Japanese aircraft carrier Chitose

Chitose before conversion as a seaplane tender
History
Empire of Japan
Name:	Chitose (千歳)
Namesake:	Japanese for "thousand years"
Laid down:	26 November 1934
Launched:	29 November 1936
Commissioned:	25 July 1938
Reclassified:	15 December 1943 as light carrier
Refit:	1942 to 1944
Reinstated:	1 January 1944
Fate:	Sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, 25 October 1944.
General characteristics
Class and type:	Chitose-class aircraft carrier
Displacement:	11,200 long tons (11,400 t) (standard) 15,300 long tons (15,500 t) (full load)
Length:	192.5 m (631 ft 7 in)
Beam:	20.8 m (68 ft 3 in)
Draft:	7.5 m (24 ft 7 in)
Installed power:	56,000 shp (42,000 kW)
Propulsion:	2 × geared steam turbines 2 × shafts
Speed:	28.9 kn (53.5 km/h; 33.3 mph)
Complement:	800
Armament:	Seaplane Tender: 4 × 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval guns 12 × Type 96 25 mm AA gunss Aircraft carrier 8 × 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval guns 30-48 × Type 96 25 mm AA guns
Aircraft carried:	Seaplane Tender 24 × floatplanes Aircraft Carrier: 30 × aircraft
Aviation facilities:	Seaplane Tender: 4 × catapults Aircraft Carrier: 2 × elevators

Chitose (千歳^?) was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. First laid down as a seaplane tender in 1934 at Kure Navy yard, the ship originally carried Kawanishi E7K Type 94 "Alf" and Nakajima E8N Type 95 "Dave" floatplanes. Although it has been speculated that Chitose also carried Type A midget submarines, only her sister ship, Chiyoda had that capability. Chitose saw several naval actions, taking part in the Battle of Midway though seeing no combat there. She was bombed by B-17 Flying Fortresses off Davao, Philippines on 4 January 1942, sustaining negligible damage. She covered the Japanese landings in the East Indies and New Guinea from January–April 1942, and was damaged in the Eastern Solomons in August 1942.

Chitose underwent conversion to a light aircraft carrier at Sasebo Navy Yard commencing on 26 January 1943, was recommissioned on 1 November 1943 as CVL (24) and completed as a carrier on 1 January 1944. She was assigned to CarDiv 3 as part of the Japanese Third Fleet.

Both Chitose and Chiyoda were sunk by a combination of naval bombers, cruiser shellfire and destroyer-launched torpedoes during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. According to the plan for the Sho-ichi go operation, both carriers were divested of aircraft and successfully used to decoy the main body of the American fleet away from the landing beaches in the Philippines. Chitose was sunk by torpedo hits during the first air strike made by naval aircraft of Task Force 38 (TF 38) from the aircraft carrier USS Essex off Cape Engaño.