- Japanese seaplane carrier Mizuho
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Mizuho off Tateyama, Japan, in 1940.Career (Japan) 
Name: Mizuho Laid down: 1 May 1937 Launched: 16 May 1938 Commissioned: 25 February 1939 Fate: Sunk 2 May 1942 General characteristics Class and type: Mizuho Displacement: 10,930 tons standard Length: 183.6 meters (602 ft 4 in) (waterline) Beam: 18.8 meters Propulsion: 2-shaft diesel engines, 15,200 bhp (11.3 mW) Speed: 22 knots Armament: 6 (3 x 2) 14cm (5.5-inch)/50-caliber guns, 12 x 25mm anti-aircraft guns Aircraft carried: 24 seaplanes Mizuho (瑞穂) was a seaplane carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The ship was built at Kawasaki Shipbuilding at Kobe, Japan, and was completed in February 1939.[1][2]
Contents
Construction
Mizuho was built to a similar design as the seaplane carrier Chitose, but with slightly less powerful diesel engines instead of Chitose's turbines.[3] She carried 24 seaplanes,[1] and was equipped to carry twelve miniature submarines,[1] although she could not carry full loads of both at one time.[3]
Combat
Mizuho participated in invasion support for much of her career;[1] her first mission was with the Fourth Surprise Attack Force.[2] On 1 March 1942, planes from Mizuho and Chitose damaged the American destroyer USS Pope (DD-225), which was later sunk by aircraft from the aircraft carrier Ryujo and gunfire from the heavy cruisers Ashigara and Myoko.[4]
Sinking
The American submarine USS Drum (SS-228) torpedoed Mizuho at 23:03 hours on 1 May 1942 40 nautical miles (74 km) off Omaezaki, Japan. She capsized and sank at 04:16 hours on 2 May 1942 with the loss of 101 lives. There were 472 suvivors, of which 31 were wounded.[3][5][6]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d Toppan, Andrew (Jun 25, 1998). "World Aircraft Carriers List: Japanese Seaplane Ships". http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/ijn_sea.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ a b Budge, Kent. "Mizuho, Japanese Seaplane Carrier". The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia. http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/M/i/Mizuho_class.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ a b c "IJN Mizuho Seaplane Carrier". http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/mizuho-av.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ Tully, Anthony. "IJN Mizuho: Tabular Record of Movement". http://www.combinedfleet.com/mizuho.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ "USS Drum". http://www.steelnavy.com/DrumTour.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ combinedfleet.com IJN Mizuho Tabular Record of Movement
External links
Categories:- Aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy
- Ships built in Japan
- 1938 ships
- World War II aircraft carriers of Japan
- Ships sunk by American submarines
- Seaplane tenders
- Japan naval ship stubs
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