Taiyo class escort aircraft carrier
Encyclopedia
The was a three-strong class of escort carriers operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy
in World War II
.
s built by the shipping line
Nippon Yusen
, requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy
and converted to escort carriers. They were usually employed as air-crew training ships, aircraft transports and as anti-submarine convoy escorts. None of them survived the war, all were sunk by submarines.
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...
in 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...
.
Overview
These ships were ocean linerOcean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
s built by the shipping line
Shipping line
-History of shipping lines:Large-scale shipping lines became widespread in the nineteenth century, after the development of the steamship in 1783. At first, Great Britain was the centr of development; in 1819, the first steamship crossing of the Atlantic Ocean took place and by 1833, shipping lines...
Nippon Yusen
Nippon Yusen
Japan-based or NYK Line, is one of the largest shipping companies in the world. It is a core Mitsubishi company. The company has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo.-1870-1900:...
, requisitioned by 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...
and converted to escort carriers. They were usually employed as air-crew training ships, aircraft transports and as anti-submarine convoy escorts. None of them survived the war, all were sunk by submarines.
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned (as carrier) | Sunk | |
| Taiyō Japanese aircraft carrier Taiyo Taiyō was the lead ship of Taiyō-class of escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.-Construction and Conversion:... (大鷹) |
6 January 1940 | 19 September 1940 | 2 September 1941 | 18 August 1944 |
| Chūyō Japanese aircraft carrier Chuyo Chūyō was a Taiyō-class escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.-Construction and Conversion:The was an ocean liner of the Nippon Yusen shipping line, laid down in the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki in May 1938, launched in May 1939 and commissioned on 23 March 1940... (冲鷹) |
9 May 1938 | 20 May 1939 | 25 November 1942 | 4 December 1943 |
| Unyō Japanese aircraft carrier Unyo Unyō was a Taiyō-class escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.-Construction and conversion:The liner of the shipping line Nippon Yusen, laid down in the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki in December 1938, launched in October 1939 and commissioned in July 1940, was... (雲鷹) |
14 December 1938 | 31 October 1939 | 31 May 1942 | 17 September 1944 |