Ships · Japan · 1941-1944
Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier
fleet aircraft carrier
Shōkaku and Zuikaku were Japan's best carriers of the war, fast and well-protected, and both took part in the Pearl Harbor strike. Shōkaku was damaged at Coral Sea and both missed Midway as a result, sparing them from the disaster that destroyed the rest of the striking force. The submarine Cavalla sank Shōkaku at the Philippine Sea in June 1944, and carrier aircraft sank Zuikaku off Cape Engaño during the Leyte Gulf battles that October.
| crew | 1,660 |
|---|---|
| displacement | 25,675 tons (standard), 32,105 full load |
| aircraft | 72 plus 12 spares |
| produced | 2 |