Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō
Shōhō
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan
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| Name: | Shōhō |
| Namesake: | Japanese: 祥鳳, "Auspicious Phoenix', or "Happy Phoenix" |
| Laid down: | 3 December 1934 |
| Launched: | 1 June 1935 |
| Commissioned: | 30 November 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk by air attack, 7 May 1942 |
| General characteristics (as converted) | |
| Class and type: | Zuihō-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | 11,443 tonnes (11,262 long tons) (standard) |
| Length: | 205.5 m (674 ft 2 in) |
| Beam: | 18.2 m (59 ft 8 in) |
| Draft: | 6.6 m (21 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power: | |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Range: | 7,800 nmi (14,400 km; 9,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement: | 785 |
| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 30 |
| Aviation facilities: | 2 × Aircraft elevators |
Shōhō (Japanese: 祥鳳, "Auspicious Phoenix" or "Happy Phoenix") was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Originally built as the submarine support ship Tsurugizaki in the late 1930s, she was converted before the Pacific War into an aircraft carrier and renamed. Completed in early 1942, the ship supported the invasion forces in Operation MO, the invasion of Port Moresby, New Guinea, and was sunk by American carrier aircraft on her first combat operation during the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7 May. Shōhō was the first Japanese aircraft carrier to be sunk during World War II.
Shōhō and her sister Zuihō were designed to be easily modified as an oil tanker, submarine tender, or aircraft carrier as needed. Shōhō was laid down by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 3 December 1934 as the submarine tender Tsurugizaki. She was launched on 1 June 1935 and completed on 15 January 1939. Not long after the ship was initially completed, she began reconstruction as an aircraft carrier in 1941. Her superstructure was removed and replaced by a flight deck with a hangar for her aircraft below. Renamed Shōhō, the conversion was finished on 26 January 1942.
After her conversion, Shōhō had a length of 205.5 meters (674 ft 2 in) overall. She had a beam of 18.2 meters (59 ft 8 in) and a draft of 6.58 meters (21 ft 7 in). She displaced 11,443 tonnes (11,262 long tons) at standard load. As part of her conversion, her original diesel engines, which had given her a top speed of 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph), were replaced by a pair of destroyer-type geared steam turbine sets with a total of 52,000 shaft horsepower (39,000 kW), each driving one propeller. Steam was provided by four Kampon water-tube boilers and Shōhō now had a maximum speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph). The boilers exhausted through a single downturned starboard funnel and she carried 2,642 tonnes (2,600 long tons) of fuel oil, giving her a range of 7,800 nautical miles (14,400 km; 9,000 mi) at a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). Her crew numbered 785 officers and men.
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