View source for Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō

{{short description|Zuihō-class aircraft carrier}}
{{good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō.jpg
|Ship caption=''Shōhō'', 20 December 1941
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Empire of Japan|Japan]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
|Ship name=''Shōhō''
|Ship namesake=[[Japanese language|Japanese]]: 祥鳳, "Auspicious Phoenix', or "Happy Phoenix"
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Yokosuka Naval Arsenal]]
|Ship laid down= 3 December 1934
|Ship launched= 1 June 1935
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 30 November 1941
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship fate=Sunk by air attack during the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]], 7 May 1942
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(as converted)
|Ship class={{sclass|Zuihō|aircraft carrier}}
|Ship displacement={{cvt|11262|LT|t|order=flip|lk=on}} ([[Standard displacement#Standard displacement|standard]])
|Ship length={{convert|674|ft|2|in|abbr=on|order=flip|1}}
|Ship beam={{convert|59|ft|8|in|abbr=on|order=flip|1}}
|Ship draft={{convert|21|ft|7|in|abbr=on|order=flip|1}}
|Ship power=*4 × [[boiler (steam generator)|boiler]]s
*{{cvt|52000|shp|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=2 × shafts; 2 × geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|28|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|7800|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|18|kn}}
|Ship complement=785
|Ship armament=*4 × twin [[12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun|12.7&nbsp;cm/40 Type 89 gun]]s
*4 × twin [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|Type 96 25&nbsp;mm]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft gun]]s
|Ship aircraft=30
|Ship aircraft facilities=2 × [[Elevator#Aircraft elevators|Aircraft elevators]]
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''''Shōhō''''' ([[Japanese language|Japanese]]: 祥鳳, "Auspicious [[Fenghuang|Phoenix]]" or "Happy Phoenix") was a [[light aircraft carrier]] of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]. Originally built as the [[submarine tender|submarine support ship]] ''Tsurugizaki'' ([[Japanese language|Japanese]]: 剣埼, "Sword Cape") 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]].

==Design, construction and conversion==
[[File:Japanese submarine depot ship Tsurugizaki in 1939.jpg|thumb|left|''Tsurugisaki'' in 1939.]]
''Shōhō'' and her [[sister ship|sister]] {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuihō||2}} 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''.<ref>Peattie, pp. 241–242</ref> She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|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.<ref name=j9/>

[[File:Fig of japanese aircraft carrier Shoho in 1942.gif|thumb|left|Schematic of ''Shōhō'']]
After her conversion, ''Shōhō'' had a length of {{convert|674|ft|2|in|sp=us|order=flip|1}} [[length overall|overall]]. She had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|59|ft|8|in|sp=us|order=flip|1}} and a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|21|ft|7|in|sp=us|order=flip}}. She [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|11262|LT|t|order=flip|lk=on}} at [[Standard displacement#Standard displacement|standard load]]. As part of her conversion, her original [[diesel engine]]s, which had given her a top speed of {{convert|29|kn|lk=in}}, were replaced by a pair of destroyer-type geared [[steam turbine]] sets with a total of {{convert|52000|shp|kW|lk=on}}, each driving one propeller. Steam was provided by four [[Kampon]] [[water-tube boiler]]s and ''Shōhō'' now had a maximum speed of {{convert|28|kn}}. The boilers exhausted through a single downturned starboard [[funnel (ship)|funnel]] and she carried {{convert|2600|LT|t|order=flip|0}} of [[fuel oil]], giving her a range of {{convert|7800|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|18|kn}}.<ref>Jentschura, Jung and Mickel, p. 48</ref> Her crew numbered 785 officers and men.<ref name=p2>Peattie, p. 242</ref>

''Shōhō''{{'}}s flight deck was {{convert|590|ft|6|in|sp=us|order=flip|0}} long and had a maximum width of {{convert|75|ft|6|in|sp=us|order=flip|0}}. The ship was designed with a single hangar {{convert|406|ft|10|in|sp=us|order=flip|0}} long and {{convert|59|ft|m|sp=us|order=flip|0}} wide.<ref>Brown, p. 22</ref> The hangar was served by two octagonal centerline [[Elevator#Aircraft elevators|aircraft elevators]]. The forward elevator was {{convert|13|by|12|m|ftin}} in size and the smaller rear elevator measured {{convert|12|by|10.8|m|ftin}}. She had [[arresting gear]] with six cables, but she was not fitted with an [[aircraft catapult]]. ''Shōhō'' was a [[flush deck|flush-deck design]] and lacked an [[Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)#island|island]] [[superstructure]]. She was designed to operate 30 aircraft.<ref name=p2/>

The ship's primary armament consisted of eight 40-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] [[12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun|12.7&nbsp;cm Type 89]] [[anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] (AA) guns in twin mounts on sponsons along the sides of the hull. ''Shōhō'' was also initially equipped with four twin [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|25&nbsp;mm Type 96]] light AA guns, also in sponsons along the sides of the hull.<ref name=j9>Jentschura, Jung and Mickel, p. 49</ref>

==Service history==
[[File:Shoho conversion.jpg|thumb|''Shōhō'' undergoing conversion into a light carrier, 2 September 1941]]
''Shōhō'' was commissioned on 30 November 1941 and [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] Ishinosuke Izawa became her commanding officer. While still fitting-out, the ship was assigned to the [[Fourth Carrier Division]] of the [[1st Air Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|1st Air Fleet]] on 22 December.<ref name=t1>Tully</ref> On 4 February 1942, she ferried aircraft to [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]], where she remained until 11 April before returning to [[Yokosuka, Kanagawa|Yokosuka]].<ref name=t1/><ref name=l8>Lundstrom, p. 188</ref>

In late April 1942, ''Shōhō'' was assigned to Operation MO and arrived in Truk on 29 April. The following day, she departed Truk with the cruisers {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Aoba||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Kinugasa||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Furutaka||2}}, and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Kako||2}} of Cruiser Division&nbsp;6 under the command of [[Rear Admiral]] [[Aritomo Gotō]].<ref name=t1/> They formed the Main Force of the operation.<ref>Stille, p. 32</ref> Due to aircraft shortages, her aircraft complement consisted of only four obsolete [[Mitsubishi A5M]]4 "Claude" and eight modern [[Mitsubishi A6M]]2 "Zero" fighters plus six [[Nakajima B5N]]2 "Kate" [[torpedo bomber]]s. Covering the other elements of Operation MO was the Striking Force that consisted of the fleet carriers {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Shōkaku||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuikaku||2}}.<ref name=l8/>

===Battle of the Coral Sea===
{{main|Battle of the Coral Sea}}
[[File:Shoho under attack.jpg|thumb|left|Dramatic shot of the detonation of a {{convert|1000|lb|adj=on}} bomb on ''Shōhō'' during the Battle of the Coral Sea]] 
After covering the landings on [[Tulagi]] on 3 May, ''Shōhō'' headed north to cover the invasion convoy the next day and was not present when aircraft from the American carrier {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|2}} attacked Japanese shipping at Tulagi. This air strike confirmed that at least one American carrier was in the vicinity, but the Japanese had no idea of its location.<ref>Stille, pp. 46, 48</ref> They launched a number of reconnaissance aircraft the following day to search for the Americans, but without result. One [[Kawanishi H6K]] "Mavis" [[flying boat]] spotted ''Yorktown'', but was shot down by one of ''Yorktown''{{'}}s [[Grumman F4F Wildcat]] fighters before she could radio a report. [[United States Army Air Forces|US Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) aircraft spotted ''Shōhō''{{#tag:ref|Her name was mistransliterated by the Americans as ''Ryukaku''.<ref>Lundstrom, p. 181</ref>|group=Note}} southwest of [[Bougainville Island]] on 5 May, but she was too far north to be attacked by the American carriers, which were refueling.<ref>Stille, pp. 49, 51</ref> That day, Rear Admiral [[Frank Jack Fletcher]] received [[Magic (cryptography)|Magic]] intelligence that placed the three Japanese carriers known to be involved in Operation MO near Bougainville, and predicted 10 May as the date of the invasion. It also predicted airstrikes by the Japanese carriers in support of the invasion several days before 10 May. Based on this information, Fletcher planned to complete refuelling his ships on 6 May and move closer to the eastern tip of New Guinea to be in a position to locate and attack Japanese forces on 7 May.<ref>Lundstrom, p. 179</ref>

Another H6K spotted the Americans during the morning of 6 May and successfully shadowed them until 14:00. The Japanese, however, were unwilling or unable to launch air strikes in poor weather or without updated spot reports.<ref>Lundstrom, pp. 178, 181–182, 187</ref> Both sides believed they knew where the other force was, and expected to fight the next day.<ref>Stille, p. 52</ref> The Japanese were the first to spot the Americans when one aircraft found the [[Replenishment ship|oiler]] {{USS|Neosho|AO-23|2}} escorted by the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Sims|DD-409|2}} at 0722, south of the Strike Force. These ships were misidentified as a carrier and a [[cruiser]] and the carriers ''Shōkaku'' and ''Zuikaku'' launched an airstrike 40 minutes later that sank ''Sims'' and damaged ''Neosho'' badly enough that she had to be [[scuttled]] a few days later. The American carriers were west of the Strike Force, not south, and they were spotted by other Japanese aircraft shortly after the carriers had launched their attack on ''Neosho'' and ''Sims''.<ref>Lundstrom, pp. 189–191</ref>

American reconnaissance aircraft reported two Japanese heavy cruisers northeast of [[Misima Island]] in the [[Louisiade Archipelago]] off the eastern tip of New Guinea at 07:35 and two carriers at 08:15. An hour later, Fletcher ordered an airstrike launched, believing that the two carriers reported were ''Shōkaku'' and ''Zuikaku''. {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|2}} and ''Yorktown'' launched a total of 53 [[Douglas SBD Dauntless]] [[dive bomber]]s and 22 [[Douglas TBD Devastator]] torpedo planes escorted by 18 F4F Wildcats. The 0815 report turned out to be miscoded, as the pilot had intended to report two heavy cruisers, but USAAF aircraft had spotted ''Shōhō'', her escorts and the invasion convoy in the meantime. As the latest spot report plotted only {{convert|30|nmi}} away from the 0815 report, the aircraft en route were diverted to this new target.<ref>Lundstrom, pp. 193, 195–196</ref>

[[File:Shoho g17026.jpg|thumb|right|''Shōhō'' hit by a torpedo launched by a Devastator from ''Lexington'']]
''Shōhō'' and the rest of the Main Force were spotted by aircraft from ''Lexington'' at 10:40. At this time, ''Shōhō''{{'}}s [[combat air patrol]] (CAP) consisted of two A5Ms and one A6M Zero. The Dauntlesses began their attack at 11:10 as the three Japanese fighters attacked them in their dive. None of the dive bombers hit ''Shōhō'', which was maneuvering to avoid their bombs; one Dauntless was shot down by the Zero after it had pulled out of its dive and several others were damaged. The carrier launched three more Zeros immediately after this attack to reinforce its CAP. The second wave of Dauntlesses began their attack at 11:18 and they hit ''Shōhō'' twice with {{convert|1000|lb|adj=on}} bombs. These penetrated the ship's flight deck and burst inside her hangars, setting the fuelled and armed aircraft there on fire. A minute later, the Devastators began dropping their torpedoes from both sides of the ship. They hit ''Shōhō'' five times and the damage from the hits knocked out her steering and power and flooded both engine and boiler rooms. ''Yorktown''{{'}}s aircraft trailed those from ''Lexington'', and the former's Dauntlesses began their attacks at 11:25, hitting ''Shōhō'' with another eleven 1,000-pound bombs by Japanese accounts and the carrier came to a complete stop. ''Yorktown''{{'}}s Devastators trailed the rest of her aircraft and attacked at 11:29. They claimed ten hits, although Japanese accounts acknowledge only two. As the Devastators were exiting the area, they were attacked by the CAP, but the Wildcats protecting the torpedo bombers shot down two A5Ms and an A6M Zero. Total American losses to all causes were three Dauntlesses. After his attack, [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Robert E. Dixon]], commander of ''Lexington''{{'}}s dive bombers, radioed his famous message to the American carriers: "Scratch one flat top!"<ref>Lundstrom, pp. 198–206</ref>

With ''Shōhō'' hit by no fewer than 13 bombs and 7 torpedoes, Captain Izawa ordered the ship abandoned at 11:31. She sank four minutes later. Some 300 men successfully abandoned the ship, but they had to wait to be rescued as Gotō ordered his remaining ships to head north at high speed to avoid any further airstrikes. Around 14:00, he ordered the destroyer {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Sazanami|1931|2}} to return to the scene and rescue the survivors.<ref>Lundstrom, p. 205</ref> She found only 203, including Captain Izawa. The rest of her crew of 834 died during the attack or in the water awaiting rescue.<ref>Stille, p. 61</ref> ''Shōhō'' was the first Japanese aircraft carrier lost during the war.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aviation-history.com/airmen/coralsea.htm|title=Battle of the Coral Sea|publisher=The Aviation History On-Line Museum|access-date=10 January 2012}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book|last=Brown |first=David |title=WWII Fact Files: Aircraft Carriers|location=New York |publisher=Arco Publishing |year=1977 |isbn=0-668-04164-1}}
*{{cite book| last = Jentschura| first = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 0-87021-893-X}}
*{{cite book |last1=Lengerer |first1=Hans |title=The Aircraft Carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army: Technical and Operational History |date=2023 |publisher=Model Hobby |location=Katowice, Poland |isbn=978-83-60041-71-0|volume=II}}
*{{cite book| last = Lundstrom| first = John B.| year = 2005| title = The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway| publisher = Naval Institute Press| location = Annapolis, Maryland|ISBN=1-59114-471-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Peattie|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Peattie|title=Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909–1941|year=2001|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-55750-432-6}}
*{{cite book| last = Stille| first = Mark| series =Campaign|volume=214| year = 2009| title = The Coral Sea 1942: The First Carrier Battle| publisher = Osprey Publishing| location = Oxford, UK| isbn = 978-1-84908-106-1}}
*{{cite web| last = Tully| first = Anthony P.| year = 1999| url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/shoho.htm| title = IJN Shoho: Tabular Record of Movement| work = Kido Butai| publisher = Combinedfleet.com| access-date = 11 December 2011}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|translator-last =Bullard|translator-first =Steven| title =Japanese Army Operations in the South Pacific Area: New Britain and Papua Campaigns, 1942–43| publisher =Australian War Memorial| year =2007| location =Canberra| url =http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/ajrp2.nsf/088031725e4569e4ca256f4f00126373/1fcb61d633972daaca257291000abf44?OpenDocument| isbn = 978-0-9751904-8-7}} (translation of excerpts from the ''[[Senshi Sōshō]]'')
*{{cite book|last1=Polmar|first1=Norman|last2=Genda |first2=Minoru |author-link2=Minoru Genda|title=Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events|publisher=Potomac Books|location=Washington, D.C.|year=2006|volume=1, 1909-1945|isbn=1-57488-663-0}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Shōhō (ship, 1941)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050221231658/http://www.geocities.com/jwarship/Shoho.html Japanese Warships-''Shoho'']

{{Zuihō class aircraft carrier}}
{{May 1942 shipwrecks}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoho}}
[[Category:Zuihō-class aircraft carriers]]
[[Category:Ships built by Yokosuka Naval Arsenal]]
[[Category:1935 ships]]
[[Category:Aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of Japan]]
[[Category:Aircraft carriers sunk by aircraft]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by US aircraft]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Coral Sea]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1942]]