The Ships of Battlegroup: Japan Zuiho (CV)
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| Displacement | 11,300 tons | Belt Armor | Nil |
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| Overall Length | 712 feet | Deck Armor | Nil |
| Beam | 75.5 feet | Aircraft Complement | 30 |
| Speed | 28.2 knots | Main Guns | 8 × 5″ |
As Japan prepared for possible war in the 1930s, a number of large and fast fleet auxiliary ships were built that could be rapidly converted to light aircraft carriers. The Tsurigizaki class of two high-speed fleet oilers, later redesigned as submarine tenders, was laid down in 1934. The second ship of the class, the Takasaki , was never completed and conversion work on the hull was started in January 1940.
Renamed the Zuiho , she joined the Combined Fleet in January 1941. The name "Zuiho" means "Happy or Lucky Bird of Paradise". An unusual feature was that the ship had no superstructure. Another notable feature, actually fairly common on Japanese aircraft carriers, was a starboard funnel that was below flight deck level and vented downward.
Early in the war, Zuiho participated in the attack on the Philippines, assisted in attacks on the East Indies and escorted the Support Force, which was not engaged, at the Battle of Midway. Assigned to the new First Carrier Division with the fleet carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku, she was badly damaged (a 50 foot hole in her flight deck) by a "Big E" dive bomber at the Battle of Santa Cruz on October 25, 1942. After an energetic and costly 1942, the Japanese avoided carrier operations as they tried to rebuild their fast carrier force.
When they finally sortied again, for the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June, 1944, the general Japanese disaster known to history as "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" was hardly relieved because of the consolation that one of Zuiho’s aircraft caused minor damage to the mighty battleship South Dakota and Zuiho avoided serious damage.
After the battle, Zuiho got more light antiaircraft guns and her flight deck was lengthened to reach her bow. At the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the last four available doomed Japanese aircraft carriers, the Chitose, Chiyoda, Zuiho and Zuikaku , carrying few aircraft, were sacrificed to "decoy" the American fast carriers away from the battleship forces and all were sunk on October 25, 1944.
For foreign light aircraft carriers, see: Hermes .
Where did we get all these fascinating historical tidbits and factoids? See the Bibliography for the sources for these articles and the game’s ship data.
