Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō

Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Originally laid down as the submarine tender *Tsugaru*, she was converted into a carrier during construction. *Shōhō* had a brief operational career, serving as part of the Combined Fleet before being sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first Japanese carrier lost in the war.

Design and construction

*Shōhō* was initially ordered in the 1934 fiscal year as the second vessel of the *Tsugaru*-class submarine tender. However, following Japan's withdrawal from the Washington Naval Treaty and the London Naval Treaty, the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to convert her and her sister ship, the future *Zuihō*, into light aircraft carriers to bolster its naval aviation strength. The conversion work began at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in early 1941. Her design featured a single, full-length flight deck, a small starboard-side island superstructure, and two aircraft elevators to service a planned air group of 30 aircraft, primarily consisting of Type 96 Claude fighters and Type 99 Val dive bombers. Armament included eight 127 mm dual-purpose guns and several 25 mm anti-aircraft guns for self-defense.

Service history

Commissioned on 30 November 1941, just days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, *Shōhō* was initially assigned to the Fourth Carrier Division. Her early service involved training and shakedown cruises in home waters, as she was not ready for the initial offensive operations of the Pacific War. In early 1942, she was deployed to the Japanese mandate in the South Pacific, supporting the invasion and occupation of strategic locations. In April, she was part of the naval force covering the landings at Tulagi in the Solomon Islands and the planned Port Moresby invasion in New Guinea, operating under the command of Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotō.

Battle of the Coral Sea and loss

During the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, *Shōhō* was tasked with providing close air cover for the Port Moresby invasion force. On the morning of 7 May, an American search aircraft from USS *Yorktown* located the carrier. A massive strike force of SBD Dauntless dive bombers and TBD Devastator torpedo bombers from the carriers USS *Yorktown* and USS *Lexington* was launched. Despite a combat air patrol of a few Zero fighters, *Shōhō* was overwhelmed. The attacking American aircraft scored multiple bomb and torpedo hits in a concentrated assault. Heavily damaged and ablaze, *Shōhō* sank within minutes, taking down approximately 631 of her 785 crew members, including her captain, Izawa Ishinosuke. The loss was a significant tactical and psychological blow to the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Wreck discovery

The wreck of *Shōhō* was undiscovered for over seven decades. In 2018, an expedition led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and utilizing the research vessel RV Petrel located the carrier's remains in the Coral Sea. The wreck was found in two main sections, sitting upright on the seafloor at a depth of approximately 1,400 meters (4,600 feet). Video surveys showed the hull heavily damaged from the battle but still recognizable, with anti-aircraft guns visible and the flight deck collapsed. The discovery provided a poignant archaeological record of the first major carrier duel in history and the final resting place for most of her crew.

Category:Aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy Category:Ships sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Coral Sea