Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūhō

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Ryūhō in 1942.
Career (Japan) Japanese Navy Ensign
Ordered: 1920
Laid down: April 12, 1929
Launched: November 16, 1933 as submarine tender Taigei
Commissioned: March 31, 1934
Reclassified: November 30, 1942 as light aircraft carrier Ryūhō
Struck: November 30, 1945
Fate: Severely damaged by Task Force 58 aircraft, March 19, 1945; never repaired
General characteristics
Class and type: Ryūhō-class aircraft carrier
Displacement: 16,700 tons full load
Length: 215.6 m
Beam: 23 m
Draught: 6.7 m
Propulsion: Steam turbines
4 boilers
52,000 shp
2 shafts
Speed: 26.5 knots
Range: 9,700 nmi. at 18 knots
(18,000 km at 33 km/h)
Complement: 989
Armament: 4 × 5 inch (127 mm) guns
38 x 25 mm anti-aircraft guns
Aircraft carried: 31

The Ryūhō (龍鳳?) was a Japanese naval vessel which started life as the submarine depot ship Taigei, and was taken out of service in December 1941 for conversion into a light aircraft carrier. During conversion at Yokosuka, the Ryūhō gained the distinction of being the only major warship damaged in the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942. She received one direct hit from a 500 lb (227 kg) bomb on the bow, plus several small incendiary bomb hits.

On November 30, conversion and repairs were complete and the Ryūhō joined the 3rd Combined Fleet under the command of Captain Soma Nobishiro. On her first mission on December 11, she was sent to the great naval base at Truk escorted by the destroyer Tokitsukaze. Her normal aircraft complement consisted of 15 Mitsubishi A6M fighters and 16 Aichi D3A dive bombers, but for this mission, she was carrying 20 light bombers with their pilots and crews on a ferry mission.

Contents

[edit] Routine missions

At 9:10 AM on December 12, the Ryūhō was hit by a single torpedo on the starboard side from the submarine USS Drum (SS-228). She was forced to return to Yokosuka for more repairs. On March 19, 1943 she began a series of uneventful aircraft ferry missions to occupied islands in the South Pacific. On June 11, the Ryūhō embarked the marooned survivors of the air group of the Hiyō, which had been damaged by an American submarine. When the Hiyō completed repairs in August 1943, those aircraft and crews were returned to her.

In October, the Ryūhō was sent on another aircraft ferry mission to Singapore, returning to Kure on November 5, 1943. On November 25, she departed with the Hiyō and escorts on a long circular patrol and training mission, sailing to Manila, then to Singapore, then to Tarakan, then Palau, then Truk, then Saipan, and finally returning to Kure on January 2, 1944.

After two more uneventful patrol and training missions between Japan and the Marianas Islands, Ryūhō was sent to the Japanese anchorage at Tawi Tawi in May 1944 to join the Combined Fleet. From there, she sailed with the Combined Fleet to participate in the First Battle of the Philippine Sea. On June 19, she launched an air strike against Task Force 58, but scored no hits; nearly all of the Ryūhō's aircraft were shot down by the swarms of American F6F Hellcat fighters and the anti-aircraft guns of the American fleet. At 6:10 PM on June 20, as part of "Force B" (with Hiyō, Junyō, Nagato, Mogami and eight destroyers), the Ryūhō was attacked by four TBF Avenger torpedo bombers from the USS Enterprise, which were loaded with 500 lb (227 kg) bombs. She suffered only slight damage from near misses.

The Ryūhō engaged in several more patrol and training missions near Japan. On October 25, 1944, with the Kaiyō, the Ryūhō set sail from Sasebo on another aircraft ferry mission to Keelung, Taiwan. They were escorted by the destroyers Momi, Ume and Momo. They returned to Kure on November 2. From November 7 to November 15, Ryūhō briefly flew the flag of the Commander of the Mobile Fleet, Admiral Ozawa.

[edit] The final mission

On December 31, 1944, Ryūhō sailed for Taiwan with a load of 58 Ohka kamikaze planes. Accompanying her were nine empty oil tankers bound for Singapore, and the destroyers Hamakaze, Isokaze, Yukikaze, Shigure and Hatakaze.

Light aircraft carrier Ryūhō photographed by US Navy aircraft at Kure in September 1945, showing damage to elevators.
Light aircraft carrier Ryūhō photographed by US Navy aircraft at Kure in September 1945, showing damage to elevators.

Upon reaching Taiwan and unloading her cargo, Ryūhō was among the targets of a major series of American carrier-based air raids all over the island. Twelve TBF Avengers attacked her but none scored a hit, and Ryūhō's gunners shot down one of them. Ryūhō departed for Japan on January 12, 1945 escorted by Isokaze; when she arrived at Kure on January 18, Ryūhō also gained the distinction of being the last Japanese aircraft carrier to venture outside the home waters of Japan.

Ryūhō was attacked by Task Force 58 aircraft on March 19 near Kure, suffering hits by three 500 lb (227 kg) bombs and two 5.5-inch (140 mm) rockets. The damage was severe: the flight deck bulged upward between the two elevators, the No. 1 boiler was punctured by a bomb fragment, the stern settled six feet (2 m) into the water, and a raging fire broke out. Twenty crewmen were killed and 30 were wounded. Upon returning to Kure on April 1, Ryūhō was considered to be a total loss. She was struck from the Navy List on November 30, and scrapped in 1946.

[edit] Commanding Officers

As Submarine Tender

  • Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Tamazo Sugikara - 20 October 1933 - 23 March 1934
  • Capt. Tamazo Sugikara - 23 March 1934 - 15 November 1934
  • Capt. Sanjiro Takasu - 15 November 1934 - 16 November 1936
  • Capt. Shinichi Moizumi - 16 November 1936 - 1 December 1936
  • Capt. Chugo Minowa - 1 December 1936 - 15 November 1937
  • Capt. Tokuji Mori - 15 November 1937 - 25 May 1938
  • Capt. Ryuji Nakazato - 25 May 1938 - 15 December 1938
  • Capt. Kaku Harada - 15 December 1938 - 15 November 1939
  • Capt. Motoji Nakamura - 15 November 1939 - 10 April 1941

As CVL

  • Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Tamesaburo Okura - 10 April 1941 - 20 October 1941
  • Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Tatsuo Kiyama - 20 December 1941 - 23 April 1942
  • Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Shinshiro Soma - 23 April 1942 - 1 November 1942
  • Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Yoshio Kamei - 1 November 1942 - 30 November 1942
  • Capt. Yoshio Kamei - 30 November 1942 - 16 March 1944
  • Capt. Yoshi Matsuura - 16 March 1944 - 20 January 1945
  • Capt. Chojuro Takahashi - 20 January 1945 - 20 April 1945
  • Capt. Kiyoharu Sasaki - 20 April 1945 - 15 August 1945

[edit] Armament notes

Light AA increased to 54 x 25 mm and 6 x 13.2 mm in 1943; to 61 x 25 mm, 21 x 13.2 mm and 6 28-barrel AA rocket launchers in 1944.

[edit] References