The Unryū-class aircraft carriers (雲龍型航空母艦, Unryū-gata Kōkūbokan) were World War II Japanese aircraft carriers. Sixteen ships of the class were planned under the Maru Kyū Programme (Ship #302 in 1941) and the Kai-Maru 5 Programme (#5001–5015 in 1942). However, only three of the Unryū-class carriers were completed.[10][Note 1]
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 Sōryū to reach 34 knots (63 km/h), though Katsuragi was instead fitted with two turbines of the same type used in destroyers and had a maximum speed of 32 knots (59 km/h).[11] The carriers also had a similar armament as Hiryū[11] and were equipped with two Type 21 radars and two Type 13 radars.[12]
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 (Unryū, Amagi, and Katsuragi) were completed and construction of the other three carriers (Kasagi, Aso and Ikoma) was abandoned in 1945.[11]
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 (改飛龍型, Kai Hiryū-gata),[13]Ship Number 5002–5006 were Modified Unryū class (改雲龍型, Kai Unryū-gata)[14] also.
Katsuragi and Aso (built by Kure Naval Arsenal) were equipped with two sets of the Kagerō-class destroyer machinery,[15][9] because Japanese industry power became scarce. Dead space was replaced by fuel tanks.[14]
Ship Number 5002 and 5005 (built by Yokosuka Naval Arsenal) were to have been built simultaneously using Shinano's dock. However, they were cancelled because Shinano was continued.[14][16]
60% complete. Construction stopped on 9 November 1944. Damaged by air raids in July 1945. Scuttled, July 1945. Salvaged and scrapped between 21 December 1946 – 26 April 1947.
Ikoma class
The Ikoma subclass was a simplified and sped-up construction model of the Unryū class. They were equipped with shift-arrangement machinery (four sets of parallel boilers and one turbine).[15][18] Therefore, their funnels were intended to be spaced out.[18] The IJN unofficial designation for this class was Modified Ship Number 302-class (改第302号艦型, Kai Dai 302-Gōkan-gata).[5][17]
"Unryu class". Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
Lengerer, Hans (2010). Illustrated Record of the Transition of the Superstructures of BB Kongô Class: Introduction to CV Unryû Class. Katowice, Poland: Model Hobby. ISBN978-83-60041-42-0.
Stille, Mark (2005). Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft Carriers, 1921 - 45. New Vanguard. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN1-84176-853-7.
Worth, Richard (2001). Fleets of World War II. Da Capo Press. ISBN0-306-81116-2.
Shizuo Fukui, "Stories of Japanese aircraft carriers", Kōjinsha (Japan) August 1996, ISBN4-7698-0655-8
"Rekishi Gunzō". History of Pacific War Extra, "Perfect guide, The aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy & Army", Gakken (Japan), April 2003, ISBN4-05-603055-3
Daiji Katagiri, Ship Name Chronicles of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet, Kōjinsha (Japan), June 1988, ISBN4-7698-0386-9
"Japan Center for Asian Historical Records"., National Archives of Japan, "List of main points and features of surface vessels under construction", Reference code: A03032074600
Monthly Ships of the World, "Kaijinsha". (Japan)
No. 481, Special issue, "History of Japanese Aircraft Carriers", May 1994
No. 736, Special issue, "History of Japanese Aircraft Carriers" (New edition), January 2011
The Maru Special, Ushio Shobo (Japan)
Warship Mechanism Vol. 3, "Mechanisms of Japanese 29 Aircraft Carriers", August 1981
Japanese Naval Vessels No. 23, "Japanese aircraft carriers I", January 1979
Vol. 31, Naval armaments and war preparation (1), "Until November 1941", November 1969
Vol. 88, Naval armaments and war preparation (2), "And after the outbreak of war", October 1975
Notes
^Two of these ships were canceled to release a slipway and material to convert Shinano into an aircraft carrier.[10]
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Unryū class aircraft carrier.
Andrew Toppan (2000). "World Aircraft Carriers List: Japanese Aircraft Carriers". Hazegray.org. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
January 20, 2023
unryū, class, aircraft, carrier, 雲龍型航空母艦, unryū, gata, kōkūbokan, were, world, japanese, aircraft, carriers, sixteen, ships, class, were, planned, under, maru, kyū, programme, ship, 1941, maru, programme, 5001, 5015, 1942, however, only, three, unryū, class, c. The Unryu class aircraft carriers 雲龍型航空母艦 Unryu gata Kōkubokan were World War II Japanese aircraft carriers Sixteen ships of the class were planned under the Maru Kyu Programme Ship 302 in 1941 and the Kai Maru 5 Programme 5001 5015 in 1942 However only three of the Unryu class carriers were completed 10 Note 1 Unryu 16 July 1944Class overviewNameUnryu classBuildersYokosuka Naval Arsenal Mitsubishi Shipyard Nagasaki Kure Naval Arsenal Kawasaki Shipyard KobeOperators Imperial Japanese NavyPreceded byTaihōSucceeded byProject Number G18 jp planned SubclassesUnryu Ship 302 and 5001 5006 Ikoma Ship 5007 5015 Cost87 039 000 JPY in 1941 1 93 442 000 JPY in 1942 2 Built1942 45In commission1944 45Planned1 1941 15 1942 Completed3Cancelled13Lost2 1 Aso Retired1General characteristicsTypeAircraft carrierDisplacementUnryu and Amagi 17 480 long tons 17 760 t standard all others 17 150 long tons 17 425 t standardLength227 35 m 745 9 ft o aBeam22 m 72 ft Draught7 86 m 25 8 ft Installed power8 Ro Gō Kampon water tube boilers Katsuragi and Aso 3 4 104 000 shp 78 000 kW Propulsion4 shafts 4 Kampon geared turbines all others 3 4 152 000 shp 113 000 kW SpeedKatsuragi and Aso 3 4 32 knots 37 mph 59 km h all others 3 4 34 knots 39 mph 63 km h Range8 000 nmi 15 000 km at 18 knots 33 km h 3 EnduranceFuel 3 750 tons oil 3 4 ComplementUnryu and Amagi 3 4 1 100 Katsuragi Kasagi and Aso 3 4 1 500 Ikoma 3 4 1 595Sensors and processing systemsRadar 6 Unryu and Amagi as built 2 Type 21 radars top of island and flight deck 1 Type 13 radar mast Katsuragi as built 2 Type 21 radars top of island and flight deck 2 Type 13 radars mast and radio antenna Amagi and Katsuragi in 1945 1 Type 21 radar flight deck 1 Type 22 radar top of island 1 Type 13 radar mast Sonar and hydrophone 7 8 Amagi Type 93 hydrophone Type 3 active sonar all others Type 0 hydrophone Type 3 active sonarArmament12 6 2 127 mm Type 89 AA guns 93 21 3 and 30 1 8 Type 96 25 mm AA guns 30 depth charges 8 Unryu and Amagi 168 6 28 9 4 7 inch AA rockets Kasagi 120 4 8 30 9 4 7 inch AA rockets all others 180 6 30 9 4 7 inch AA rocketsArmor 3 Deck 25 mm 0 98 in Belt Katsuragi and Aso 50 mm 2 0 in all others 46 mm 1 8 in Aircraft carriedPlan in 1942 3 4 5 Unryu class 12 3 Mitsubishi A6M 27 3 Aichi D3A 18 2 Nakajima B5N Ikoma class 18 1 Mitsubishi A6M 27 Aichi D3A 27 Nakajima B5N Plan in 1943 18 2 Mitsubishi A7M 27 Yokosuka D4Y 6 Nakajima C6N Plan in August 1944 27 Mitsubishi A6M 12 Yokosuka D4Y 9 Nakajima B6N Contents 1 Design 2 Construction 3 Ships in classes 3 1 Unryu class 3 2 Ikoma class 4 Photos 5 Footnotes 6 References 7 Notes 8 External linksDesign EditIn the lead up to the Pacific War the Imperial Japanese Navy IJN 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 Hiryu rather than the newer and more sophisticated Taihō or the Shōkaku class 11 The Unryu class aircraft carrier design was very similar to that of Hiryu The ships were lightly built and the main difference from Hiryu 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 Unryu class carried a smaller quantity of aviation fuel than Hiryu with fuel tanks protected by concrete The ships were fitted with the same propulsion system used in the aircraft carrier Sōryu to reach 34 knots 63 km h though Katsuragi was instead fitted with two turbines of the same type used in destroyers and had a maximum speed of 32 knots 59 km h 11 The carriers also had a similar armament as Hiryu 11 and were equipped with two Type 21 radars and two Type 13 radars 12 Construction EditThe first three Unryu class aircraft carriers were laid down in 1942 and construction of a further three began the next year Eventually only three Unryu Amagi and Katsuragi were completed and construction of the other three carriers Kasagi Aso and Ikoma was abandoned in 1945 11 Ships in classes EditUnryu class Edit Project number was G16 General production model of the Unryu class 3 carriers were completed The IJN unofficial designation for Unryu and Amagi were Modified Hiryu class 改飛龍型 Kai Hiryu gata 13 Ship Number 5002 5006 were Modified Unryu class 改雲龍型 Kai Unryu gata 14 also Unryu built by Yokosuka Naval Arsenal used the same boilers and turbines as the heavy cruiser Suzuya Amagi and Kasagi built by Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard were equipped with surplus stock of the Ibuki class cruiser machinery 15 Katsuragi and Aso built by Kure Naval Arsenal were equipped with two sets of the Kagerō class destroyer machinery 15 9 because Japanese industry power became scarce Dead space was replaced by fuel tanks 14 Ship Number 5002 and 5005 built by Yokosuka Naval Arsenal were to have been built simultaneously using Shinano s dock However they were cancelled because Shinano was continued 14 16 Construction data Ship Ship Builder Laid down Launched Completed Fate302 Unryu 雲龍 Yokosuka Naval Arsenal 1 August 1942 25 September 1943 6 August 1944 Sunk by USS Redfish 19 December 1944 5001 Amagi 天城 Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard 1 October 1942 15 October 1943 10 August 1944 Sunk by air raid 28 July 1945 Salvaged and scrapped between 5 December 1946 12 November 1947 5002 Yokosuka Naval Arsenal Cancelled 1943 materials were used for Shinano 5003 Katsuragi 葛城 Kure Naval Arsenal 8 December 1942 19 January 1944 15 October 1944 Scrapped between 22 December 1946 30 November 1947 5004 Kasagi 笠置 Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard 14 April 1943 19 October 1944 June 1945 17 84 complete Construction stopped on 1 April 1945 Scrapped between 1 September 1946 31 December 1947 5005 Yokosuka Naval Arsenal Cancelled 1943 materials were used for Shinano 5006 Aso 阿蘇 Kure Naval Arsenal 8 June 1943 1 November 1944 September 1945 17 60 complete Construction stopped on 9 November 1944 Damaged by air raids in July 1945 Scuttled July 1945 Salvaged and scrapped between 21 December 1946 26 April 1947 Ikoma class Edit The Ikoma subclass was a simplified and sped up construction model of the Unryu class They were equipped with shift arrangement machinery four sets of parallel boilers and one turbine 15 18 Therefore their funnels were intended to be spaced out 18 The IJN unofficial designation for this class was Modified Ship Number 302 class 改第302号艦型 Kai Dai 302 Gōkan gata 5 17 Construction data Ship Ship Builder Laid down Launched Completed Fate5007 Ikoma 生駒 Kawasaki Kobe Shipyard 5 July 1943 17 November 1944 October 1945 17 60 complete Construction stopped 9 November 1944 Scrapped 4 July 1946 10 March 1947 5008 Kurama 鞍馬 19 or Kaimon 開聞 20 Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard 17 November 1943 17 December 1945 17 Cancelled on 5 May 1944 21 5009 Yokosuka Naval Arsenal 17 July 1943 17 March 1946 17 Cancelled on 11 August 1943 22 5010 Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard 17 April 1944 17 June 1946 17 5011 Yokosuka Naval Arsenal 17 June 1944 17 September 1946 17 5012 Kure Naval Arsenal 17 June 1944 17 September 1946 17 5013 Yokosuka Naval Arsenal 17 June 1944 17 March 1947 17 5014 Yokosuka Naval Arsenal 17 October 1944 17 September 1947 17 5015 Yokosuka Naval Arsenal 17 January 1945 17 March 1948 17 Photos Edit Amagi August 1946 Katsuragi and Kaiyo above under attack on 19 March 1945 Katsuragi as repatriation transport on 31 January 1946 Kasagi 2 November 1945 Aso 20 December 1946 Ikoma 23 May 1946Footnotes Edit Senshi Sōsho Vol 31 1969 p 815 Senshi Sōsho Vol 88 1975 p 37 a b c d e f g h i j k Ships of the World 1994 p 66 a b c d e f g h i Shizuo Fukui p 442 445 a b Rekishi Gunzo p 105 The Maru Special 1981 p 17 19 p 54 55 and p 84 87 Ships of the World 1994 p 177 a b c d Japan Center for Asian Historical Records p 3 a b c d Shizuo Fukui p 276 a b Lengerer 2010b p 106 a b c d Stille 2005 p 37 Stille 2005 p 38 Shizuo Fukui p 273 a b c Shizuo Fukui p 274 a b c The Maru Special 1981 p 55 Shizuo Fukui p 331 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Senshi Sōsho Vol 88 1975 p 18 a b Shizuo Fukui p 275 The Maru Special 1979 p 38 Daiji Katagiri p 83 84 Senshi Sōsho Vol 88 1975 p 95 Senshi Sōsho Vol 88 1975 p 71 74References Edit Unryu class Combinedfleet com Retrieved 5 February 2008 Lengerer Hans 2010 Illustrated Record of the Transition of the Superstructures of BB Kongo Class Introduction to CV Unryu Class Katowice Poland Model Hobby ISBN 978 83 60041 42 0 Stille Mark 2005 Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft Carriers 1921 45 New Vanguard Oxford Osprey ISBN 1 84176 853 7 Worth Richard 2001 Fleets of World War II Da Capo Press ISBN 0 306 81116 2 Shizuo Fukui Stories of Japanese aircraft carriers Kōjinsha Japan August 1996 ISBN 4 7698 0655 8 Rekishi Gunzō History of Pacific War Extra Perfect guide The aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy amp Army Gakken Japan April 2003 ISBN 4 05 603055 3 Daiji Katagiri Ship Name Chronicles of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet Kōjinsha Japan June 1988 ISBN 4 7698 0386 9 Japan Center for Asian Historical Records National Archives of Japan List of main points and features of surface vessels under construction Reference code A03032074600 Monthly Ships of the World Kaijinsha Japan No 481 Special issue History of Japanese Aircraft Carriers May 1994 No 736 Special issue History of Japanese Aircraft Carriers New edition January 2011 The Maru Special Ushio Shobo Japan Warship Mechanism Vol 3 Mechanisms of Japanese 29 Aircraft Carriers August 1981 Japanese Naval Vessels No 23 Japanese aircraft carriers I January 1979 Senshi Sōsho Asagumo Simbun Japan Vol 31 Naval armaments and war preparation 1 Until November 1941 November 1969 Vol 88 Naval armaments and war preparation 2 And after the outbreak of war October 1975Notes Edit Two of these ships were canceled to release a slipway and material to convert Shinano into an aircraft carrier 10 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Unryu class aircraft carrier Andrew Toppan 2000 World Aircraft Carriers List Japanese Aircraft Carriers Hazegray org Retrieved 5 February 2008 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Unryu class aircraft carrier amp oldid 1129751969, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
