Japanese Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku
Open the military map航空母艦瑞鶴
Carrier
Zuikaku was the second Shōkaku-class fleet carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, commissioned in September 1941. She participated in nearly every major naval engagement of the Pacific War, from Pearl Harbor to Leyte Gulf, and was the last surviving carrier of the Pearl Harbor strike force. She was sunk on October 25, 1944, during the Battle off Cape Engaño at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
- Armament
- 12.7cm連装高角砲8基16門、25mm三連装機銃12基・単装機銃多数、搭載機72機（予備12機）
- Fate
- Sunk in battle
History
Zuikaku (瑞鶴, "Auspicious Crane") was laid down on May 25, 1938, at the Kawasaki Dockyard in Kobe, launched on November 27, 1939, and commissioned on September 25, 1941. She was the sister ship of Shōkaku and together they formed the most powerful carrier pair in the Imperial Japanese Navy at the outset of the Pacific War.
On December 7, 1941, Zuikaku's aircraft participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor as part of Kidō Butai. She went on to fight at the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942), where her air group suffered heavy losses, causing her to miss the Battle of Midway while replenishing her air wing. This absence spared her from the disaster that destroyed four other Japanese carriers.
Zuikaku subsequently fought in every major carrier engagement of the war: the Eastern Solomons, Santa Cruz Islands, Philippine Sea ("Marianas Turkey Shoot"), and finally the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. By this stage, she operated with very few aircraft due to the decimation of Japan's naval air forces.
During the Battle off Cape Engaño on October 25, 1944, Zuikaku served as a decoy to lure Admiral Halsey's Task Force 38 away from the San Bernardino Strait. She was struck by seven torpedoes and nine bombs from successive US air strikes. As she sank, the crew lowered the battle ensign in a ceremony, and she rolled over and sank stern-first at 14:14 local time. Approximately 842 men were lost with the ship, including Rear Admiral Kaizuka Takeo.
Zuikaku was the last surviving fleet carrier of the six that launched the Pearl Harbor attack — Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, Hiryū had all been lost at Midway; Shōkaku was sunk by submarine in June 1944 — making her sinking the symbolic end of the Kidō Butai era.
Related sites (3)
- Built34.678, 135.176
Kawasaki Dockyard, Kobe, Japan. Zuikaku was laid down here on May 25, 1938, launched November 27, 1939, and commissioned September 25, 1941.
- Homeport34.237, 132.546
Kure Naval Base, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Zuikaku was assigned to the 1st Air Fleet based at Kure upon commissioning, and returned there for replenishment and repairs throughout the war.
- Sunk19.333, 125.850
Battle off Cape Engaño, Philippine Sea. Zuikaku was sunk on October 25, 1944, at approximately 19°20′N 125°51′E, struck by seven torpedoes and nine bombs from US carrier aircraft of Task Force 38. She sank stern-first at 14:14, with the loss of approximately 842 men.
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