Seaplane Tender Akitsushima

Akitsushima was laid down at Kawasaki Shipbuilding Kobe on 29 October 1940, launched 25 July 1941, and commissioned 29 April 1942. She was a purpose-built tender specifically designed to support the Kawanishi H8K "Emily" large flying boat — one of the most capable maritime patrol aircraft of World War II. At 4,650 tons, Akitsushima was a relatively small but highly specialized vessel, equipped with a large 35-ton crane capable of hoisting the H8K Emily (which weighed over 32 tons) out of the water for maintenance, repair, and rearming. She carried workshops for aircraft maintenance and repair, aviation fuel, and all necessary support equipment. During the war, Akitsushima operated in the South and Southwest Pacific theater supporting long-range patrol and reconnaissance operations. On 24 September 1944, during the U.S. carrier air strikes on Coron Bay in the Philippines (part of the preparatory operations before the Battle of Leyte Gulf), Akitsushima, which had arrived in the bay only the day before, was caught at anchor and sunk by carrier aircraft of Task Force 38. Her wreck lies in Coron Bay, Palawan, and is now one of the most popular wreck diving sites in the world, lying at approximately 35 meters depth.