Japanese seaplane tender Akitsushima
Encyclopedia
The was a seaplane tender
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
, serving during the World War II
from 1942 until being sunk in September 1944.
was the only aircraft able to hit the Pearl Harbor
directly from Marshall Islands
. However, the Marshall Islands did not have flying boat facilities, then. Early 1939, the IJN converted the Kamoi
to a seplane tender. However, she was not able to repair the seplanes.
The IJN thought therefore planned two kinds of seaplane tenders which were included in the Maru 4 Programme
. One was a 10,000 tons class flying boat carrier, the other a 2,400 tons class flying boat tender. These plans were not able to pass the assessment by the Ministry of Finance
. Therefore the IJN planned a 3,500 tons class tender, which was a scaled-up model of the 2,400 tons class. She ships should be able to maintain, repair and supply seaplanes. The IJN intended to accommodate the flying boat by bow-up trim and slope at first, however this plan was cancelled and the Akitsushima-class was equipped with a 35 ton crane. The IJN changed the design frequently, ending up with a displacement increased by 1000 tons.
and Rabaul
. After the U.S. invasion of Guadalcanal
, Akitsushima arrived at the Shortland Islands
on 16 August 1942. She was damaged by B-17E Flying Fortress bombers at Buka Island
two weeks later.
Her repairs were completed on 5 January 1943, and she was dispatched to Kavieng
, only to proceed to Jaluit Atoll
in February. On 30 June 1943 she sailed to Paramushir
for the evacuation of Kiska
. She returned to Yokosuka
in August and sailed via Shanghai
to Truk. Here, she was slightly damaged by U.S. carrier planes which attacked Truk during Operation Hailstone
. The following month, Akitsushima was assigned to the 14th Air Fleet and returned to Yokosuka for repairs. She also received repair ship facilities, because the Akashi
had been sunk. Her refit was completed on 1 August 1944 and she was assigned to the 2nd Fleet
.
In August 1944, she sailed to Kure
and Imari
, then to Kaohsiung
, and Manila
, finally arriving at Coron Bay
on 23 September 1944. Here she was sunk by aircraft Task Force 38 the following day. Akitsushima was officially decommissioned on 10 November 1944.
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:...
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...
, serving during the 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...
from 1942 until being sunk in September 1944.
Design
In 1938, the IJN wanted to use their large-sized flying boats more effectively, because the Kawanishi H6KKawanishi H6K
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Doubilet, David. "The Flying Boat". Sport Diver Magazine. Volume 15, Number 8, September 2007.* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. Annapolis, Maryland, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995.* Green, William. Warplanes of the Second...
was the only aircraft able to hit the Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
directly from Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. However, the Marshall Islands did not have flying boat facilities, then. Early 1939, the IJN converted the Kamoi
Japanese seaplane tender Kamoi
The was a oiler/seaplane tender/flying boat tender of the Imperial Japanese Navy, serving during the 1920s and the World War II. She was initially planned in 1920 as one of six of the oilers under the Eight-eight fleet final plan.-Service:...
to a seplane tender. However, she was not able to repair the seplanes.
The IJN thought therefore planned two kinds of seaplane tenders which were included in the Maru 4 Programme
4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1939)
The was one of the armaments expansion plan of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In 1939, the IJN started new naval armaments expansion plan...
. One was a 10,000 tons class flying boat carrier, the other a 2,400 tons class flying boat tender. These plans were not able to pass the assessment by the Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Finance (Japan)
The ' is one of cabinet-level ministries of the Japanese government. The ministry was once named Ōkura-shō . The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Finance , who is a member of the Cabinet and is typically chosen from members of the Diet by the Prime Minister.The Ministry's origin was back in...
. Therefore the IJN planned a 3,500 tons class tender, which was a scaled-up model of the 2,400 tons class. She ships should be able to maintain, repair and supply seaplanes. The IJN intended to accommodate the flying boat by bow-up trim and slope at first, however this plan was cancelled and the Akitsushima-class was equipped with a 35 ton crane. The IJN changed the design frequently, ending up with a displacement increased by 1000 tons.
Operational Service
The Akitsushima as commissiones on 29 April 1942 and assigned to the 25th Air Flotilla, 11th Air Fleet. Already two weeks later, she sailed to SaipanSaipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
and Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
. After the U.S. invasion of Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
, Akitsushima arrived at the Shortland Islands
Shortland Islands
The Shortland Islands are group of islands belonging to the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, at . Named by John Shortland, they lie in the extreme northwest of the country's territory, close to the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Shortland Island...
on 16 August 1942. She was damaged by B-17E Flying Fortress bombers at Buka Island
Buka Island
Buka Island is the second largest island in the Papua New Guinean province of Bougainville.- History :Buka was first occupied by humans in paleolithic times, some 30,000 years ago...
two weeks later.
Her repairs were completed on 5 January 1943, and she was dispatched to Kavieng
Kavieng
Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2000, it had a population of 10,600....
, only to proceed to Jaluit Atoll
Jaluit Atoll
Jaluit Atoll is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon with an area of . Most of the land area is on largest islet of Jaluit . Jaluit is located...
in February. On 30 June 1943 she sailed to Paramushir
Paramushir
Paramushir , is a volcanic island in the northern portion of Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It is separated from Shumshu by the very narrow Second Kuril Strait in the northeast , from Antsiferov by the Luzhin Strait to the southwest, from Atlasov in the...
for the evacuation of Kiska
Operation Cottage
Operation Cottage was a tactical maneuver during the Aleutian Islands campaign. In the operation, which took place on August 15, 1943, Allied military forces landed unopposed on Kiska Island, which had been occupied by Japanese forces since June, 1942. The Japanese forces, however, had secretly...
. She returned to Yokosuka
Yokosuka, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 419,067 and a population density of 4,160 people per km². It covered an area of 100.62 km²...
in August and sailed via Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to Truk. Here, she was slightly damaged by U.S. carrier planes which attacked Truk during Operation Hailstone
Operation Hailstone
Operation Hailstone was a massive naval air and surface attack launched on February 17–18, 1944, during World War II by the United States Navy against the Japanese naval and air base at Truk in the Caroline Islands, a pre-war Japanese territory.-Background:Truk was a major Japanese logistical base...
. The following month, Akitsushima was assigned to the 14th Air Fleet and returned to Yokosuka for repairs. She also received repair ship facilities, because the Akashi
Japanese repair ship Akashi
Akashi was a Japanese repair ship, serving during the World War II. She was the only specifically designed repair ship operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The navy based her design on the US Navy's USS Medusa.-Construction:...
had been sunk. Her refit was completed on 1 August 1944 and she was assigned to the 2nd Fleet
IJN 2nd Fleet
The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 2nd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as a mobile strike force of cruisers and destroyers to pursue the Imperial Russian Navy's Vladivostok-based cruiser squadron while the...
.
In August 1944, she sailed to Kure
Kure, Hiroshima
is a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 240,820 and a population density of 681 persons per km². The total area is 353.74 km².- History :...
and Imari
Imari, Saga
is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan. Imari is most notable because of Imari porcelain, which is the European collectors' name for Japanese porcelain wares made in the town of Arita, Saga Prefecture. The porcelain was exported from the port of Imari specifically for...
, then to Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
, and Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, finally arriving at Coron Bay
Coron Island
Coron Island is the third largest island in the Calamian Group of Islands in northern Palawan in the Philippines. The island is part of the larger municipality of the same name. It is about southwest of Manila, is known for several Japanese shipwrecks World War II vintage. The island is part of...
on 23 September 1944. Here she was sunk by aircraft Task Force 38 the following day. Akitsushima was officially decommissioned on 10 November 1944.
Ships in class
| Ship # | Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| 131 | Kawasaki Shipbuilding, Kōbe Shipyard | 29 October 1940 | 25 July 1941 | 29 April 1942 | Sunk by aircraft at Coron Bay 11°59′N 120°02′E, 24 September 1944. | |
| 303 | Kawasaki Shipbuilding, Kōbe Shipyard | 25 July 1941 | Construction stopped in Autumn 1942. Later scrapped. | |||
| 5031 5032 5033 |
Cancelled on 5 May 1944. | |||||
See also
- Barnegat class seaplane tenderBarnegat class seaplane tender|The Barnegat class was a large class of United States Navy small seaplane tenders built during World War II. Thirty were completed as seaplane tenders, four as motor torpedo boat tenders, and one as a catapult training ship.-Design:...
- Currituck class seaplane tenderCurrituck class seaplane tenderThe Currituck class seaplane tenders were four ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. The role of a seaplane tender was to provide base facilities for squadrons of seaplanes in a similar way that an aircraft carrier does for its squadrons.The four ships of the class were:The...
- HMS Unicorn (I72)HMS Unicorn (I72)HMS Unicorn was a aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s. She was completed during World War II and provided air cover over the amphibious landing at Salerno, Italy in September 1943. The ship was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian...
- Japanese seaplane tender KamoiJapanese seaplane tender KamoiThe was a oiler/seaplane tender/flying boat tender of the Imperial Japanese Navy, serving during the 1920s and the World War II. She was initially planned in 1920 as one of six of the oilers under the Eight-eight fleet final plan.-Service:...
- Japanese submarine I-351Japanese submarine I-351The Japanese submarine was a tanker/transport submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy , serving during 1945. The IJN called this type of submarine .-Construction:Project number S47...