Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku

Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku was a lead ship of her class constructed for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the late 1930s. Commissioned just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, she and her sister ship ''Zuikaku'' formed the Kido Butai's most advanced and potent carrier division. *Shōkaku* participated in nearly every major carrier battle of the Pacific War before being sunk by an American submarine during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Design and construction

The *Shōkaku*-class carriers were designed under the expansive Third Naval Armaments Supplement Programme of 1937, free from the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty. They incorporated lessons learned from earlier carriers like ''Sōryū'' and ''Hiryū'', resulting in a superior blend of speed, protection, and aircraft capacity. Her construction at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal featured extensive armor, including a 165 mm belt and a 132 mm armored flight deck, and a powerful propulsion plant capable of 34 knots. With a capacity for over 80 aircraft, she was considered one of the most formidable aircraft carriers in the world upon her completion.

Service history

Following her commissioning in August 1941, *Shōkaku* was assigned to the 5th Carrier Division alongside *Zuikaku*. She served as a flagship for Chūichi Nagumo during the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, launching strikes against Pearl Harbor and Wheeler Army Airfield. In early 1942, she supported the invasion of Rabaul and participated in raids across the Southwest Pacific, including strikes on Port Darwin. She was a central component of the Indian Ocean raid, attacking Royal Navy bases in Ceylon and contributing to the sinking of the British carrier HMS ''Hermes''.

Battle of the Coral Sea

During the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, *Shōkaku* and *Zuikaku* formed the core of the Japanese invasion force aimed at Port Moresby. Her aircraft helped sink the American carrier USS ''Lexington'' and severely damage USS ''Yorktown''. However, *Shōkaku* herself was heavily damaged by dive bombers from ''Yorktown'' and ''Lexington'', suffering three bomb hits that destroyed her flight deck and forced her withdrawal. This damage, combined with aircraft losses to *Zuikaku*, prevented both carriers from participating in the subsequent Battle of Midway.

Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands

After repairs, *Shōkaku* returned to action in the Guadalcanal campaign. At the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October 1942, her aircraft again damaged USS ''Hornet'', which was later scuttled. In turn, *Shōkaku* was subjected to a concentrated attack by Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from USS ''Enterprise'', sustaining several bomb hits that caused serious fires and forced her to retire for extensive repairs in Japan. Her robust construction allowed her to survive this severe damage.

Battle of the Philippine Sea and sinking

*Shōkaku* returned to the front lines in 1944 as part of the First Mobile Fleet under Jisaburō Ozawa. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19 June 1944, while recovering aircraft from strikes against the United States Fifth Fleet, she was struck by three or four torpedoes from the American submarine USS ''Cavalla''. Aviation fuel lines fractured during her high-speed evasive maneuvers ignited, leading to uncontrollable fires and secondary explosions. *Shōkaku* sank bow-first, taking approximately 1,272 of her crew, including her captain Hiroshi Matsubara, down with her. Her loss, along with that of ''Taihō'' on the same day, crippled Japanese naval air power.