was an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

unit of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

First Air Fleet The , also known as the ''Kidō Butai'' ("Mobile Force"), was a combined carrier battle group comprising most of the aircraft carriers and carrier air groups of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the first eight months of the Pacific War. A ...

. At the beginning of the Pacific Campaign of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Fifth Carrier Division consisted of the fleet carriers ''Shōkaku'' and ''Zuikaku''. These two ships participated in the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

, using their aircraft to strafe airfields and provide fighter protection for bombers. On the way back to Japan after Pearl Harbor, the 5th Carrier Division was used to protect the main fleet from American submarines suspected of following the fleet. Additional campaigns in which the 5th Carrier Division took part included the

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the battle ...

and the Indian Ocean raid of 1942. The division experienced success with its aircraft sinking one British carrier and two British cruisers, as well as the American carrier the USS '' Lexington''. During the Coral Sea battle, ''Shōkaku'' was damaged and needed extensive repairs, and both carriers' aviation units took heavy losses, taking the division out of action for several months. As a result, the division was not present at the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...

. After the Japanese defeat at Midway, ''Shōkaku'' and ''Zuikaku'', along with light carrier ''Zuihō'', were redesignated as the

First Carrier Division was an aircraft carrier unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's First Air Fleet. At the beginning of the Pacific War, Pacific Campaign of World War II, the First Carrier Division consisted of the fleet carriers Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi, ''Ak ...

and the Fifth Carrier Division was permanently dissolved.

Fate

After the 5th was dissolved, ''Shōkaku'' and ''Zuikaku'' would fight on for several years, but neither would survive the war. ''Shōkaku'' was sunk by the American submarine during the

Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a major naval battle of World War II on 19–20 June 1944 that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious r ...

. Explosions due to aviation fuel (

avgas Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the United Kingdom, UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in moto ...

) accelerated the sinking, and she took over 1,000 men with her. ''Zuikaku'' would fight on until the

Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf () 23–26 October 1944, was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. By late 1944, Japan possessed fewer capital sh ...

when, as flagship of the

with Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa on board, she was attacked and sunk by US carrier aircraft, taking 800 men with her, along with the light carrier ''Zuiho''. Ozawa survived and transferred his flag to the light cruiser . By that point in the war, the Japanese Navy was hampered by a lack of fuel and experienced pilots, and thus the battle would be one-sided.

Organization

References

* * *''Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku'', , (USA) *''The Maru Special'', Ushio Shobō (Ushioshobokojinsha Co., Ltd.), Tōkyō, Japan. **Japanese Naval Vessels No. 6, ''Aircraft carrier Shōkaku, Zuikaku'', 1976. **Japanese Naval Vessels No. 12, ''Special type destroyers III'', 1978. **Japanese Naval Vessels No. 38, ''Japanese aircraft carriers II'', 1980. **Japanese Naval Vessels No. 41, ''Japanese destroyers I'', 1980. **Warship Mechanism Vol. 3, ''Mechanisms of Japanese 29 Aircraft Carriers'', 1981. * ''

Senshi Sōsho The , also called the , is the official military history of Imperial Japan's involvement in the Pacific War from 1937 to 1945. The task of compiling the official account of the Japanese involvement in World War II began in October 1955 with the ope ...

'', Asagumo Shimbun, Tōkyō, Japan. ** Vol. 91, ''Combined Fleet #1, "Until outbreak of the war"'', 1975 ** Vol. 80, ''Combined Fleet #2, "Until June 1942"'', 1975 {{Imperial Japanese Navy warship units 5 Units of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942