Japanese aircraft carrier Akitsu Maru

Akitsu Maru in 1944
History
Empire of Japan
Name:	Akitsu Maru
Builder:	Harima, Harima
Completed:	January 1942
Fate:	Sunk 15 November 1944
General characteristics
Type:	Aircraft carrier
Displacement:	11,800 tons (standard)
Length:	471 ft 7 in (5,659 in) (pp)
Beam:	64 ft (20 m)
Draft:	25 ft 9 in (7.85 m) (maximum)
Propulsion:	4 boilers, driving 2 geared turbines 7,500 shp (5,600 kW)
Speed:	20 knots (37 km/h)
Armament:	2 × 1 Type 88 75 mm (3 in) AA guns 10 × 1 Type 38 75 mm (3 in) field guns 6 × 1 Type 25 mm (0.98 in) 96 AA guns
Aircraft carried:	8 (as aircraft carrier) 30 (as aircraft ferry)

Akitsu Maru (あきつ丸^?) was a Japanese landing craft depot ship and escort aircraft carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). In some sources Akitsu Maru and her sister ship Nigitsu Maru (にぎつ丸^?) are also considered to be the first amphibious assault ships. Contrary to many secondary sources, the Nigitsu Maru was not fitted with a flight deck.

Akitsu Maru was a passenger liner taken over before completion by the Imperial Japanese Army. The ship was fitted with a flight deck above the hull, but had no hangar so the aircraft were stored below the flight deck on the original main deck. Conventional aircraft were able to fly off from her deck but could not land aboard due to the short deck length and lack of landing mechanisms. Although, in July 1944, KX arresting gear was fitted on the flight deck. The Kokusai Ki-76 and Kayaba Ka-1 were flown off Akitsu Maru, as the former was a small, slow aircraft that could land on its short deck and the latter was an autogyro which could even more easily land on a short deck without assistance. She could also carry 27 Daihatsu-class landing craft.

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Wikipedia