons heavier thanSōryū, mainly due to the extra armor incorporated into the ship's design. Vertical protection consisted of 215 mm (8.5 in) on the main armor deck over the machinery, magazines and aviation fuel tanks, while horizontal protection consisted of 215 mm (8.5 in) along the waterline belt abreast the machinery spaces, reducing to 150 mm (5.9 in) outboard of the magazines.[4]
Shōkaku normally stowed 150,000 gallons ofavgas for operational use. Unlike British carriers, whose aviation fuel was stored in separate cylinders or coffer-dams surrounded by seawater, all pre-war Japanese carriers had their aviation fuel tanks built integral with the ship's hull, andShōkaku was no exception. The dangers this posed, however, did not become evident until wartime experience demonstrated these were often prone to cracking and leaking as the shocks and stresses of hits or near-misses to the carrier's hull were inevitably transferred to and absorbed by the fuel tanks. Following the debacle atMidway in mid-1942, the empty air spaces aroundShōkaku's aviation fuel tanks, normally pumped full of inert carbon dioxide, were instead filled with concrete in an attempt to protect them from possible damage. But this did little to prevent volatile fumes spreading to the hangar decks in the event damage did occur, particularly demonstrated whenCavalla torpedoed and sank her.[5]
The geared turbines installed onShōkaku were essentially the same as those onSōryū, maximum power increasing by 8,000 shp (6,000 kW) to 160,000 shp (120,000 kW). In spite of all the additional armor, greater displacement and a 2.1 m (6.9 ft) increase in draught,Shōkaku was able to attain a speed of just over 34.2 kn (63.3 km/h; 39.4 mph) during trials. Maximum fuel bunkerage was 4100 tons, giving her a radius of action of 9,700 nmi (18,000 km; 11,200 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph). Two same-sized downward-curving funnels on the ship's starboard side, just abaft the island, vented exhaust gases horizontally from the boilers and were sufficiently angled to keep the flight deck free of smoke in most wind conditions.[6]
Shōkaku's 242 m (794 ft) long wood-planked flight deck ended short of the ship's bow and, just barely, short of the stern. It was supported by four steel pillars forward of the hangar box and by two pillars aft.
The flight deck and both hangars (upper and lower) were serviced by three elevators, the largest being the forward one at 13 m (43 ft) by 16 m (52 ft), the middle and the rear elevators measured 13 m (43 ft) by 12 m (39 ft). All three were capable of transferring aircraft weighing up to 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) and raising or lowering them took approximately 15–20 seconds.[7]
Shōkaku's nine Type 4 electrically operated arrester wires followed the same standard arrangement as that onHiryū, three forward and six aft. They were capable of stopping a 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) aircraft at speeds of 60–78 knots (111–144 km/h; 69–90 mph). A third crash barrier was added and a light collapsible wind-break screen was installed just forward of the island.[4]
The upper hangar was 623.4 by 65.6 feet (190 by 20 m) and had an approximate height of 15.7 feet (4.8 m); the lower was 524.9 by 65.6 feet (160 by 20 m) and had an approximate height of 15.7 feet (4.8 m). Together they had an approximate total area of 75,347 square feet (7,000 m2). Hangar space was not greatly increased in comparison toSōryū and bothShōkaku andZuikaku could each carry just nine more aircraft thanSōryū, giving them a normal operating capacity of seventy-two plus room for twelve in reserve. Unlike onSōryū, the reserve aircraft did not need to be kept in a state of disassembly, however, thereby shortening the time required to make them operational.[8]
After experimenting with port-side islands on two previous carriers,Akagi andHiryū, the IJN opted to build bothShōkaku and her sister shipZuikaku with starboard-side islands.[4]
In September 1942, a Type 21 air-warning radar was installed onShōkaku's island atop the central fire control director, the first such device to be fitted on any Japanese carrier. The Type 21 had a "mattress" antenna and the initial prototypes were light enough that no major structural modifications were necessary. Later versions, however, were bulkier and required eventual removal of the fifth fire control director in order to accommodate the larger and heavier antenna.[4]
Shōkaku's primary air defense consisted of sixteen 127 mm (5.0 in)Type 89 dual-purpose AA guns in twin mountings. These were sited below flight deck level on projecting sponsons with four such paired batteries on either side of the ship's hull, two forward and two aft. Four fire control directors were installed, two on the port side and two to starboard. A fifth fire control director was located atop the carrier's island and could control any or all of the heavy-caliber guns as needed.[4]
Initially, light AA defense was provided by twelve triple-mount 25 mm (0.98 in)Type 96 AA guns.[4]
In June 1942,Shōkaku had her anti-aircraft armament augmented with six triple 25 mm mounts, two each at thebow and stern, and one each fore and aft of the island. The bow and stern groups each received a Type 95 director. In October another triple 25 mm mount was added at the bow and stern and 10 single mounts were added before the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944.
Shōkaku andZuikaku formed the Japanese5th Carrier Division, embarking their aircraft shortly before the Pearl Harbor attack. Each carrier's aircraft complement consisted of 18Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero"fighters, 27Aichi D3A1 "Val"dive bombers, and 27Nakajima B5N1 or B5N2 "Kate"torpedo bombers.
Shōkaku andZuikaku joined theKido Butai ("Mobile Unit/Force", theCombined Fleet's maincarrier battle group) and participated in Japan's early wartime naval offensives, including Pearl Harbor and the attack onRabaul in January 1942.
In theIndian Ocean raid of March–April 1942, aircraft fromShōkaku, along with the rest ofKido Butai,attackedColombo,Ceylon on 5 April, sinking two ships in harbor and severely damaging support facilities. The task force also found and sank twoRoyal Navyheavy cruisers,HMS Cornwall andDorsetshire, on the same day, as well as the aircraft carrierHMS Hermes on 9 April offBatticaloa.
The Fifth Carrier Division was then deployed toTruk to supportOperation Mo (the planned capture ofPort Moresby inNew Guinea). During this operation,Shōkaku's aircraft helped sink the American aircraft carrierUSS Lexington during theBattle of the Coral Sea but was herself seriously damaged on 8 May 1942 by dive bombers fromUSS Yorktown andLexington which scored three bomb hits: one on the carrier's port bow, one to starboard at the forward end of the flight deck and one just abaft the island. Fires broke out but were eventually contained and extinguished. The resulting damage requiredShōkaku to return to Japan for major repairs.
On the journey back, maintaining a high speed in order to avoid a cordon of American submarines out hunting for her, the carrier shipped so much water through her damaged bow that she nearly capsized in heavy seas. She arrived at Kure on 17 May 1942 and entered drydock on 16 June 1942. Repairs were completed within ten days and, a little over two weeks later on 14 July, she was formally reassigned to Striking Force, 3rd Fleet, Carrier Division 1.[9]
The time required for repairs, combined with the aircraft and aircrew losses incurred by her andZuikaku, kept both carriers from participating in theBattle of Midway.
Following her return to front-line duty, bothShōkaku and her sister-shipZuikaku, with the addition of the light carrierZuihō, were redesignated as theFirst Carrier Division and took part in theBattle of the Eastern Solomons, where they damagedUSS Enterprise, butShōkaku was in turn damaged by dive bombers ofEnterprise, which prevented the bombardment of nearbyHenderson Field.
The First Carrier Division subsequently participated in theBattle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October 1942, where they crippledUSS Hornet (Hornet was abandoned and later sunk by Japanese destroyersMakigumo andAkigumo).Shōkaku was again seriously damaged, taking at least three (and possibly as many as six) 1,000-lb. bomb hits from a group of fifteenDouglas SBD-3 dive bombers launched fromHornet andUSS Enterprise. The Type 21 radar, installed a month ago, enabled the early detection of the incoming U.S. planes, so refueling crews were alerted below deck, giving them time to drain and purge the aviation gasoline lines before they were ruptured by bomb hits, thus saving the ship from the catastrophicavgas fires and explosions that caused most of the carrier sinkings in the Pacific theater.Shōkaku was also fortunate as she had few aircraft on board at the time of the attack. As a result, no major avgas fires broke out and her seaworthiness was preserved. Her flight deck and hangars, however, were left in shambles and she was unable to conduct further air operations during the remainder of the battle.[7][10] The need for repairs kept her out of action for months, leaving other Japanese defensive operations in the Pacific lacking sufficient airpower.
After several months of repairs and training,Shōkaku, now under the command of CaptainHiroshi Matsubara, was assigned in May 1943 to a counterattack against theAleutian Islands, but the operation was cancelled after the Allied victory atAttu. For the rest of 1943, she was based at Truk, then returned to Japan for maintenance late in the year.
In 1944,Shōkaku was deployed to theLingga Islands south ofSingapore. On 15 June, she departed with the Mobile Fleet for Operation "A-Go", a counterattack against Allied forces in theMariana Islands, resulting in theBattle of the Philippine Sea. Her strike waves suffered heavy losses from U.S. combat air patrols and anti-aircraft fire, but some survived and returned safely to the carrier. One of her D4YSuisei strike groups, composed of veterans from the Coral Sea and Santa Cruz engagements, broke through and one plane allegedly struck home with a bomb that damaged the battleshipUSS South Dakota and caused many casualties, but this group suffered heavy losses themselves.
Shōkaku was struck at 11:22 on 19 June by three (possibly four)torpedoes from thesubmarineUSS Cavalla, under Commander Herman J. Kossler. AsShōkaku had been in the process of refueling and rearming aircraft and was in an extremely vulnerable condition, the torpedo hits started avgas fires that proved impossible to control. At 12:10, an aerial bomb exploded, detonating aviation fuel vapors which had spread throughout the ship. The order to abandon ship was given, but before the evacuation had progressed very far,Shōkaku abruptly took on water forward and sank quickly bow-first at position11°40′N137°40′E / 11.667°N 137.667°E /11.667; 137.667, taking 1,272 men with her. The light cruiserYahagi and destroyersUrakaze,Wakatsuki, andHatsuzuki rescued Captain Matsubara and 570 men.[2]
