page_title: Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō
section_title: General characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō / Design and description / General characteristics
caption_attribution_description: 鳳翔　日本海軍航空母艦　千葉県館山沖標柱間にて全力公試中の写真。 Imperial Japanese Navy's aircraft carrier, Hosho on its trial run at full power near Tateyama, Japan
context_page_description: Hōshō was the world's first commissioned ship that was built as an aircraft carrier, and the first aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned in 1922, the ship was used for testing carrier aircraft operations equipment, techniques, such as take-offs and landings, and carrier aircraft operational methods and tactics. The ship provided valuable lessons and experience for the IJN in early carrier air operations. Hōshō's superstructure and other obstructions to the flight deck were removed in 1924 on the advice of experienced aircrews.
  Hōshō and her aircraft group participated in the Shanghai Incident in 1932 and in the opening stages of the Sino-Japanese War in late 1937. During those two conflicts, the carrier's aircraft supported Imperial Japanese Army ground operations and engaged in aerial combat with aircraft of the Nationalist Chinese Air Force. The small size of the ship and her assigned airgroups limited the effectiveness of her contributions to combat operations. As a result, the carrier was placed in reserve after her return to Japan from China and she became a training carrier in 1939.
context_section_description: Hōshō was completed with an overall length of 168.25 meters (552 ft 0 in). She had a beam of 17.98 meters (59 ft 0 in) and a mean draft of 6.17 meters (20 ft 3 in). The ship displaced 7,470 long tons (7,590 t) at standard load, and 9,494 long tons (9,646 t) at normal load. Her crew totaled 512 officers and men. The ship was almost completely unarmored.
caption: Hōshō conducts full-power trials with funnels swiveled up near Tateyama, Japan, on 4 December 1922.
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