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Unryū class aircraft carrier

Japanese aircraft carrierUnryu.jpg
Unryū on 16 July 1944
Class overview
Name: Unryū class
Builders:
Operators:  Imperial Japanese Navy
Preceded by: Shōkaku class
Succeeded by: Project Number G18(only a project)
Subclasses:
  • Unryū (Ship #302 and 5001–5006)
  • Ikoma (Ship #5007–5015)
Cost:
  • 87,039,000 JPY in 1941
  • 93,442,000 JPY in 1942
Built: 1942–45
In commission: 1944–45
Planned: 1 (1941) + 15 (1942)
Completed: 3
Cancelled: 13
Lost: 2 + 1 (Aso)
Retired: 1
General characteristics
Type: Aircraft carrier
Displacement:
  • Unryū and Amagi
  • 17,480 long tons (17,760 t) standard
  • all others
  • 17,150 long tons (17,425 t) standard
Length: 227.35 m (745.9 ft) o/a
Beam: 22 m (72 ft)
Draught: 7.86 m (25.8 ft)
Propulsion:
  • 8 × Ro-Gō Kampon water-tube boilers
  • 4 × Kampon geared turbines,
  • 4 shafts
  • Katsuragi and Aso
  • 104,000 shp (78,000 kW)
  • all others
  • 152,000 shp (113,000 kW)
Speed:
  • Katsuragi and Aso
  • 32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h)
  • all others
  • 34 knots (39 mph; 63 km/h)
Range: 8,000 nmi (15,000 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Endurance:
  • Fuel: 3,750 tons oil
  • Armaments for aircraft:
  • Unryū class
  • 72 × 800 kg bombs
  • 288 × 250 kg bombs
  • 456 × 60 kg bombs
  • 36 × Type 91 torpedoes
  • Ikoma class
  • 72 × 800 kg bombs
  • 144 × 250 kg bombs
  • 252 × 60 kg bombs
  • 36 × Type 91 torpedoes
Complement:
  • Unryū and Amagi
  • 1,100
  • Katsuragi, Kasagi and Aso
  • 1,500
  • Ikoma
  • 1,595
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Radar:
  • Unryū and Amagi as built
  • 2 × Type 21 radars (top of island and flight deck)
  • 1 × Type 13 radar (mast)
  • Katsuragi as built
  • 2 × Type 21 radars (top of island and flight deck)
  • 2 × Type 13 radars (mast and radio antenna)
  • Amagi and Katsuragi in 1945
  • 1 × Type 21 radar (flight deck)
  • 1 × Type 22 radar (top of island)
  • 1 × Type 13 radar (mast)
  • Sonar and hydrophone:
  • Amagi
  • Type 93 hydrophone
  • Type 3 active sonar
  • all others
  • Type 0 hydrophone
  • Type 3 active sonar
Armament:
  • 12 (6 × 2) 127 mm Type 89 AA guns
  • 93 (21 × 3 and 30 × 1)Type 96 25 mm AA guns
  • 30 depth charges
  • Unryū and Amagi
  • 168 (6 × 28) 4.7 inch AA rockets
  • Kasagi
  • 120 (4 × 30) 4.7 inch AA rockets
  • all others
  • 180 (6 × 30) 4.7 inch AA rockets
Armor:
  • Deck: 25 mm (0.98 in)
  • Belt:
  • Katsuragi and Aso
  • 50 mm (2.0 in)
  • all others
  • 46 mm (1.8 in)
Aircraft carried:
Aviation facilities:
  • flight deck
  • bilayer hangar
  • two elevators
  • 3 × Type 3 crash barrier
  • 4 × 3 wires Type 3 arresting gear

The Unryū-class aircraft carriers (雲龍型航空母艦 Unryū-gata Kōkūbokan?) were World War II Japanese aircraft carriers. 16 carriers were planned under the Maru Kyū Programme (Ship #302 in 1941) and the Kai-Maru 5 Programme (#5001–5015 in 1942). However, only 3 of the Unryū class carriers were completed.

In the lead-up to the Pacific War the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) attempted to build a large number of fleet carriers. For them to be built quickly, the design for these ships was based on the aircraft carrier Hiryū rather than the newer and more sophisticated Taihō or the Shōkaku class.

The Unryū-class aircraft carrier design was very similar to that of Hiryū. The ships were lightly built, and the main difference from Hiryū was that the carriers' island was placed on the starboard side of the ships. The carriers were capable of carrying 63 aircraft in two hangars, and were fitted with two elevators. The Unryū class carried a smaller quantity of aviation fuel than Hiryū with fuel tanks protected by concrete. The ships were fitted with the same propulsion system used in the aircraft carrier Sōryū to reach 34 knots (63 km/h), though Katsuragi was instead fitted with two turbines of the same type used in destroyers and had a maximum speed of 32 knots (59 km/h). The carriers also had a similar armament as Hiryū and were equipped with two Type 21 radars and two Type 13 radars.


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