Shōkaku

Shōkaku on 23 August 1941 upon completion and delivery to the Imperial Japanese Navy
History
Empire of Japan
Name:	Shōkaku
Namesake:	翔鶴, "Soaring Crane"
Laid down:	12 December 1937
Launched:	1 June 1939
Commissioned:	8 August 1941
Fate:	Sunk by American submarine USS Cavalla on 19 June 1944
General characteristics
Class and type:	Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier
Displacement:	25,675 long tons (26,087 t) (standard) 32,105 long tons (32,620 t) (full load)
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:	160,000 shp (120,000 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × Kampon geared steam turbines 8 × boilers 4 × shafts
Speed:	34.2 kn (63.3 km/h; 39.4 mph)
Range:	9,700 nmi (18,000 km; 11,200 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement:	1,660
Armament:	December 1941: 16 × 127 mm (5 in) Type 89 dual purpose guns 36 × 25 mm (1 in) Type 96 anti-aircraft guns
Aircraft carried:	72 (+12 spares) 7 December 1941: 18 × Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero" fighters 27 × Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers 27 × Nakajima B5N1/2 "Kate" torpedo bombers

Shōkaku (Japanese: 翔鶴, "Soaring Crane") was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. Along with her sister ship Zuikaku, she took part in several key naval battles during the Pacific War, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands before being torpedoed and sunk by a U.S. submarine at the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

The Shōkaku-class carriers were part of the same program that also included the Yamato-class battleships. No longer restricted by the provisions of the Washington 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 was laid down at Yokosuka Dockyard on 12 December 1937, launched on 1 June 1939, and commissioned on 8 August 1941.

With an efficient modern design, a displacement of about 32,000 long tons (33,000 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 contemporary Allied aircraft carriers and enabled Shōkaku to survive serious damage during the battles of the Coral Sea and Santa Cruz.