Shoho
| Country | Japan |
| Ship Class | Zuiho-class Light Carrier |
| Builder | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal |
| Laid Down | 3 Dec 1934 |
| Launched | 1 Jun 1935 |
| Commissioned | 30 Nov 1941 |
| Sunk | 7 May 1942 |
| Displacement | 11,443 tons standard; 13,950 tons full |
| Length | 674 feet |
| Beam | 60 feet |
| Draft | 22 feet |
| Machinery | 4 boilers, 2 geared steam turbines, 2 shafts |
| Power Output | 52,000 shaft horsepower |
| Speed | 28 knots |
| Range | 7,800nm at 18 knots |
| Crew | 785 |
| Armament | 4x2x12.7mm/40 Type 89 guns, 4x2x25mm Type 96 anti-aircraft guns |
| Aircraft | 30 operational, 0 in reserve |
| Aircraft Elevators | 2 |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseShoho was the name-sake ship of the class of two light carriers. When Shoho and her sister ship Zuiho were laid down, they were of a flexible design that could eventually be completed as a light carrier, an oil tanker, or a submarine tender. She was originally launched in 1935 as the submarine tender Tsurugisaki, but was converted into a light carrier in 1941. On 30 Nov 1941, she was assigned to Carrier Division 4 and was placed under the command of Captain Ishinosuke Izawa. In May 1942, she participated in Operation MO, which aimed at Port Moresby in New Guinea; her mission was to guard troop transports against potential American air or submarine attacks. The Japanese fleet was intercepted in the Coral Sea on 7 May, and was attacked at 0755 by 53 dive bombers, 22 torpedo bombers, and 18 fighters from American carriers Lexington and Yorktown. Shoho was sunk after being hit by 7 torpedoes and 13 bombs. She sank at 0835 on 7 May 1942 with the loss of 631 men. 203 men, including Captain Izawa, were rescued by destroyer Sazanami.
ww2dbaseShoho was the first Japanese carrier to be sunk in the Pacific War.
ww2dbaseSources: Interrogations of Japanese Officials, Naval Historical Center, Wikipedia.
Last Major Revision: Mar 2007
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Shoho Operational Timeline
| 30 Nov 1941 | Shoho was commissioned into service. |
| 7 May 1942 | Shoho sank in the Coral Sea at 1135 hours after an hour-long carrier aircraft attack that saw 13 bomb and 5 torpedo hits; 631 were killed, 203 survived. |
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Document(s):
» Interrogation Nav 10, Captain Mineo Yamaoka
» Japanese Aircraft Carrier Functions
» Japanese Aircraft Carrier Operational Status By Month
» Japanese Aircraft Carrier Specifications
» Japanese Aircraft Carrier Time Operational
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Winston Churchill, on the RAF
28 May 2011 01:18:14 AM
It was the sinking of the Shoho that was the subject of that famous radio message, “Scratch one flattop!” LtCdr Robert E. Dixon, commander of USS Lexington’s dice bomber squadron, radioed that message back to his ship as Shoho sunk. Stanley Johnston, a war correspondent for The Chicago Tribune, was aboard the Lexington at the time and his reports immortalized the quote.