Chitose class
| Chitose class | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Overview | |
| Type: | Light aircraft carrier |
| Units: | 2 |
| Technical data as a light aircraft carrier | |
| Displacement: | Standard: 11,200 ts |
| Length: | over everything: 201.45 m |
| Width: | 20.08 m |
| Draft: | 7.50 m |
| Speed: | Top: 28.9 kn |
| Crew: | 800 permanent crew |
| Range: | 11800 nautical miles at 18 knots |
| Drive: | 2 screws over shafts |
The Chitose class ( Japanese 千 歳 型 航空母艦 , Chitose-gata kōkū bokan , dt. "Chitose-class aircraft mothership ") was a class of two light aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy that were used in World War II . The ships were originally built as a seaplane carrier , but were converted to aircraft carriers during the Pacific War .
history
Design and construction
The Chitose-class seaplane carriers were launched in 1936 and were built to support the fleets of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the reconnaissance of enemy forces. For this purpose they carried 24 seaplanes of the types Kawanishi E7K and Nakajima E8N , which were launched via four catapults and after their return were brought back on board with cranes . The ships were able to give some of their heavy fuel oil to other ships and thus also act as fast fleet tankers with their almost 29 knots .
The main armament of the seaplane carriers was two double mounts 12.7 cm L / 40 Type 89 A1 anti-aircraft guns that were set up on the forecastle. In addition, up to six 25 mm L / 60 Type 96 twin mounts were installed for close range air defense.
The machinery consisted of four boilers that operated two steam turbines. Up to 56,800 WPS (41,776.329 kW ) were developed, which could accelerate the ships of the class to 28.5 knots via two propellers . In addition, the ships had two diesel engines .
Conversion to light aircraft carriers
After the loss of four large aircraft carriers at the Battle of Midway in the summer of 1942, the Imperial Navy launched a program to partially offset these losses. As part of this program, it was decided to convert the two seaplane carriers into aircraft carriers. The construction work was carried out under great time pressure, so that it was essentially limited to placing a hangar on the unchanged fuselage, on which a wooden flight deck was placed. Two elevators could move planes from the hangar to the deck. The bridge of the original seaplane carrier was not placed on the flight deck, but formed the front end of the new hangar deck, so that the main bridge with the command post was finally below the flight deck.
The renovations took about a year. The light aircraft carriers of the Chitose class could each carry 30 combat aircraft. The flight deck had dimensions of 180 × 23 meters, on each side two double mounts with 12.7 cm L / 40 Type 89 A1 anti-aircraft guns were installed. In addition, a total of eight triplet mounts with 25 mm L / 60 Type 96 automatic cannons were set up on port and starboard, and two further Type 96 triplet mounts were installed at the stern, with the field of fire to the stern. The draft increased by 30 cm to 7.51 m, the machinery remained unchanged, the exhaust gases from the boilers and diesel engines were discharged to starboard through pipes and then led out of the ship to the side below the flight deck. The diesel exhaust gases were discharged via a separate chimney, behind the one for the boiler, so that two chimneys of different sizes could be seen on the starboard wall of the hangar.
Chitose-class ships
Chitose
The Chitose was laid down in Kure in November 1934 and launched in November 1936. Their planes were used in missions against the Dutch East Indies at the beginning of the Pacific War . After the Battle of Midway , it was used in the Battle of the Eastern Solomon Islands in August 1942 and was badly damaged by attacks by American carrier aircraft. In January 1943 she was finally docked and converted into a light aircraft carrier within a year.
In the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, she used her aircraft against American naval units and even escaped an American air raid. After the heavy losses of pilots and aircraft during the operation, it was decided to use the Chitose as bait for the American aircraft carrier fleet in October 1944. During the sea and air battle in the Gulf of Leyte , the Chitose and other bait ships were the target of massive attacks from the air. She received several torpedo hits from planes of the USS Essex and went down on October 25 at Cape Engaño .
Chiyoda
The Chiyoda as its sister ship in December 1936 in Kure put on keel and ran in November 1937 by the stack. As a seaplane carrier, it was used for training and transport tasks, and in the Pacific War, after modifications in 1940, it transported twelve Type A micro-submarines for use against Midway .
After the operation was canceled, the conversion to a light aircraft carrier began in January 1943, which was completed just under a year later. In the Battle of the Philippine Sea on June 19, 1944, she used her aircraft against American forces. She herself was hit by an aerial bomb on June 20 and was slightly damaged. In October 1944 she was assigned, along with other aircraft carriers, to the Japanese bait fleet during the Battle of Leyte Gulf . She received four bomb hits in the course of the battle, but was initially saved by the ship's security. In the late afternoon of October 25th she was finally attacked by American cruisers and destroyers and went down with almost the entire crew.
Evidence and references
literature
- Roger Chesneau: Aircraft carriers of the world, 1914 to the present: an illustrated encyclopedia , US Naval Institute Press, 1984, ISBN 978-0-87021-902-3
- Maru, special, photos of KJM ships 4, part 2 (雑 誌 「丸」 編 集 部 『写真 日本 の 軍艦 第 4 巻 空 母 II) Kojinsha, 1989, ISBN 4-7698-0454-7
