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Tonnage | 13,360 tons standard displacement |
Dimensions | 707'6" by 64'3" by 21'9" 215.65 by 19.58m by 6.63m |
Maximum speed | 26.5 knots |
Complement | 989 |
Aircraft | 607' (185 meter) flight deck 2 elevators 31 aircraft |
Armament | 4x2 5"/40
dual-purpose guns 6x3, 20x1 25mm AA guns |
Protection |
0.5" (13mm) deck over machinery and magazines |
Machinery |
2-shaft geared turbines (52,000
shp) 4 Kampon boilers |
Bunkerage | 2900 tons fuel oil |
Range | 8,000 nautical miles (15,000km) at 18 knots |
Modification |
By 1943 she had 42 25mm guns and 6 13mm/76 machine guns. In June 1944 the armament was increased to 61 25mm guns, 28 13mm guns, 6x28 rocket launchers, and 6 depth charges and the flight deck was extended to 670' (204.2m). 1944: Type 21 radar added. |
The Ryuho was
converted from submarine
tender Taigei, which was part of Japan's "shadow fleet" of
auxiliaries designed for rapid conversion to carriers in the event of
war. She was recommissioned as a flush-deck light carrier on 28
November 1942. She proved
unsuccessful, having poor internal subdivision and a weak hull, and she
remained underpowered even after her original diesel engines were
replaced with destroyer
turbines.
Her conversion was delayed by bomb damage inflicted by the Doolittle raiders, which was
possibly the most concrete material damage inflicted by that raid.
Ryuho was crippled by aircraft on 19 March 1945 at Kure and not repaired.
References
CombinedFleet.com
(accessed 2008-2-23)
Jentschura,
Jung, and Mickel (1977)
Peattie (2001)
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