Japanese aircraft carrier Taiyō
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 6 Jan 1940 |
| Launched: | 19 Sep 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 2 Sep 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk by the submarine USS Rasher off Cape Bolinao, Luzon 18 Aug 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 17,830 tons standard 19,500 tons max. |
| Length: | 173.7 m waterline 180.4 m overall |
| Beam: | 22.5 m |
| Draught: | 8.0 m |
| Propulsion: | 4 Kampon water-tube boilers 2 Kampon geared steam turbines 25,200 shp (18,522 kW) 2 shafts, 1 rudder |
| Speed: | 21 knots |
| Range: | 6,500 nmi. (12,000 km) at 18 knots Other sources: 8,500 nmi. |
| Complement: | 747 |
| Armament: | Upon completion as escort carrier:
From 1943:
From Apr 1944:
|
| Armor: | 25 mm side belt over machinery spaces and magazines |
| Aircraft: | 27 |
Taiyō was a Taiyō class escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.
[edit] Construction and Conversion
The 17.100-GRT Kasuga Maru (春日丸) liner of the shipping line Nippon Yusen was laid down in the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki in January 1940 and launched in September of the same year. In February 1941, before she was completed as a passenger ship, Kasuga Maru was requisitioned for transportation of military stores and personnel. After she completed a few such voyages, it was decided to convert her to an escort carrier. The conversion took place in Sasebo between May and September 1941.
Her flight deck measured 150x23 meters and was equipped with 2 elevators. With no island, catapults or arresting gear, Kasuga Maru was classified as an auxiliary carrier. On August 31st 1942, she was renamed Taiyō (大鷹, “greater falcon”) and reclassified as a warship.
[edit] Operational History
Taiyō was used primarily for flight training and aircraft transport. She was torpedoed and hit by US submarines on several occasions: on September 28th 1942, south of Truk by the USS Trout, then on April 9th 1943 by the USS Tunny and on September 24th 1943 by the USS Cabrilla. Each time, she was repaired and put back to service.
During her career, Taiyō’s anti-aircraft armament was upgraded several times.
On August 18th 1944 off Cape Bolinao, Luzon, while escorting a convoy headed for Manila, Taiyō was hit by a torpedo fired by the submarine USS Rasher. The hit caused the carrier’s avgas and oil tanks to explode, and Taiyō sank in merely 26 minutes, with few survivors.
[edit] Notes and references
- Dr. Bak József et al (1984): Hadihajók. Típuskönyv.
Zrínyi Katonai Kiadó. ISBN 963-326-326-3
- Imperial Japanese Navy Page
- Carriers of World War Two
- [1]
- Naval Weapons of the World
- Warship.get.pl
- [2]
| Taiyō-class aircraft carrier |
| List of ships of the Japanese Navy |
