Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō " 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 ( usually around 15 aircraft ) 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 . During World War II , " Hōshō " participated in the Battle of Midway in June 1942 in a secondary role . After the battle , the carrier resumed her training role in Japanese home waters for the duration of the conflict and survived the war with only minor damage from air attacks . She was used as a repatriation transport after the war , making nine trips to bring some 40 , 000 Japanese soldiers and civilians to Japan from overseas locations . " Hōshō " was scrapped in Japan beginning in 1946 . Design and description . Construction of a seaplane carrier was authorized by the Japanese government in its " eight - six " fleet program of 1918 . A planned sister ship , named " Shokaku " , was cancelled in 1922 before any construction started . " Hōshō " was the second warship , after the British , to be designed from the keel up as an aircraft carrier , but was launched and completed earlier than " Hermes " . " Hōshō " was planned as a seaplane carrier like the British with a forward flying - off deck , 32 aircraft , four low - angle guns , and four anti - aircraft ( AA ) guns . The plan was revised after reports were received from Japanese observers with the Royal Navy in Europe about the desirability to be able to land aircraft on the ship . The new requirements were modeled on after she received her rear flight deck in 1918 . The ship was to be capable of and fitted with a forward flight deck , superstructure and funnels amidships , and a large hangar aft . Shortly thereafter based on observations of landing trials on " Furious " and , the world ' s first flush - decked aircraft carrier , " Hōshō ' s " flight deck design was revised in April 1919 . The superstructure was removed and the funnels were moved to one side to create an unobstructed , full - length flight deck , and the ship was reclassified as an aircraft carrier . The ship ' s hull was based on that of a large cruiser and she was given a small island . Her three funnels were mounted on the starboard side and swiveled to lie horizontal during flight operations . " Hōshō " s designed speed was reduced to , based on British experiences during World War I . General characteristics . " Hōshō " was completed with an overall length of . She had a beam of and a mean draft of . The ship displaced at standard load , and at normal load . Her crew totaled 512 officers and men . The ship was almost completely unarmored . Propulsion . " Hōshō " had two Parsons geared turbine sets with a total of driving two propeller shafts . Eight Kampon Type B water - tube boilers with a working pressure of and a temperature of provided steam to the turbines , although only four were oil - fired . The other four used a mix of oil and coal . The ship ' s designed speed was 25 knots , but she made from on her sea trials on 30 November 1922 . She carried of fuel oil and of coal , an extraordinary total for such a small ship , to give her a range of at . To reduce rolling and increase stability for aircraft operations , a gyrostabilizer produced by the American Sperry Gyroscope Company was installed . The installation initially proved unreliable as the Japanese technicians were badly trained by Sperry , but eventually the system proved its worth as the technicians gained experience . Flight deck arrangements . " Hōshō " s flight deck was long and wide . The forward end sloped down at an angle of −5° to help aircraft accelerate during takeoff . A small island was mounted well forward on the starboard side and contained the ship ' s bridge and air operations control center . The island was fitted with a small tripod mast intended to mount the ship ' s fire - control system . Fifteen different types of landing equipment were evaluated before the British longitudinal wire system was adopted . Low landing speeds of the time meant that aircraft had little difficulty in stopping , but their light weight made them vulnerable to wind gusts that could blow them over the side of the carrier , and the longitudinal wires helped to prevent that . Forward of the island was a collapsible crane for loading aircraft into the forward hangar . The flight deck , unlike those on Royal Navy carriers , was superimposed on the ship ' s hull rather than constructed as a strength deck supporting the carrier ' s hull structure . A system of lights and mirrors along the flight deck assisted pilots in landing on the carrier . " Hōshō " was the only Japanese aircraft carrier with two hangars . The forward hangar was and only one deck in height as it was intended to house nine small aircraft , such as fighters . The two - story rear hangar measured at the forward end and at the rear end . It was designed to house six large aircraft , such as torpedo bomber s , as well as six reserve aircraft . Each hangar was served by an aircraft elevator . The forward elevator was and the aft elevator measured . Air group . " Hōshō " had a normal capacity of fifteen aircraft , subject to the limitations of her hangars . She was first commissioned with an air group of nine Mitsubishi 1MF ( Type 10 ) fighters and three to six Mitsubishi B1M3 ( Type 13 ) torpedo bombers . In 1928 the fighters were replaced by the A1N1 ( Type 3 ) . Three years later the air group consisted of Nakajima A2N ( Type 90 ) fighters and Mitsubishi B2M ( Type 89 ) torpedo bombers . In 1938 Nakajima A4N ( Type 95 ) fighters and Yokosuka B3Y ( Type 92 ) bombers flew from the ship . In 1940 the air group was modernized with Mitsubishi A5M ( Type 96 ) " Claude " fighters and Yokosuka B4Y1 ( Type 96 ) " Jean " bombers . Armament . " Hōshō " was armed with four 50 - caliber 14 cm / 50 3rd Year Type guns , two on each side . The two forward guns had a firing arc of 150° , including straight ahead , while the rear guns could fire 120° on either side . They fired projectiles at a rate of six to ten rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of about ; at 35° , they had a maximum range of . A heavy gun armament was provided for " Hōshō " ; as carrier doctrine was just evolving at this time , the impracticability of carriers engaging in gun duels had not yet been realized . Her large flight deck and lack of armor made her a vulnerable target in surface battles . A pair of 40 - caliber 8 cm / 40 3rd Year Type guns on disappearing mounts provided " Hōshō " s only anti - aircraft defense . They were positioned on the flight deck , just forward of the rear elevator . These guns fired projectiles at a muzzle velocity of about ; at 45° this provided a maximum range of , and they had a maximum ceiling of at 75° elevation . Their effective rate of fire was 13 to 20 rounds per minute . Service . Early career . " Hōshō " ' s keel was laid down by the Asano Shipbuilding Company in Tsurumi - ku , Yokohama , on 16 December 1920 . She was launched on 13 November 1921 and towed to Yokosuka Naval Arsenal for completion on 10 January 1922 . " Hōshō " was delayed by repeated design changes and late deliveries of equipment , pushing the commissioning date from March to 27 December 1922 . She was commissioned lacking much of her aviation equipment , and did not begin landing trials until 22 February 1923 . The first landings were made by British pilots under contract , who were quickly replaced by Japanese pilots trained by the British Aviation Mission . After " Hōshō " was commissioned , experienced aircrews requested changes , and the ship was modified by the Yokosuka Navy Arsenal from 6 June to 20 August 1924 . The island , tripod mast , and aircraft crane were removed since they partially obstructed the flight deck and obscured pilot visibility . The forward part of the flight deck was made horizontal , and the 8 cm AA guns were moved forward , close to the position of the former island and out of the way of landing operations . After the island was removed , the carrier ' s flight operations were controlled from a platform extending from the side of the flight deck , a design that would be repeated in subsequent Japanese aircraft carriers . The ship was then assigned to the 1st Fleet until 15 November 1924 . " Hōshō " was fitted with a net used as a crash barrier aft of the forward elevator between 10 March and 2 July 1925 . The barrier was intended to prevent landing aircraft from colliding with aircraft preparing to take off , and stop them from falling into the open elevator well . The barrier was hydraulically operated and could be erected in three seconds . As the first of her kind , " Hōshō " provided valuable experience and insight into carrier air operations for the IJN . The ship was used for testing aircraft and equipment , particularly various types of arresting gear and optical landing aids . The lessons learned influenced the design and construction of and the subsequent conversions of and into aircraft carriers . " Hōshō " was actively used to develop carrier operational methods and tactics for the IJN during the 1920s . She was assigned to the First Carrier Division with " Akagi " on 1 April 1928 . During the 1930s " Hōshō " was fitted with three different types of transverse arresting gear for trials . Shanghai . Along with " Kaga " , " Hōshō " was assigned to the First Carrier Division and sent to China during the Shanghai Incident that began in January 1932 . Operating with the Third Fleet , " Hōshō " arrived at the mouth of the Yangtze River on 1 February . Her aircraft participated in the IJN ' s first aerial combat on 5 February when three fighters , escorting two attack aircraft , were engaged by nine Chinese fighters ; one Chinese fighter was damaged . Two days later the two carriers sent some of their aircraft to Kunda Airfield where they flew ground attack missions in support of the Imperial Japanese Army . Between 23 and 26 February , " Kaga " and " Hōshō " bombers attacked Chinese airfields at Hangzhou and Suzhou , destroying a number of Chinese aircraft on the ground . On 26 February six fighters from " Hōshō " , escorting nine attack aircraft from " Kaga " on one of the bombing raids , shot down two of five Chinese fighters that engaged them . The First Carrier Division rejoined the Combined Fleet on 20 March , after a ceasefire had been declared on 3 March . Fourth Fleet Incident . " Hōshō " participated in the Combined Fleet Maneuvers of 1935 where she was attached to the IJN Fourth Fleet . The fleet was caught out in a typhoon on 23 September . The carrier and a number of other Japanese ships were badly damaged in what was referred to as the " Fourth Fleet Incident . " The ship ' s forward flight deck collapsed and part had to be cut away before the carrier could proceed to Yokosuka for repairs . The Fourth Fleet Incident and the Tomozuru Incident of 1934 , in which a top - heavy torpedo boat capsized in heavy weather , caused the Japanese command to investigate the stability of all their ships , resulting in a number of design changes to improve stability and increase hull strength . While the " Hōshō " was at the dockyard between 22 November 1935 and 31 March 1936 , her stability was improved ; the forward flight deck ' s supports were reinforced and increased in number ; the ship ' s AA guns , aircraft crane and upper deck aviation fuel tanks were removed ; the funnels were fixed in the horizontal position with their mouths angled slightly downwards ; the front sides of " Hōshō " s forward hangar and bridge were reinforced ; and the ship ' s hull was reinforced in the vicinity of her rear hangar to increase her longitudinal strength . At full load , her metacentric height after these changes was . Six twin 13 . 2 mm Type 93 Hotchkiss machine gun s were also fitted . Sino - Japanese War . During the Sino - Japanese War , " Hōshō " returned to the Third Fleet and supported land operations of the army in China around August or October 1937 with " Ryūjō " , later joined by " Kaga " . " Hōshō ' s " air unit began flying ground support missions in the Shanghai area on 16 July . Three of the ship ' s Nakajima A2N fighters engaged two Martin B - 10 heavy bombers on 25 July , shooting down one of them . The ship departed on 1 September to refuel , but did not return to the Shanghai area . Accompanied by " Ryūjō " she sailed to the South China coast and began operations against Chinese forces near Canton on 21 September . On that day " Hōshō " contributed six fighters to escort bombers attacking airfields at Tienho and Paiyun . They claimed six enemy aircraft shot down , but the range proved to be too long . Five of the fighters ran out of fuel and had to ditch in the sea , although the aircrews were rescued . " Hōshō " and " Ryūjō " bombers continued with almost daily attack missions until the end of September . " Hōshō " and " Ryūjō " returned to the Shanghai area on 3 October and " Hōshō ' s " aircraft were temporarily transferred to Kunda airfield to support ground operations . On 17 October , " Hōshō " transferred all of her aircraft to " Ryūjō " and returned to Japan . " Hōshō " was placed in reserve on 1 December 1937 . Her aircraft elevators were enlarged in 1939 : the forward elevator to and the rear elevator to . On 12 August 1939 " Hōshō " was deemed useful as a training carrier and , in critical battles , as a platform for A4N1 ( Type 95 ) fighters and B4Y1 ( Type 96 ) torpedo bombers , for as long as those planes remained serviceable . A later investigation determined on 23 December 1940 that she could not operate the latest aircraft types like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero , the Aichi D3A " Val " , or the Nakajima B5N " Kate " in combat . Also , the small size of the carrier ' s airgroup limited the ship ' s potential value to the fleet in any future conflicts . World War II . Pearl Harbor and Midway . " Hōshō " began the Pacific War in the Third Carrier Division assigned to the 1st Fleet under Vice Admiral Shirō Takasu . The carrier , captained by Karou Umetani , was tasked along with " Zuihō " to provide air support , including scouting , anti - submarine patrols , and combat air patrol for the Combined Fleet ' s " Main Body " battle - line of six battleships : " Nagato " , " Mutsu " , " Fusō " , " Yamashiro " , " Ise " , and " Hyūga " . With the Main Body , " Hōshō " sortie d from the Inland Sea on 7 December 1941 to provide distant cover for the carrier forces under Chūichi Nagumo which were attacking Pearl Harbor . The battleship force turned back east of Japan , but " Hōshō " became separated on 10 December due to radio silence restrictions while conducting anti - submarine air operations . The carrier was located by scout aircraft the next day east of the Main Body and returned to port at Kure on 12 December . On 29 May 1942 " Hōshō " sortied from Japan with the rest of the fleet for the operation which resulted in the Battle of Midway , providing modest air protection , scouting , and anti - submarine support for the Main Body , now consisting of the battleships " Yamato " , " Nagato " , and " Mutsu " . Her aircraft complement for the operation consisted of eight obsolete Yokosuka B4Y carrier attack aircraft ( torpedo bombers ) . With the Main Body trailing behind the carrier striking force , " Hōshō " missed the major portion of the battle in which Nagumo ' s four fleet carriers were ambushed and fatally damaged by US carrier aircraft on 4 June . The next day , " Hōshō " aircraft helped guide the remnants of Nagumo ' s force to a rendezvous with the Main Body . Around the same time , one of " Hōshō ' s " aircraft , crewed by pilot Shigeo Nakamura and observer Kiyoshi Ōniwa , discovered the burning , sinking . Photographs of the abandoned carrier taken by Ōniwa have been described as " among the most dramatic of the war in the Pacific . " With the battle lost , a significant strategic defeat for Japan , the carrier returned to Japan with the rest of the fleet , arriving at the Hashirajima anchorage on 14 June . Training ship . After her return to Japan " Hōshō " was transferred to the Third Fleet , unofficially assigned to the training fleet ( later called the Mobile Force Training Force ) , and officially assigned in October . She conducted flight training in the Inland Sea for aircraft that flew in from shore bases , since no aircraft were based on board " Hōshō " . On 15 January 1943 , the 50th Air Flotilla was created for carrier aircrew training and both " Hōshō " and " Ryūhō " were assigned to the new unit . The two ships provided carrier landing training and served as target ships for torpedo training . In January 1944 , " Hōshō " was reassigned to the 12th Air Fleet , then to the Combined Fleet , but continued to perform the same mission of training fleet carrier pilots in the Inland Sea . In this role , " Hōshō " shuttled back and forth between Kure and the Western Inland Sea , spending equal amounts of time at each location . In order to service new and larger aircraft like the Nakajima B6N " Jill " torpedo bomber and the Yokosuka D4Y " Judy " dive bomber , the flight deck was extended over at each end to a total length of from 27 March to 26 April 1944 . " Hōshō " also received new arresting gear and a new crash barrier . The additional weight high up in the ship adversely affected her stability and she was restricted from operations in bad weather lest she capsize . At some point during the war the ship ' s 14 cm guns were removed and she received about twenty 25 - millimeter Type 96 autocannon s in single mounts . They fired projectiles at a muzzle velocity of ; at 50° , this provided a maximum range of , and an effective ceiling of . The 15 - round magazines needed to be changed frequently , and the maximum effective rate of fire was only between 110 and 120 rounds per minute . After the modifications , " Hōshō " continued to provide training to navy pilots in the Inland Sea , including acting as a target ship for torpedo training . At 05 : 30 on 19 March 1945 , possibly while berthed at Kure , the carrier was caught in an air raid by carrier aircraft from the United States Task Force 58 . " Hōshō " s flight deck was damaged by three bomb hits which killed six crewmen . Emergency repairs were made and her captain was ordered to keep her in readiness on 10 April . However , this order was revoked two days later and the carrier became a " 4th reserve ship " with most of her crew transferred elsewhere . " Hōshō " was taken out of reserve as a " special guard ship " on 1 June and many of her crew were transferred back . During this time , the ship remained moored and camouflaged off Nishinomishima at Kure . " Hōshō " was slightly damaged by a single bomb or aerial rocket hit when the Allies attacked Kure again in July 1945 . Information is scarce on the extent of the ship ' s involvement in the action , but it appears the carrier ' s participation was minimal , as it embarked no aircraft at the time . " Hōshō " was repaired within 15 days , but the termination of hostilities in September 1945 found the carrier still docked at Kure . Post - war . After the war , " Hōshō " served as a repatriation transport to retrieve Japanese servicemen and civilians stationed overseas and return them to Japan . In October and November 1945 , accompanied by the cruiser " Kashima " , she carried 700 passengers from Wotje Atoll , 311 from Jaluit Atoll , and an undocumented number from Enewetak Atoll to Uraga , Kanagawa . In December 1945 , " Hōshō " s overhanging flight deck at the bow was cut off and her hangars were modified to carry more passengers . Thereafter , she undertook more repatriation missions beginning with one to Wewak on 5 January 1946 and subsequent trips to China . In total , the carrier made nine repatriation trips before 15 August 1946 and transported about 40 , 000 passengers . " Hōshō " was transferred to the Ministry of the Interior on 31 August for disposal . She was scrapped in Osaka from 2 September 1946 to 1 May 1947 by the Kyôwa Shipbuilding Company .