Imperial Japanese Navy
AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
The Zuikaku was one of the direct opponents of the USS Essex at the battle in the Philippine sea ,
by the Mariana islands (see also: US-Navy / aircraft carriers).
After that final big carrier-seabattle she was also the last remaining japanese
aircraft carrier left of the six Pearl Habour attackers.
Here the Zuikaku shows her green Camouflage colours ,wich were more in use from mid of 1944 on.
Also the Flightdeckareas were camouflaged.
Concerning the colours and the patterns of my model, I agree more with the view of Allan Parry,
who has thoroughly engaged in japanese carrier camouflage- schemes,
than the spreaded view about the flightdeck camouflage.
In this Representation the Zuikaku is launching her
very last aircrafts on 25 th.October 1944
to attack US-ships
of the Task Force 38 and to land afterwards on airfields
in the Philippine islands.
It matters of one Kate and two Jill torpedobombers.
The carrier itselfs and other japanese units were provided as baits,
wich were sunk in that battle of Cape Engano.
The Unryu was the last regular japanese fleet carrier to be commissioned.
She never was used operational against the allied fleets ,
because the lack of trained pilots in the second half of 1944.
So the Unryu stayed in the waters of Japan and the chinese sea.
During a transport mission from Japan to Manila she was sunk by the US-submarine
USS Redfish at the 19th of December 1944.
Also in this case there are much individual patterns of flightdeck-camouflage .
The Chioda was a so called flush-deck aircraft carrier without an island, converted from the
seaplane tender of the same name. Like her sistership Chitose she belonged to the group of light aircraft carriers with up to 30 aircrafts aboard. On the head of the flightdeck are standing Zero-fighters and fighter bombers in their late appearance.
By this "flattop" too, the greentones of S1 and S2 camouflage are visible.
Finally the fleet is starting to sail to the battle in the philippine sea.
The Taiho was in 1944 the newest Japanese aircraft carrier and one of the antagonists of the USS Essex in June 1944 ( see also US Navy page ), during the Mariana battle . She was the only carrier of the IJN with a an armoured flight deck , which was not useful against the torpedoes by submarines, like the painful experience of the IJN.
Here the Taiho is preparing her aircraft units for the attack against the American fleet,
while a single reconnaissance plane of type Nakajima C6N1-Saiun (Myrt) takes-off.
The most Saiuns operated from land-airfields, never the less its very probable that some of these new and fast aircrafts started from carrier decks during the Mariana battle. The here shown Saiun is converted from a Jill.
One of the most unusual aircraft carriers with a port island is the Hiryu, here to see during
the battle of Midway 4th June, 1942. As the only one of 4 carriers of the attack force,
she escaped the devastating attack of American carrier aircrafts in a rain shower.
Now she is starting her aircrafts for counter strike.
From 6 fighters type Zero A6M are already 4 airborne, the last but one is just running for take-off,
while the back 18 Aichi D3A Val dive-bombers are ready for their take off. Some of these bombers succeeded
to damage the USS Yorktown, a carrier of the opposite site. Later on, the USS Yorktown sank because of that.
By the way the Hiryu herself don't survive the battle, later on that 4th June, 1942 she was deathly damaged.
From that time of frequent mission overland some Val`s still have these tan-colours.
Together with a dark green camouflage there is a colourful view on that flight deck.
The aircraft on the port outer platform is a Kate torpedo bomber from the carrier Akagi
which landed on the Hiryu because of the fires there.
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