Aircraft Carriers - Japan: Illustrated History Books & Guides

Japanese Aircraft Carriers 1920-1945

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This book presents a clear history of the aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, from the early 1920s to the end of the Pacific War. Japan was an early leader in naval aviation and commissioned the first purpose-built carrier, "Hosho", in 1922. The following ships varied greatly in size and design, some converted from larger vessels and others built as new, with no two alike until the "Shokaku" class shortly before the war. Several designs reflected original ideas, including unusual experiments such as placing the island on the port side.

After Pearl Harbor, Japanese carriers dominated the early fighting, but heavy losses at Midway in 1942 forced the navy to rebuild numbers quickly by converting auxiliary and merchant ships and by creating a simplified fleet-carrier design for series production.

The book provides technical information on all 29 carriers in separate chapters, supported by plans, photographs and colour artwork. It also includes an overview of Japanese naval aviation policy, a summary of carrier operations in the Pacific War, and appendices on weapons, radar, camouflage and aircraft.
As few English-language works cover these ships in such detail, this volume fills an important gap.

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The Aircraft Carrier Hiryu (Anatomy of the Ship)

Superbly illustrated with line drawings, full-colour artwork of the ship through its career, internal reconstructions of deck layouts, and 3D illustrations of every detail of the ship from its rigging to its aircraft to its anchors, this book reconstructs and dissects one of the most prominent carriers of the early Pacific War.
Built in the late 1930s, Hiryu took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor and most of the operations of Japan's triumphant first months of the war, before being sunk at Midway.

Drawing on Stefan Dramiński's new research and making the best use yet of his acclaimed 3D illustration techniques, this is the most comprehensive examination of Hiryu ever published. It includes a complete set of 600 detailed line drawings with fully descriptive keys and 400 full-color 3D views, supported by technical details, photographs, and a concise history of the ship's construction and service.

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Aircraft Carriers and Seaplane Carriers : Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum

Selected photos from the archives of the Kure Maritime Museum showing aircraft carriers and seaplane carriers used by the Japanese Navy.
Originally published in Japan in 2005, each album in The Japanese Naval Warship photo album series contains official photographs taken by the Kure Maritime Museum, as well as those taken by private individuals. These pictorial records document the main types of Japanese vessels, from battleships to submarines, based on the best images from Shizuo Fukui, a former Imperial Japanese Navy commander and technician.

These photos include the ones Fukui began collecting as a young boy and continued after he worked as a naval shipbuilder, and those that he was given in order to complete a photographic history of the Imperial Japanese Navy's ships, which include those gathered by Nagamura Kiyoshi, a shipbuilder who proactively collected photos, and the collection of machinist Amari Yoshiyuki. These images are especially valuable because of the massive destruction of official documents at the end of the war.

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Soryu, Hiryu, and Unryu-Class Aircraft Carriers: In the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (Legends of Warfare)

The Imperial Japanese Navy planned the construction of 45 aircraft carriers from 1918 to 1943 and commissioned 25 of them between 1922 and 1944. These types were large, medium, and small aircraft carriers, with some converted from other warship classes, and escort aircraft carriers remodeled from passenger ships.
The medium type presented here formed the majority, with a total of 18 planned: five were completed, three remained in various completion stages at the end of the Pacific War, and ten were eventually canceled.

This book covers the design and construction of the two well-known Soryu and Hiryu carriers, and the lesser-known ships of the Unryu class, and relies on original Japanese source material, including numerous photos, drawings, and specifications.
How and why the Japanese designed and constructed the WWII-era, medium-sized Soryu, Hiryu, and Unryu-class aircraft carriers, and how they were operated, is covered in detail.

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The Japanese Carrier Shinano (Super Drawings in 3D)

The "Shinano" was built at Yokosuka and entered service in the Japanese Navy in 1944. This book in the "Super Drawings in 3D" series describes the design, armament and career of this Japanese aircraft carrier, originally launched as the third unit in the Yamato class.

• Contains 150 unique color computer drawings (3D renders based on engineering drawings and photos), showing every angle of the ship.
• Also includes many 3D detailed images of guns, searchlights, etc.
• Includes profile drawings.
• A unique reference book for modellers.

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The Japanese Aircraft Carrier Taiho (Super Drawings in 3D)

The design work on the new carrier commenced as early as 1937 and the initial design was unveiled on 27 November and received the number "02". On 21 July 1938 corrections were done to the design and it was approved. The ship of displacement of 27.800 tons was ordered.
It was included into Navy development program, approved on 8 December 1938. After the acceptance of the main specifications of the carrier work on the detailed design could be commenced (the work began in December 1939). Due to several delays the ship was laid down as late as 10 July 1941 at Kawasaki shipyard in Kobe.

Until 5 March 1943, when the ship was named, she was known as the hull number 130. The official christening took place before launching on 7 April 1943. The ship was named TAIHO (Great Phoenix).
On 3 February 1944 the ship was towed to the Navy Shipyard in Kure for further equipping. On 7 March 1944 the ship was commissioned and entered service.

A volume in the Super Drawings in 3D Series. With ground-breaking 3D imagery, each corner, angle, and dimension of the ship is viewable.
With various close-up views, and each 3D image based on actual technical scale drawings and photographs, this is an exceptional reference tool.
Information on the design, development and combat history of the vessel is also included, as well as numerous photographs and scale drawings.

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USN Carriers vs IJN Carriers - The Pacific, 1942 (Osprey)

The IJN was a pioneer in naval aviation, having commissioned the world's first carrier, which was used against the US fleet at Pearl Harbor.
The Americans followed suit, initiating a huge aircraft carrier development program. As the War in the Pacific escalated into the largest naval conflict in history, the role of the carrier became the linchpin of American and Japanese naval strategy as these rival vessels found themselves locked in a struggle for dominance of this critical theater.

This book provides an analysis of the variety of weaponry available to the rival carriers, in particular the embarked aircraft as well as the powerful ship-borne guns.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design & Development - The strategic situation - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics & analysis - Aftermath Conclusion - Bibliography.

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Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft Carriers, 1921-45 (Osprey)

The Imperial Japanese Navy was a pioneer in naval aviation, having commissioned the world's first built-from-the-keel-up carrier, the Hosho. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, it experimented with its carriers, perfecting their design and construction. As a result, by the time Japan entered World War II and attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor in 1941, it possessed a fantastically effective naval aviation force.

This book covers the design, development and operation of IJN aircraft carriers built prior to and during World War II. Pearl Harbor, Midway and the first carrier vs carrier battle, the battle of the Coral Sea, are all discussed.

Contents: Introduction - Design and development of the IJN carrier - Classes of carrier - including individual names and their background, specific design and construction, wartime modifications, operational history, evaluation, principal armament, radar sytem, and aircraft - Bibliography - Color plate commentary - Index.

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Geleitflugzeugträger - USA, England, Japan 1939-1945 (Typenkompass)

During the Second World War, a small auxiliary aircraft carrier supplemented the existing carrier fleet. This was called an escort aircraft carrier or simply an escort carrier.
The USA built by far the largest number, but England and Japan also converted existing ships - often merchant ships - into escort and auxiliary carriers.

Each type is presented in this book with a photo, a historical description and a technical data sheet.

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