japanese aircraft carrier falcon class aircraft carrier imperial_japanese_navy laid passenger liner purchased construction converted aircraft carrier completed ship participated following month battles campaign later year aircraft land bases battles new_guinea torpedoed november spent months repair damaged bombs battle philippine sea quickly returned service lacking aircraft transport late torpedoed december repair march repairs cancelled effectively rest war surrender japan september americans deemed worth cost use ship broken design description ship ordered late fast luxury passenger liner late exchange building costs designed converted auxiliary aircraft carrier ships length meters overall beam meters draft meters displaced metric tons long tons standard load crew ranged officers men ship fitted geared steam turbine sets total shaft horsepower driving propeller shaft steam provided drum water tube boilers designed speed knots mph reached knots mph sea trials ship carried metric tons long tons fuel oil gave range nautical miles knots mph flight deck arrangements flight deck meters long maximum width meters large island fitted starboard integrated time japanese carrier ship funnel ship designed superimposed approximately meters long meters wide meters high hangar subdivided fire fitted fire fighting foam served square aircraft elevators rounded corners meters ship air group originally intended consist fighters plus storage dive bombers plus reserve kate torpedo bombers revised substitute dozen fighters storage time ship commissioned result lessons learned june ship fighter complement strengthened aircraft reduced end year replaced equal number possible fit aircraft usually stored flight deck reduce decks armor armament sensors conversion ocean liner possible add armor ship double plates steel thick protected sides ship machinery spaces ship aviation gasoline tanks magazines protected layer steel addition machinery spaces subdivided transverse longitudinal bulkheads limit flooding ship primary armament consisted dozen caliber type anti aircraft guns twin gun mounts sides hull initially equipped triple mounts type light guns sides hull triple mounts added triple mounts late early mounts mounted stern placed island dozen single mounts added portable mounted flight deck battle philippine sea june ship anti aircraft armament reinforced triple mounts twin mounts eighteen single mounts type gun guns supplemented round rocket launchers october total type guns nineteen triple mounts twin mounts single mounts type high angle fire control directors ship fitted control type guns director mounted meter rangefinder commissioned fitted directors added later type directors controlled guns pair added early early warning provided type model early warning radars mounted island july shortly completed added later year port hull rear elevator smaller type mark model air search radar added career keel laid shipyard nagasaki march yard number time ship purchased february temporarily referred ship conversion secret launched june commissioned commissioning ship assigned fourth carrier division 1st command rear admiral tasked support operation attack planned seize islands provide advance warning case american attack main body american fleet occupied defending midway carried operation dawn june launched dozen attack turn bad weather american reconnaissance aircraft shot zero second launched later day attack group destroyers discovered aircraft attack failed find targets launched following day carriers consisted successfully bombed aircraft attack attacked fighters shot pair losing got lost failed carrier shortly aircraft launched americans attacked carriers failed inflict damage martin bomber shot boeing flying fortress bomber shot attack initially designated auxiliary aircraft carrier following loss japanese fleet carriers redesignated regular carrier july captain assumed command july arrival october sister ship ship assigned begin operations american forces area october carriers reached vicinity aircraft discovered resupply convoy escorted destroyer meredith sisters attacked sank destroyer day found small seaplane tender barges attacked blowing ship stern destroying barge sunk required months repairs carriers intended play prominent role japanese effort retake assigned operation aircraft supposed provide air cover planned japanese night attack retake flown ashore late october took time air group consisted eighteen eighteen october launched fourteen land henderson field falsely reported hands greeted shot launched air strike attacked carrier enterprise battleship light cruiser san_juan scoring hits inflicting little substantial damage shot returning dive bombers ordered air strike launched damaged carriers shortly aircraft launched attack american ships including escorted half dozen aircraft attacked carrier badly damaged attacks earlier day american damage control measures partially successful torpedo hit increased list near misses dive bombers started plating list increased americans finally ordered ship abandoned wave dive bombers hit twice inflicted little damage mid november tasked provide air cover convoy bringing reinforcements japanese forces day long naval battle ship seven dozen task convoy discovered enterprise shot dive bomber spot report unable protect convoy attacks aircraft based seven transports sunk remaining transports damaged end day afternoon enterprise discovered searching launched air strike remaining aircraft failed locate american carrier december january carrier covered convoys brought reinforcements new_guinea air group based days protect forces returning january ship covered evacuation forces early february briefly returned japan february sailed march air group detached april participate operation land based aerial offensive allied bases new_guinea returning middle month aircraft claimed shot sixteen american aircraft loss seven sank destroyer uss aaron ward ship air group deployed july response american attack june fighters claimed victories loss aircraft disbanding september leaving aircraft carrier returned japan late july ferried aircraft sumatra mid august troops equipment september october route november hit torpedo submarine men killed damage light disabled rudder ship repair refit february air group singapore november aircraft transferred december end december reaching january fighters claimed allied aircraft shot additional probably destroyed air group virtually annihilated survivors february air group disbanded meantime carrier air groups air group assigned carrier division assigned 2nd carrier division march air group priority rebuilt model model hand april authorized fighters dive bombers torpedo bombers ship conducted training aircraft sailed philippines new base closer oil wells borneo navy relied western caroline islands japanese expected american attack location lacked airfield train green pilots american submarines active vicinity restricted ships anchorage battle philippine sea japanese fleet route central philippines june intended practice carrier operations area better protected submarines vice admiral learned american attack previous day reaching fleet sortied spotted task force june americans failed locate ships day japanese turned south maintain constant distance american carriers decided launching air strikes early following morning time consisted dive bombers torpedo bombers roughly evenly divided ships carriers began launching air strike bomb carrying escort aircraft aircraft failed find american ships dozen persisted search found american task groups bomb carrying escorting zero shot defending fighters damage inflicted american ships second air strike escorting launched accompanied given erroneous spot report find american ships aircraft headed airfield guam refuel carriers headed pair bound spotted carriers wasp route failed inflict damage american ships losing anti aircraft fire radar spotted aircraft headed guam intercepted single japanese aircraft survived encounter landed dusk japanese turned away northwest refuel americans turned west close distance discovered retiring japanese fleet afternoon following day vice admiral ordered air strike launched discovered ships hit bombs near island ship badly damaged damage stop flight operations claimed seven american aircraft shot probably shot lost plus ditch air group disbanded july remaining personnel assigned repairs remained aircraft october tasked transport material borneo november attacked submarine near escorting destroyer deliberately intercepted torpedoes sank survivors return voyage ship unsuccessfully attacked submarines november sailed manila rendezvous battleship destroyers having loaded survivors battleship attacked submarines early morning december hit torpedoes flooded compartments killed men gave list starboard able proceed engine reached following day began repairs december repairs abandoned march lack materials ship moved dock april efforts camouflage ship began april reclassified guard ship june armament ordered removed august ship surrendered allies september american technical team evaluated ship condition october deemed total loss stricken navy list november scrapped june august
Japanese aircraft carrier Jun'yō