IJN Zuikaku

History

The Japanese fleet carrier Zuikaku ("Lucky Crane") and her sister ship Shokaku ("Happy Crane") are two-person-class modern aircraft carriers built in the 1930s. Both were abandoned after the naval treaty expired after World War I, and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) had no restrictions on building new designs on a global scale.

Her armored deck, 5.1 inches thick, was further reinforced to support more weight and allow heavier fighters to operate. The class is also designed to carry more fuel oil, giving sister ships the long-range warfare needed to conduct a protracted campaign across the vast Pacific Ocean.

The IJN Zuikaku has a length of 844.81 ft (257.5 m), a beam of 91.86 ft (28 m) and a draft of 29.19 ft (8.9 m). The vessel displaces 25,675 tons under standard load and approximately 32,105 tons under heavy load.

Her top speed is around 34.2 knots thanks to a geared steam turbine engine powered by 8 Kanpon brand boilers and producing 165,000 shaft horsepower for her 4 shafts, each fitted with a five-blade propeller. Before Zuikaku needs refueling, she can go 9,700 nautical miles at 6 p.m.

Zuikaku's standard combat crew typically consists of up to 1,660 officers and sailors. Her island was on the starboard side of the flight deck, relatively forward and smaller compared to her contemporaries.

For aircraft and naval defense, it was built with dual 16 x 5 inch 40 caliber and dual 36 x 25 mm anti-aircraft guns. This nicely provides the ship with a weapons network to protect the rather vulnerable carrier should she be found without her own fleet to protect. To combat small mines, her belt armor varies in thickness from 1.8 inches to 6.5 inches, but this provides little protection against all types of torpedoes. Its main purpose was to carry aircraft into combat, so Zuikaku sent as many as 27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers, 27 Nakajima B5N2 Type 12 "Kate" torpedo bombers, and 18 Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters.

The ship has room for 72 aircraft and reserves 12 additional aircraft for a total of 84 aircraft. Regardless, Zuikaku can deploy a fairly deadly array of fighter jets against any type of enemy.

In 1941 Zuikaku was flown by a highly trained crew, experienced naval pilots and skilled maintenance personnel, and was equipped with some of the best fighter jets in the world at the time. Ready for assignment, she was selected, along with three other carriers, to join the IJN 5th Carrier Division as part of the Kido Butai (Mobile Force) massing in Hittokapu Bay, Japan. The group is awaiting orders to sail to attack U.S. naval installations and fleets stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The main reward was the elimination of the US carrier force, which posed a significant threat to Japan's ongoing Pacific expansion.

For the Hawaii operation, IJN assigned additional crew members and placed an additional 12 dismantled replacement aircraft of each type on board. The order came, and the combat troops sailed for the Pearl on November 26, 1941. The U.S.

Navy was aware of the ship's movements due to reports of its submarine operations in the area. Contact with these groups was eventually lost, however, and Japanese naval commandos took a clandestine route considered relatively safe from prying eyes.

The route proved successful, and Kido Butai's carriers launched their fighter jets on December 7, 1941.

Zuikaku launched their first wave of 25 dive bombers against the U.S. Army Air Force Base at Wheeler Field on Oahu. Five Zeros played a ferocious role in the attack on Kaneohe Air Force Base. Their second wave of planes, consisting of 27 Kate torpedo bombers armed with bombs instead of torpedo ammunition, attacked the U.S. Naval Air Force Base at Hickam Field.

Another 17 dive bombers hit the battleships USS Maryland and USS California, which were anchored in the Battleship District at Pearl Harbor. Maryland was damaged in the attack but survived. However, the California was sunk by attack aircraft. After the second wave was retracted to the deck of Regal, it was discovered that the U.S. carrier force did not appear in port as expected.

It was this fear of the missing carrier group that forced the Japanese naval maneuver forces to withdraw and return to Japanese waters before launching further attacks. Nonetheless, the United States officially declared war on the Japanese Empire, and the Japanese Empire declared war on the Japanese Empire - prompting Germany and Italy to join the Japanese side.

When the United States officially entered the war in January 1942, Zuikaku and her sister ships were dispatched to the South Pacific to assist in raids on Australian bases at Rabaul and Lae in New Guinea. The ships returned to Japan for refit, and in April 1942 formed a key air wing of the Japanese naval force, which was sent to the Indian Ocean against the British Navy. The first step was to attack the British naval bases at Colombo and Trincomalee in Ceylon. IJN surface ships bombarded bases, while aircraft carriers bombarded ships stranded in ports and the surrounding ocean. The Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and heavy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire sank along with other support ships.

Aircraft from Zuikaku and her sister ships sank an aircraft carrier and two battleships, among others, more than the gross tonnage they sank during the engagement during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In May 1942, the IJN conducted Operation Mo, an invasion of Port Moresby, New Guinea. Owning the port would secure a boarding point for Japanese Army troops to support future invasions of the Australian mainland.

Zuikaku was again tasked with supporting the landings with her sister ship to prevent a possible Allied invasion. The U.S. Navy declassified information from the Japanese Navy and dispatched the aircraft carriers USS Yorktown and USS Lexington to fight the invasion.

The upcoming battle on May 8, 1942 will be known as the "Battle of the Coral Sea".

Zuikaku evaded visual detection by U.S. Navy reconnaissance planes in a shower, but her sister ship Shokaku was hit by three bombs, knocking out the flight deck elevator and damaging the flight deck. It is impossible to shut down and recover the aircraft. Aircraft from both carriers and torpedoes from the IJN escort destroyer sank the USS Lexington.

Zuikaku was undamaged, but lost one fighter, eight dive bombers, and fourteen torpedo planes, including the loss of fourteen pilots and their respective crews. She was then ordered to return to Japan with her sister to receive supplies and train aircraft crews.

The loss of the carrier's air cover weakened the attack on Port Moresby, and the damage to the carrier and the loss of trained crews prevented both carriers from participating in the upcoming Battle of Midway in June 1942 - which proved to be an allied The decisive victory of the army in the Pacific.

In August 1942, the U.S. Navy launched an offensive in the Solomon Islands. Assigned to the 1st division of the aircraft carrier, Zuikaku and the restored Shokaku, supported by the light carrier Zuiho, were ordered to sail forward to destroy the Americans. On August 24, 1942, at the start of the Battle of the East Solomons, Zuikaku's squadron destroyed the USS Enterprise, which was in turn damaged by American carrier-based aircraft.

After the battle, registered as another Allied victory, Zuikaku was sent to Truk to oversee Allied naval activities in the area.

In October 1942, the "Lucky Crane" was involved in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands and faced the Enterprise again. She helped paralyze the USS Hornet, forcing the crew to wait for a U.S. Navy ship. Hornet was then sunk by Japanese destroyers. However, U.S.

Navy aircraft spotted and attacked the aircraft carriers Shokaku and Zuiho, causing damage to both ships. Zuikaku had to recover as many surviving planes as her own from other damaged carriers. The U.S. Navy disposed of most of the Japanese aircraft still in combat, leaving only 67 to return to Regal.

She was recalled to Japan for an overhaul and a new crew, but wear and tear took its toll. Even Japanese forces on Guadalcanal were hit hard by U.S. Marines, forcing Zuikaku into the area to provide air cover for the retreat.

Upon completion, Regal was tasked with attacking the Americans in the Aleutian Islands, but the operation was canceled in 1943.

By June 19, 1944, the naval battle of the Philippine Sea was underway, and the Japanese were at a disadvantage in both available carriers and aircraft. However, Akio Toyoda gave the "green light" for Operation A-Go.

American submarines followed the Japanese naval fleet in sinking the aircraft carriers Taiho and Shokaku, most of these crews sunk with their respective ships. Zuihe was hit by a bomb the next day, but survived and pulled himself to safety by his own strength. Overall, the IJN lost another 243 aircraft, while the United States lost 29 aircraft.

The naval battle in the Philippine Sea became another key victory for the Allies, bringing more casualties to the already strained Japanese combat capability.

Zuigaku was restored and returned to service in October 1944 and is now the flagship of Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's Northern Force for the upcoming "Operation Sho-Go 1" ("Second Naval Battle in the Philippine Sea") "(also known as the "Battle of Leyte Gulf"). The conflict would develop into the largest naval battle of the war to date, with Japan's firm plans to create a 3rd Fleet to lure U.S. Admiral Halsey away from their opponents. The plan for the protection of the northern side of Wright Beachhead is by IJN Northern Forces, with the support of the battleship Yamato, the Southern Navy could join forces to destroy the US landing force trying to land.

The decoy will be led by Admiral Ozawa's Northern Task Force The carrier force includes Zuikaku (his flagship) and the light carriers Zuiho, Chitose and Chiyoda In addition, they will be supported by two semi-modified WW1 battleships (flight decks with small carriers) - Hyuga and Ichi Sze - and three light cruisers, Oyodo, Isuzu, and Tama - were further supported by nine destroyers. The plan - the equivalent of a suicide squad - was a desperate attempt by the Japanese government, and IJN understands that if the Philippines gets its way from the U.S. Recaptured in human hands, the war against Japan would be nearly lost.

Only 108 planes with trainers were used as bait for Halsey's mighty Third Fleet.

However, Halsey took the bait, leaving the North Wing exposed while chasing Ozawa's "Hollow Fleet". Halsey saw an opportunity to destroy the last of the Japanese Navy's aircraft carrier fleet, perhaps for personal honor, perhaps for tactical victory. At 16:30 on October 24, 1944, as Halsey's ships approached Ozawa's forces, 77 dive bombers, 54 torpedo planes, and 85 fighter jets were fired at the Japanese naval fleet. There were few planes in Ozawa's stables, most of which were shot down in the ensuing battle.

The U.S. air strikes continued throughout the day, and the 38th Task Force dispatched a total of 527 sorties, resulting in the sinking of the aircraft carriers Chitose and Mizuho and the destroyer Akizuki, causing heavy casualties.

At 1:00 pm, U.S. planes spotted Zuikaku and swarmed the skies with more than 50 fighter jets, conducting 9 direct bomb attacks and 7 torpedo attacks on them. At 1:58 p.m., the damage was so severe that Zuikaku's crew was officially ordered to abandon ship.

Her crew were placed on deck to learn that their captain had decided to go down with the ship, drawing hoops from the crew before heading to their lifeboats. At 14:14, Zuikaku slowly turned around and sank into the stern in the deep blue sea, together with Captain Takeo, 48 officers and 794 crew members.

About 47 officers and 815 crew members were rescued by responding Japanese Navy destroyers Wakatsuki and Kuwa.

For the Americans, Zuikaku's death was a complete death, as the brutal attack on Pearl Harbor finally got its full revenge, as the Japanese Navy Zuikaku was the only remaining ship from the operation on December 7, 1941 of the aircraft carrier, it has not yet sunk. Over time, the huge losses suffered by the IJN and IJA would form a shackle on the Japanese Empire, culminating in their unconditional surrender on the 2nd, loss of all conquered territories, and reduced military capabilities.

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