IJN Junyo

Conventionally-Powered Aircraft Carrier

Imperial Japan | 1942

"IJN Junyo served as the second of two aircraft carriers of the Hiyo-class belonging to the Imperail Japanese Navy of World War 2."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for IJN Junyo.

6 x Kampon water-tube boiler units feeding 2 x geared-steam turbines developing 56,250 horsepower driving 2 x Shafts astern.
Propulsion

25.5 kts
29.3 mph
Surface Speed

12,253 nm
14,100 miles | 22,692 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of IJN Junyo.

1,224
Personnel
Complement

719.6 ft
219.33 meters
O/A Length

87.6 ft
26.70 meters
Beam

26.8 ft
8.17 meters
Draught

24,150
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of IJN Junyo.

12 x 5" (127mm) Dual-Purpose (DP) guns in six twin-gunned emplacements.
24 x 25mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns in eight triple-gunned emplacements.

Air Arm
Available supported fixed-wing / rotary-wing aircraft featured in the design of IJN Junyo.

Between 42 and 48 combat aircraft carried. Force made up of fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers.

Ships-in-Class (2)
Notable series variants as part of the IJN Junyo family line as relating to the Hiyo-class group.

IJN Hiyo; IJN Junyo

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/03/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Beyond her powerful battleships, the Empire of Japan owned a mighty carrier force by the time of World War 2 (1939-1945). This force proved instrumental in Japan's conquest of the Pacific and would feature equally important in neutralizing the American Navy in the inevitable showdown of titans. However, the Battle of Midway in 1942 saw the loss of four of these utterly important weapons to the Americans which forced Japan to compensate by, in the case of the Hiyo-class carrier group, in reworking existing passenger ocean liners to become dedicated fleet carriers. The group was led by IJN Hiyo (forged from SS Izumo Maru) and she was joined by her sister IJN Junyo (built atop the remains of SS Kashiwara Maru).

The conversion process, tackled by other navies of the period as well, made carrier acquisition both relatively economical and expedient.

In her original construction effort as SS Kashiwara Maru, the ship was ordered in late-1938 with construction assigned to the Nippon Yusen Kaisha shipyard (No. 900). The keel was laid down on March 20th, 1939 and the hull launched on June 26th, 1941. She was acquired, while still incomplete, by the Imperial Japanese Navy service on February 10th, 1941 and formally commissioned on May 3rd, 1942.

As completed, the warship had a displacement of 24,150 tons and dimensions that included a running length of 719.6 feet, a beam of 87.6 feet, and a draught down to 26.8 feet. Power was from 6 x Kampon water-tube boilers feeding 2 x Geared-steam turbines developing 56,250 horsepower driving 2 x Shafts astern. Maximum speed in ideal conditions reached 25.5 knots and range was out to 12,250 nautical miles. Armor protection reached up to 2" at the belt.

Aboard was a complement of up to 1,224 personnel. Internally she carried two hangar decks of limited size which meant her air arm was restricted to between forty-two and forty-eight total warplanes. Armament centered on self-defense measures led by 12 x 127mm Dual-Purpose (DP) guns in six twin-gunned mountings and 24 x 25mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns in eight triple-gunned emplacements.

For her time in World War 2, IJN Junyo became a veteran of the Aleutian Islands campaign (1942-1943), the Battle of Santa Cruz (1942), the Battle of the Philippine Sea (1944), New Guinea (1942-1945), and the Solomon Islands (1942-1945). In November of 1943, she took damage from Allied torpedoes which placed her out of action for the period of three months while repairs were enacted. In the Battle of the Philippine Sea, she was damaged once more, this time by aerial bombs from Allied warplanes and, in December of 1944, she was torpedoed again then laid up until March 1945. At this point, the effort to repair her and bring the vessel back into service was abandoned by Japanese authorities. The war then ended with the Japanese surrender in August 1945.

IJN Junyo technically survived the fighting of World War 2. Her name was ultimately struck from the Naval Register on November 30th, 1945 and, during 1946-1947, the warship was officially broken up and sold for scrap.

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Operators
Global operator(s) of the IJN Junyo. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

[ Imperial Japan ]

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Going Further...
IJN Junyo Conventionally-Powered Aircraft Carrier appears in the following collections:

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