Japanese aircraft carrier Shin'yō

Shin'yō in November 1943
History
Empire of Japan
Name:	Shin'yō
Acquired:	1942
Commissioned:	15 November 1943
Fate:	Sunk, 17 November 1944
Notes:	Converted from the German liner Scharnhorst
General characteristics
Class and type:	Unique escort carrier
Displacement:	17,500 t (17,200 long tons) (standard) 20,586 t (20,261 long tons) (loaded)
Length:	189.36 m (621 ft 3 in)
Beam:	26 m (85 ft)
Draft:	8.18 m (26 ft 10 in)
Installed power:	26,000 shp (19,000 kW)
Propulsion:	2 × AEG steam turbines turbo-electric transmission 2 × shafts
Speed:	22 kn (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Complement:	942
Armament:	Upon Completion In 1943: 8 ×127 mm (5.0 in)/40 cal dual purpose guns 30 × 25 mm (0.98 in) anti-aircraft guns After 1944 Refit: 8 × 127 mm (5.0 in)/40 cal dual purpose guns 50 × 25 mm (0.98 in) anti-aircraft guns
Aircraft carried:	33 (27 useful, 6 spares)
Aviation facilities:	2 × elevators

Shin'yō (神鷹) "Divine Hawk") was an escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, converted from the German ocean liner Scharnhorst. The liner had been trapped in Kure, Japan following the outbreak of World War II in Europe, which prevented any attempt for the ship to return to Germany. The Japanese Navy then purchased the ship, and after the Battle of Midway in June 1942, decided to convert her into an aircraft carrier. Conversion work lasted from 1942 to late 1943, and Shin'yō was commissioned into the Japanese Navy in December 1943. After entering service, Shin'yō was employed as a convoy escort in the western Pacific. She served in this capacity for less than a year; in November 1944, the US submarine Spadefish torpedoed Shin'yō while she was en route to Singapore. As many as four torpedoes hit the ship and detonated her aviation fuel tanks. The resulting explosion destroyed the ship and killed most of her crew.

As rebuilt, Shin'yō was 606 ft 11 in (184.99 m) long between perpendiculars and 621 ft 3 in (189.36 m) overall. She had a beam of 84 ft (26 m) and a draft of 26 ft 10 in (8.18 m). A 590.5 by 80.5 ft (180.0 by 24.5 m) flight deck was installed, along with a pair of elevators and a single large hangar. This arrangement allowed for 27 combat aircraft and six spare airframes, for a total of 33 aircraft.

The ship was powered by a pair of geared turbines that were supplied with steam by four boilers. The propulsion system produced 26,000 shaft horsepower (19,000 kW) and a top speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). At a speed of 19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph), the ship could steam for approximately 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi). The original high-pressure, high-temperature, oil-fired boilers proved to be highly problematic and so the Japanese replaced them shortly after Shin'yō was completed. Steering was controlled by a single rudder.