The Unryū-class aircraft carriers (雲龍型航空母艦 Unryū-gata Kōkūbokan?) were World War II Japanese aircraft carriers. Sixteen carriers were planned under the Maru Kyū Programme (Ship #302 in 1941) and the Kai-Maru 5 Programme (#5001–5015 in 1942). However, only ten carriers were completed. Unryū, Katsuragi and Kasagi participated in the Battle of the South China Sea, where Unryū was sunk by Allied bombing.
Specifications[]
- Type: Aircraft Carrier
- Service Period: 1944-1946
- Characteristics:
- Length: 745 feet 11 inches (227.36 meters)
- Beam: 72 feet 2 inches (22 meters)
- Draught: 25 feet 9 inches (7.85 meters)
- Displacement: 17,480 tons (Standard); 22,400 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,400
- Propulsion: 8 × Ro-Gō Kampon water-tube boilers, 4 × Kampon geared turbines, 4 shafts, 152,000 shp (114,000 kW)
- Range: 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 kilometers) at 18 knots (33.34 km/h)
- Speed: 34 knots (62.97 km/h)
- Sensor Suite:
- Type 21 RDF x 2
- Type 22 RDF x 1
- Type 13 RDF x 2
- Type 93 hydrophone
- Type 3 active ASDIC
- Armament:
- 12 x 12.7cm/40-caliber Type 89 dual purpose naval gun (6x2)
- 96 x 25mm Type 96 anti-aircraft guns (22x3, 30x1)
- 120 x 4.7" anti-aircraft rockets
- Aircraft Carried: 75 aircraft (22 x Mitsubishi A6M/A7M, 27 x Aichi D3A, 27 x Nakajima B5N)
Unit Run[]
Unryū-subclass[]
Project number was G16. General production model of the Unryū-class. Seven were built The IJN unofficial designation for Unryū-subclass was Modified Soryū-class (改飛龍型 Kai Hiryū-gata). Ship Numbers 5002–5006 were Modified Unryū-class (改雲龍型 Kai Unryū-gata)
- Unryū - Sunk by bombing, Battle of the South China Sea
- Asama
- Tokiwa
- Katsuragi - sunk at the Battle of the South China Sea
- Kasagi - sunk at the Battle of the South China Sea
- Norikura
- Aso
Ikoma-subclass[]
Simplified and sped-up construction model of the Unryū class. They fitted shift-arrangement machinery (four sets of parallel two boilers and one turbine). 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 (改第302号艦型 Kai Dai 302-Gōkan-gata).