Zuikaku
 The Zuikaku 1941
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The Zuikaku ( Japanese 瑞鶴 , literally: "happy crane") was an aircraft carrier of the Japanese Navy during World War II .
history
Construction and construction
The Zuikaku was on the shipyard of Kawasaki in Kobe laid down on their launch took place on 27 November 1939th Its construction began six months after that of its sister ship Shōkaku , but the commissioning took place only one month after the Shōkaku on September 25, 1941.
Together with her identical sister ship, she was one of the first Japanese warships with a so-called bulbous bow , which reduced the resistance of the hull while under way. This bead was arranged behind the forward plumb , which corresponded to the optimization for a slim ship at high speeds. In the case of the Yamato- class ships built later, with their fuller hulls and lower speeds, the more favorable protruding teardrop shape was chosen.
The Zuikaku was able to transport up to 84 aircraft, which were composed of different types during their service life. These included: X 72, X 12, Nakajima B5N and Mitsubishi A6M and the carrier-supported dive bomber Marine Type-99 Aichi D3A .
Calls
From 1941 she formed the 5th carrier squadron with her sister ship, which belonged to the Kidō Butai and took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor . On December 7, 1941, two waves launched from their flight deck to attack American airfields. The first wave consisted of 25 D3A dive bombers that bombed the Wheeler airfield on Oʻahu , and five A6M fighters that attacked an airfield near Kaneohe together with machines from the Shōkaku . Their second wave consisted of 27 B5N torpedo bombers, which dropped 250-kg and 60-kg bombs on buildings and hangars at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam . Together with her sister ship, the Zuikaku also parked fighter planes to protect the Japanese fleet during the attacks.
During the subsequent great Japanese offensive in the Pacific War , she was involved in attacks on Rabaul and Lae in January 1942 and in the attack in the Indian Ocean . During the Battle of the Coral Sea in preparation for the Japanese landing at Port Moresby in New Guinea in May 1942, their warplanes knocked out the Lexington and damaged Yorktown . Since her aircraft combat group was then greatly decimated, she could not take part in the Battle of Midway .
After the restoration of combat power, she was subordinated to the carrier group under Vice Admiral Nagumo Chūichi and took part in the Battle of the Eastern Solomon Islands in August 1942, in which their aircraft severely damaged the Enterprise . In the battle of the Santa Cruz Islands at the end of October 1942, their aircraft squadrons did the same thing again, and they also damaged the Hornet so badly that it had to be abandoned the next day and sunk the next day. The Zuikaku carrier aircraft also took part in the last Japanese air offensive in April 1943 against American ships off Tulagi and Guadalcanal and achieved some success.
In the battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, she was located early by enemy radar and was slightly damaged by a bomb. However, their flying associations have been severely decimated ( see also: Mariana turkey shooting ).
Downfall
In the sea and air battle in the Gulf of Leyte in October 1944, the Zuikaku under Commander Captain Kaizuka Takeo was involved with the remaining Japanese carriers part of the northern diversion group under Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburō in the sea battle off Cape Engaño . With only 13 of its own fighters, which were in the air as self-defense, it was attacked on October 25, 1944 by around 80 American aircraft in several waves from 8:35 a.m. to 1:25 p.m. In the following battle she was hit by seven torpedoes and nine bombs. The torpedoes mostly hit the port side of the ship and caused severe water ingress, which led to a list that could no longer be corrected. At around 2:14 p.m. the ship capsized to port and sank over the stern. 862 Zuikaku men were taken up by the Japanese destroyers Wakatsuki and Kuwa , 842 sailors and the commander died during the air raids or went down with the ship.
wreck
The assumed position of the wreck the Zuikaku is located at the coordinates 19 ° 20 ' N , 125 ° 51' O .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ PEARL HARBOR 1941: DAY OF INFAMY, p. 91
- ↑ Midway inquest: why the Japanese lost the Battle of Midway, p. 64
literature
- Dallas Woodbury Isom: Midway inquest: why the Japanese lost the Battle of Midway. Indiana University Press, 2007, ISBN 0-253-34904-4 .
- Carl Smith: Pearl Harbor 1941: Day of Infamy. Osprey Publishing, 2001, ISBN 978-1-84176-390-3 .
