Unryū-class aircraft carrier


The Unryū-class aircraft carriers were World War II Japanese aircraft carriers. Sixteen ships of the class were planned under the Maru Kyū Programme and the Kai-Maru 5 Programme. However, only three of the Unryū-class carriers were completed.

Design

In the lead-up to the Pacific War the Imperial Japanese Navy attempted to build a large number of fleet carriers. For them to be built quickly, the design for these ships was based on the aircraft carrier rather than the newer and more sophisticated or the.
The Unryū-class aircraft carrier design was very similar to that of Hiryū. The ships were lightly built, and the main difference from Hiryū was that the carriers' island was placed on the starboard side of the ships. The carriers were capable of carrying 63 aircraft in two hangars, and were fitted with two elevators. The Unryū class carried a smaller quantity of aviation fuel than Hiryū with fuel tanks protected by concrete. The ships were fitted with the same propulsion system used in the aircraft carrier to reach, though was instead fitted with two turbines of the same type used in destroyers and had a maximum speed of. The carriers also had a similar armament as Hiryū and were equipped with two Type 21 radars and two Type 13 radars.

Construction

The first three Unryū-class aircraft carriers were laid down in 1942 and construction of a further three began the next year. Eventually, only three were completed and construction of the other three carriers was abandoned in 1945.

Ships in classes

''Unryū'' class

Project number was G16. General production model of the Unryū class. 3 carriers were completed. The IJN unofficial designation for Unryū and Amagi were Modified Hiryū class, Ship Number 5002-5006 were Modified Unryū class also.
Ship #ShipBuilderLaid downLaunchedCompletedFate
302Yokosuka Naval Arsenal1 August 194225 September 19436 August 1944Sunk by at East China Sea on 19 December 1944. Struck on 20 February 1945.
5001Mitsubishi-Nagasaki Shipyard1 October 194215 October 194310 August 1944Sunk by air raid at Kure on 28 July 1945. Struck on 30 November 1945. Salvaged and scrapped between 5 December 1946-12 November 1947.
5002Yokosuka Naval ArsenalCancelled in 1943. Naval budget and the materials were used for.
5003Kure Naval Arsenal8 December 194219 January 194415 October 1944Survived war. Decommissioned on 5 October 1945. Scrapped between 22 December 1946-30 November 1947.
5004KasagiMitsubishi-Nagasaki Shipyard14 April 194319 October 194484% complete. Construction stopped on 1 April 1945. Scrapped between 1 September 1946-31 December 1947.
5005Yokosuka Naval ArsenalCancelled in 1943. Naval budget and the materials were used for Shinano.
5006AsoKure Naval Arsenal8 June 19431 November 194460% complete. Construction stopped on 9 November 1944. Sunk as target off Kurahashi-jima in July 1945. Salvaged and scrapped between 21 December 1946-26 April 1947.

''Ikoma'' class

Simplified and sped-up construction model of the Unryū class. They fitted shift-arrangement machinery. Therefore, as for their chimneys/funnels/smokepipes/uptakes, those were intended to be spaced out. The IJN unofficial designation for this class was Modified Ship Number 302-class.
Ship #ShipBuilderLaid downLaunchedCompletedFate
5007IkomaKawasaki-Kobe Shipyard5 July 194317 November 194460% complete. Construction stopped on 9 November 1944. Scrapped between 4 July 1946-10 March 1947.
5008Kurama or
Kaimon		Mitsubishi-Nagasaki ShipyardCancelled on 5 May 1944.
5009Yokosuka Naval ArsenalCancelled on 11 August 1943.
5010Mitsubishi-Nagasaki ShipyardCancelled on 11 August 1943.
5011Yokosuka Naval ArsenalCancelled on 11 August 1943.
5012Kure Naval ArsenalCancelled on 11 August 1943.
5013Yokosuka Naval ArsenalCancelled on 11 August 1943.
5014Yokosuka Naval ArsenalCancelled on 11 August 1943.
5015Yokosuka Naval ArsenalCancelled on 11 August 1943.

Photos

Footnotes