Japanese aircraft carrier Taihō
Taihō (大鳳, "Great Phoenix") was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Possessing heavy belt armor and featuring an armored flight deck (a first for any Japanese aircraft carrier), she represented a major departure from prior Japanese aircraft carrier design and was expected to not only survive multiple bomb, torpedo, or shell hits, but also continue fighting effectively afterwards.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Taihō (大鳳) |
| Operators | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Preceded by | Hiyō class |
| Succeeded by | Unryū class |
| Built | 1941–1944 |
| In commission | 7 March – 19 June 1944 |
| Completed | 1 |
| Lost | 1 |
| History | |
| Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Taihō |
| Builder | Kawasaki Kobe Shipyard |
| Laid down | 10 July 1941 |
| Launched | 7 April 1943 |
| Commissioned | 7 March 1944 |
| Stricken | August 1945 |
| Fate | Sunk in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 19 June 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Taihō-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement | 29,770 long tons (30,248 t) (standard) |
| Length | 260.6 m (855 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 27.4 m (89 ft 11 in) |
| Draft | 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 4 × shafts; 4 × geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 33.3 knots (61.7 km/h; 38.3 mph) |
| Range | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement | 1,751 |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
| Aircraft carried | 65 in combat (53–82 as planned) |
| Aviation facilities |
|
Built by Kawasaki at Kobe, she was laid down on 10 July 1941, launched almost two years later on 7 April 1943 and finally commissioned on 7 March 1944. She sank on 19 June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea due to explosions resulting from design flaws and poor damage control after suffering a single torpedo hit from the American submarine USS Albacore.