Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku

Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku. The *Zuikaku* was a Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the second of the two ships in her class. Commissioned in September 1941, she and her sister ship *Shōkaku* formed the Kido Butai's most advanced and potent carrier division at the start of the Pacific War. *Zuikaku* participated in nearly every major carrier battle of the war before being sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944.

Design and construction

*Zuikaku* was ordered in 1937 as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's ambitious expansion program under the Third Replenishment Program. Her design, an improved version of the preceding *Hiryū* class, incorporated lessons from the earlier *Sōryū* and featured a larger flight deck, enhanced armor protection, and a more powerful propulsion system. Built by the Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation at its Kobe yard, her keel was laid down on 25 May 1938, she was launched on 27 November 1939, and commissioned on 25 September 1941, just weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Service history

Upon commissioning, *Zuikaku* was assigned to the First Air Fleet alongside her sister *Shōkaku*, forming Carrier Division 5. Her air group was composed of elite pilots from the Yokosuka Air Group. She departed Hashirajima anchorage in November 1941 as part of the Kido Butai strike force for the attack on Pearl Harbor, launching A6M Zero fighters and B5N torpedo bombers in the opening attack. Following this, she supported the invasion of Rabaul and the strike on Darwin in early 1942, before moving into the Indian Ocean for the Indian Ocean raid.

Battle of the Coral Sea

In May 1942, *Zuikaku* and *Shōkaku* were dispatched to cover the Port Moresby invasion force, leading to the Battle of the Coral Sea. While her aircraft contributed to sinking the USS *Lexington* and damaging the USS *Yorktown*, *Zuikaku*'s air group suffered heavy losses. Although undamaged herself, the attrition of her experienced pilots and aircraft prevented her from participating in the subsequent Battle of Midway, a critical factor in that Imperial Japanese Navy defeat.

Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands

After being reconstituted with new aircrews, *Zuikaku* next saw major action in the Solomon Islands campaign. During the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October 1942, her aircraft again damaged the USS *Hornet*, which was later scuttled. She also launched strikes against the USS *Enterprise*. *Zuikaku* emerged unscathed, but her sister *Shōkaku* was heavily damaged, leaving *Zuikaku* as the last remaining fleet carrier from the original Kido Butai strike force still operational.

Battle of the Philippine Sea

By June 1944, *Zuikaku*, now the flagship of Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa's First Mobile Fleet, sortied for the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Her air group, part of a larger but inexperienced force, was decimated by American F6F Hellcat fighters and anti-aircraft fire in what became known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." *Zuikaku* was slightly damaged by a submarine-launched torpedo but survived the battle, retreating to Kure Naval Arsenal for repairs.

Battle of Leyte Gulf and sinking

As the flagship of the Northern Force in Operation Shō-Gō 1, *Zuikaku* served as a decoy to lure the United States Navy's Third Fleet away from the Leyte Gulf landing areas during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. On 25 October 1944, in the Battle off Cape Engaño, she came under sustained air attack from Task Force 38. Hit by multiple bombs and torpedoes from aircraft from the USS *Lexington*, USS *Essex*, and other carriers, *Zuikaku* capsized and sank. Her sinking marked the end of the Imperial Japanese Navy's carrier force as an effective fighting unit.