Japanese aircraft carrier Chitose
Encyclopedia
was a light aircraft carrier
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
during World War II
. It should not be confused with the earlier cruiser of the same name
. First laid down as a seaplane tender
in 1934 at Kure Navy yard, the ship originally carried Kawanishi E7K
Type 94 "Alf" and Nakajima E8N
Type 95 "Dave" floatplane
s. Although it has been speculated that Chitose also carried Type A midget submarine
s, only her sister ship, the had that capability. Chitose saw several naval actions, taking part in the Battle of Midway
though seeing no combat there. She was bombed by B-17 Flying Fortresses off Davao, Philippines
on 4 January 1942, sustaining negligible damage. She covered the Japanese landings in the East Indies
and New Guinea
from January-April 1942, and was damaged in the Eastern Solomons in August 1942.
The Chitose underwent conversion to a light aircraft carrier at Sasebo
Navy Yard commencing on 26 January 1943, was recommissioned on 1 November 1943 as CVL (24) and completed as a carrier on 1 January 1944. She was assigned to CarDiv 3 as part of the Japanese Third Fleet.
. According to the plan for the Sho-ichi go operation, both carriers were divested of aircraft and successfully used to decoy the main body of the American fleet away from the landing beaches in the Philippines. Chitose was sunk by torpedo hits during the first air strike made by naval aircraft of Task Force 38 (TF 38) from the carrier off Cape Engaño.
At 08:35, she took three torpedo hits, or possibly near misses from bombs on the port side forward of the number 1 elevator. This resulted in boiler rooms 2 and 4 being flooded with an immediate list to 27° and rudder failure. The list was reduced to 15°, but by 08:55 further flooding had brought it back up to 20°. At 08:55, the starboard engine room flooded, cutting speed to 14 kn (27.4 km/h; 17 mph). The port engine room followed at 09:25. The Chitose was dead in the water, and her list grew to 30°. At 09:37, at position 19°20′N 126°20′E, she rolled over to port and nosed under, with the loss of 903 men. The cruiser rescued 480 men, and destroyer a further 121.
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It should not be confused with the earlier cruiser of the same name
Japanese cruiser Chitose
was a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was the sister ship to the . It should not be confused with the later aircraft carrier . Its name comes from Chitose, Hokkaidō.-Design and development:...
. First laid down as a seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
in 1934 at Kure Navy yard, the ship originally carried Kawanishi E7K
Kawanishi E7K
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., Réne J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970 . ISBN 0-370-30251-6....
Type 94 "Alf" and Nakajima E8N
Nakajima E8N
|-See also:-References:*Francillon, R.J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London:Putnam, 1970. ISBN 0 370 00033 1....
Type 95 "Dave" floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s. Although it has been speculated that Chitose also carried Type A midget submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
s, only her sister ship, the had that capability. Chitose saw several naval actions, taking part in the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
though seeing no combat there. She was bombed by B-17 Flying Fortresses off Davao, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on 4 January 1942, sustaining negligible damage. She covered the Japanese landings in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
from January-April 1942, and was damaged in the Eastern Solomons in August 1942.
Conversion
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
Navy Yard commencing on 26 January 1943, was recommissioned on 1 November 1943 as CVL (24) and completed as a carrier on 1 January 1944. She was assigned to CarDiv 3 as part of the Japanese Third Fleet.
Final battle
Both Chitose and Chiyoda were sunk by a combination of naval bombers, cruiser shellfire and destroyer-launched torpedoes during the Battle of Leyte GulfBattle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
. According to the plan for the Sho-ichi go operation, both carriers were divested of aircraft and successfully used to decoy the main body of the American fleet away from the landing beaches in the Philippines. Chitose was sunk by torpedo hits during the first air strike made by naval aircraft of Task Force 38 (TF 38) from the carrier off Cape Engaño.
At 08:35, she took three torpedo hits, or possibly near misses from bombs on the port side forward of the number 1 elevator. This resulted in boiler rooms 2 and 4 being flooded with an immediate list to 27° and rudder failure. The list was reduced to 15°, but by 08:55 further flooding had brought it back up to 20°. At 08:55, the starboard engine room flooded, cutting speed to 14 kn (27.4 km/h; 17 mph). The port engine room followed at 09:25. The Chitose was dead in the water, and her list grew to 30°. At 09:37, at position 19°20′N 126°20′E, she rolled over to port and nosed under, with the loss of 903 men. The cruiser rescued 480 men, and destroyer a further 121.