Unryu

**Unryu**
	Unryū 1944
Ship data
flag	Japan
Ship type	Aircraft carrier
class	Unryū class
Shipyard	Yokosuka naval shipyard
Keel laying	August 1, 1942
Launch	September 25, 1943
Commissioning	August 6, 1944
Whereabouts	Sunk by a submarine on December 19, 1944
Ship dimensions and crew
length	227.35 m ( Lüa )
width	Flight deck: 27 m
Draft	Max. 7.76 m
displacement	Standard : 17,150 ts; normal: 20,450 ts
crew	1,500
Machine system
machine	8 Kampon steam boilers; 4 steam turbines
Machine ; performance	152,000 PSw (113,000 kW)
Top ; speed	34 kn (63 km / h)
propeller	4th
Armament
	Anti-aircraft artillery 6 × 2 12.7 cm L / 40 type 89 ; 21 × 3 25mm L / 60 type 96 ; 30 × 1 type 96 25mm cannon; 6 × 12 cm multiple rocket launcher;
Armor
	Belt armor: 2 × 25 mm; Armored deck: 25 mm;
Furnishing
Flight deck dimensions	216.9 mx 27 m
Aircraft capacity	57 and 9 reserve

The Unryū ( Japanese 雲龍 , dt. " Cloud Dragon ") was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , which was used in World War II .

She was the lead ship of the Unryū class. Their lightweight construction was based on that of the Hiryū .

Last use and sinking

On December 13, 1944, the Unryū loaded 30 Yokosuka-MXY-7 “Ōka” planes that were to be transported to Manila for kamikaze missions .

On December 17, the Unryū, under the command of Kaigun-Taisa Konishi, left the port of Kure , escorted by the destroyers Shigure , Momi and Hinoki . This first real mission was to take the Unryū to Mindoro and Manila in the Philippines to fight against the American landing forces on the island of Luzon .

On December 19, 1944, the Unryū was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine USS Redfish . The Redfish fired four torpedoes, one of which hit the Unryū at 16:35 on starboard under the bridge and caused the engines to fail. The Unryū tried unsuccessfully to defend itself with its starboard weapons and was hit by a second torpedo under the front elevator at 16:50, which detonated the Ōka bombs and the aircraft fuel stored on the front deck.

Water penetrating into the engine rooms caused the ship to tilt to the side by 30 degrees and orders to leave the ship were given. When the tilt was 90 degrees, the ship sank to the bottom of the East China Sea within seven minutes . There were 1,238 dead and only 146 survivors rescued by the accompanying destroyer Shigure and brought to Sasebo , where they arrived on December 22, 1944.

Commanders

Chief Equipment Officer: Kpt. Kaname Konishi	April 15, 1944 - August 6, 1944
Captain Kaname Konishi	August 6, 1944 - December 19, 1944

Remarks

↑ The Japanese rank Taisa corresponds to the German rank of captain at sea . The prefix Kaigun indicates that it is a naval officer.

Individual evidence

↑ Joachim Wätzig: The Japanese Fleet - From 1868 to today. Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-89488-104-6 , p. 183.

Web links

(Engl.) data of the Unryu

[1] The Japanese rank Taisa corresponds to the German rank of captain at sea . The prefix Kaigun indicates that it is a naval officer.

[2] Joachim Wätzig: The Japanese Fleet - From 1868 to today. Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-89488-104-6 , p. 183.