Editing Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū

{{Short description|Aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy}}
{{About|the aircraft carrier|the submarine used by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force|JS Sōryū (SS-501)}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2014}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu 1938.jpg
|Ship caption=''Sōryū'' on trials, January 1938
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=
|Operators={{navy|Empire of Japan}}
|Class before={{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Ryūjō||2}}
|Class after={{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiryū||2}}
|Cost=
|Built range=1934–1937
|In commission range=1937–1942
|Total ships completed= 1
|Total ships lost=1
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Empire of Japan|Japan]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
|Ship name=''Sōryū''
|Ship namesake={{lang|ja|蒼龍}}, "Blue (or Green) Dragon"
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Kure Naval Arsenal]]
|Ship laid down=20 November 1934
|Ship launched=23 December 1935
|Ship commissioned=29 December 1937
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=10 August 1942
|Ship fate=[[Scuttled]] during the [[Battle of Midway]], 4 June 1942
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Aircraft carrier]]
|Ship displacement=*{{cvt|16200|t|LT|lk=on}} ([[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]])
* {{cvt|19100|t|LT}} (normal)
|Ship length={{convert|227.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[Length overall|o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|21.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|7.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=* 8 × [[water-tube boiler]]s
* {{cvt|152000|shp|kW|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=4 × shafts; 4 × geared [[steam turbine]] sets
|Ship speed={{convert|34|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|7750|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn}}
|Ship complement=1,100
|Ship armament=*6 × twin [[12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun|{{cvt|12.7|cm|0}}]] [[DP gun]]s
* 14 × twin [[25 mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft gun|{{cvt|25|mm|0}}]] [[AA gun]]s
|Ship aircraft=*63 (+9 reserve) (7 Dec. 1941)
* 21 × [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]]
* 18 × [[Aichi D3A]]
* 18 × [[Nakajima B5N]]<ref>Bōeichō Bōei Kenshūjo, p. 344</ref>
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

{{Nihongo|'''''Sōryū'''''|蒼龍|lead=yes||meaning "[[Distinction of blue and green in various languages|Blue (or Green)]] Dragon"}} was an [[aircraft carrier]] built for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] (IJN) during the mid-1930s. A [[sister ship]], {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiryū||2}}, was intended to follow ''Sōryū'', but ''Hiryū''{{'}}s design was heavily modified and she is often considered to be a separate [[ship class|class]].{{refn|While some sources show ''Sōryū'' and ''Hiryū'' as members of the same [[ship class]], despite their differences,<ref>Chesneau 1995, pp. 165–166; Parshall & Tully, pp. 470–476</ref> this article follows those sources that treat them as related designs of separate classes.<ref>Brown 1977, pp. 18–21; Chesneau 1980, p. 181</ref>|group=Note}} ''Sōryū''{{'}}s aircraft were employed in operations during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] in the late 1930s and supported the [[Japanese invasion of French Indochina]] in mid-1940. During the first months of the [[Pacific War]], she took part in the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], the [[Battle of Wake Island]], and supported the [[Dutch East Indies campaign|conquest of the Dutch East Indies]]. In February 1942, her aircraft [[Bombing of Darwin|bombed Darwin, Australia]], and she continued on to assist in the Dutch East Indies campaign. In April, ''Sōryū''{{'s}} aircraft helped sink two British [[heavy cruiser]]s and several merchant ships during the [[Indian Ocean raid]].

After a brief refit, ''Sōryū'' and three other carriers of the [[1st Air Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|1st Air Fleet]] (''Kidō Butai'') participated in the [[Battle of Midway]] in June 1942. After bombarding American forces on [[Midway Atoll]], the carriers were attacked by aircraft from the island and the carriers {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|2}}, {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|2}}, and {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|2}}. [[Dive bomber]]s from ''Yorktown'' crippled ''Sōryū'' and set her afire. Japanese destroyers rescued the survivors but the ship could not be salvaged and was ordered to be [[scuttling|scuttled]] so as to allow her attendant destroyers to be released for further operations. She sank with the loss of 711 officers and enlisted men of the 1,103 aboard. The loss of ''Sōryū'' and three other IJN carriers at Midway was a crucial strategic defeat for Japan and contributed significantly to the Allies' ultimate victory in the Pacific.

==Design and description==
''Sōryū'' was one of two large carriers approved for construction under the Imperial Japanese Navy's [[2nd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme|1931–32 Supplementary Program]] (the other being her near-sister ''Hiryū''). In contrast to some earlier Japanese carriers, such as {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}} and {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Kaga||2}}, which were conversions of [[battlecruiser]] and [[battleship]] hulls respectively, ''Sōryū'' was designed from the [[keel]] up as an aircraft carrier and incorporated lessons learned from the [[light carrier]] {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Ryūjō||2}}.<ref>Chesneau, p. 165</ref>

The ship had a length of {{convert|227.5|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[length overall|overall]], a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|21.3|m|ftin|sp=us}} and a [[draft (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|7.6|m|ftin|sp=us}}. She [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|16200|t|LT|lk=on}} at [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard load]] and {{convert|19100|t|LT}} at normal load. Her crew consisted of 1,100 officers and [[naval rating|ratings]].<ref name=j5>Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 47</ref>

===Machinery===
[[File:Fantail Soryu.jpg|thumb|right|''Sōryū'' on her speed trials, 11 November 1937 |alt=Photograph taken on board a ship that shows part of the stern and also the ocean behind the ship. The horizon is in the distance, and there is a large wake behind the ship. The photograph shows a lower deck of the ship as well as the support structure and the bottom of an upper deck. There are about six members of the crew visible at the back of the lower deck who are dwarfed by the ship's structures.]]
''Sōryū'' was fitted with four geared [[steam turbine]] sets with a total of {{convert|152000|shp|kW|lk=on}}, each driving one [[propeller shaft (ship)|propeller shaft]] using steam provided by eight [[Kampon]] [[water-tube boiler]]s.<ref name=j5/> The turbines and boilers were the same as those used in the {{sclass|Mogami|cruiser}}s. The ship's power and slim, cruiser-type [[hull (watercraft)|hull]], with a length-to-beam ratio of 10:1, gave her a speed of {{convert|34.5|kn|lk=in}}<ref>Brown 1977, pp. 18–19</ref> and made her the fastest carrier in the world at the time of her commissioning.<ref>Parshall & Tully, p. 9</ref> ''Sōryū'' carried {{convert|3670|LT|t|order=flip|sp=us}} of [[fuel oil]] which gave her a range of {{convert|7750|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|18|kn}}.<ref name=j5/> The boiler [[wikt:uptake|uptakes]] were [[wikt:trunk|trunked]] together to the ship's starboard side amidships and exhausted just below [[flight deck]] level through two [[funnel (ship)|funnels]] curved downwards.<ref name=p9>Peattie, p. 239</ref>

===Flight deck and hangars===
[[File:Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu 02 cropped.jpg|thumb|right|''Sōryū'' at anchor in the [[Kurile Islands]], shortly before the start of the Pacific War|alt=Photograph of a ship floating in the ocean taken from a location on the ocean surface some distance away. The upper deck of the ship is flat except for a superstructure visible near the center of the ship. The shoreline and some mountainous terrain are visible in the distance behind the ship; the sky is visible above the mountains.]]The carrier's {{convert|216.9|m|ftin|sp=us|adj=on}} flight deck was {{convert|26|m|ftin|sp=us}} wide and overhung her [[superstructure]] at both ends, supported by pairs of pillars.<ref name=p9/> Nine transverse [[arrestor wire]]s were installed on the flight deck and could stop a {{convert|6000|kg|lb|abbr=on}} aircraft. The flight deck was only {{convert|12.8|m|ft|0|sp=us}} above the [[waterline]] and the ship's designers kept this distance low by reducing the height of the hangars.<ref name=Brown18>Brown 1977, p. 18</ref> The upper hangar was {{convert|171.3|by|18.3|m|ft}} and had an approximate height of {{convert|4.6|m|ftin|sp=us}}; the lower was {{convert|142.3|by|18.3|m|ft}} and had an approximate height of {{convert|4.3|m|ftin|sp=us}}. Together they had an approximate total area of {{convert|5736|sqm|0}}.<ref name=p9/> This caused problems in handling aircraft because the wings of a [[Nakajima B5N]] "Kate" [[torpedo bomber]] could neither be spread nor folded in the upper hangar.<ref name=Brown19/>

Aircraft were transported between the hangars and the flight deck by three [[Elevator#Aircraft elevators|elevators]], the forward one abreast the island on the centerline and the other two offset to starboard.<ref name=c6>Chesneau, p. 166</ref> The forward platform measured {{convert|16|x|11.5|m|ftin|sp=us}}, the middle one {{convert|11.5|×|12|m|ftin|sp=us}}, and the rear {{convert|11.8|x|10|m|ftin|sp=us}}.<ref name=p9/> They were capable of transferring aircraft weighing up to {{convert|5000|kg|lbs|sp=us}}.<ref name=Brown18/> ''Sōryū'' had an [[aviation gasoline]] capacity of {{convert|570000|L|sp=us}} for her planned aircraft capacity of sixty-three plus nine spares.<ref name=c6/>

''Sōryū''{{'}}s [[Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)#island|island]] was built on a starboard-side extension that protruded beyond the side of the hull so that it did not encroach on the width of the flight deck. By contrast, the island on ''Hiryū'' was positioned further to the rear and encroached on the width of the flight deck, while also being mounted on the port side as an experiment to see if that side was better for flight operations by moving the island away from the ship's exhaust outlets. After construction of the succeeding ''[[Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier|Shōkaku]]''-class commenced, the Naval Air Technical Department (NATD) found that the portside location of the island on ''Hiryū'' and {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}} had an adverse impact on airflow over the flight deck.  <ref>Lengerer, pp. 91, 93</ref>

===Armament===
''Sōryū''{{'}}s heavy [[anti-aircraft gun|anti-aircraft (AA)]] armament consisted of six twin-gun mounts equipped with 50-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] [[12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun|12.7-centimeter Type 89]] [[dual-purpose gun]]s mounted on projecting [[sponson]]s, three on either side of the carrier's hull.<ref name=Brown19/> The guns had a range of {{convert|14700|m|yd|sp=us}}, and a [[ceiling (aircraft)|ceiling]] of {{convert|9440|m|ft|sp=us}} at an elevation of +90 degrees. Their maximum rate of fire was fourteen rounds a minute, but their sustained rate of fire was around eight rounds per minute.<ref>Campbell, pp. 192–193</ref> The ship was equipped with two Type 94 [[Fire-control system#Naval fire control|fire-control directors]] to control the {{convert|12.7|cm|in|adj=on|sp=us}} guns, one for each side of the ship,<ref name=pt3>Parshall & Tully, p. 143</ref> although the starboard director on the island could control all of the Type 89 guns.<ref name=Brown19>Brown 1977, p. 19</ref>

The ship's light AA armament consisted of fourteen twin-gun mounts for [[license-built]] [[25 mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft gun|Hotchkiss]] [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|25&nbsp;mm (1 in) Type 96]] AA guns. Three of these were sited on a platform just below the forward end of the flight deck.<ref name=Brown19/> The gun was the standard Japanese light AA weapon during World War II, but it suffered from severe design shortcomings that rendered it largely ineffective. According to historian Mark Stille, the weapon had many faults including an inability to "handle high-speed targets because it could not be trained or elevated fast enough by either hand or power, its sights were inadequate for high-speed targets, it possessed excessive vibration and muzzle blast".<ref>Stille 2007, p. 51</ref> These guns had an effective range of {{convert|1500|-|3000|m|yd|sp=us}}, and a ceiling of {{convert|5500|m|ft|sp=us}} at an elevation of +85 degrees. The effective rate of fire was only between 110 and 120 rounds per minute because of the frequent need to change the 15-round [[magazine (firearms)|magazines]].<ref>Campbell, p. 200</ref> The Type 96 guns were controlled by five Type 95 directors, two on each side and one in the bow.<ref name=pt3/>

===Armor===
To save weight ''Sōryū'' was minimally armored; her [[Belt armor|waterline belt]] of {{convert|41|mm|in|sp=us|1}} of Ducol steel only protected the machinery spaces and the [[magazine (artillery)|magazines]]. Comparable figures for ''Hiryū'' were {{convert|90|mm|sp=us|1}} over the machinery spaces and the [[avgas|aviation gasoline]] storage tanks increasing to {{convert|150|mm|sp=us|1}} over the magazines. ''Sōryū''{{'}}s waterline belt was backed by an internal anti-splinter [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]]. The ship's [[deck (ship)|deck]] was only 25&nbsp;mm thick over the machinery spaces and {{convert|55|mm|in|sp=us|1}} thick over the magazines and aviation gasoline storage tanks.<ref name=Brown18/>

==Construction and service==
[[File:Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu 1937.jpg|thumb|right|''Sōryū'' [[fitting out]], early 1937]]
Following the [[Japanese ship-naming conventions]] for aircraft carriers, ''Sōryū'' was named "Blue (or Green) Dragon".<ref>Silverstone, p. 337</ref> The ship was laid down at the [[Kure Naval Arsenal]] on 20 November 1934, [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 23 December 1935 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 29 December 1937.<ref name=j5/><ref>Sturton, p. 181</ref> She was assigned to the [[Second Carrier Division]] after commissioning. Her air group was initially intended to consist of eighteen [[Mitsubishi A5M]] ("Claude") [[monoplane]] fighters, twenty-seven [[Aichi D1A2]] ("Susie") Type 96 dive bombers, and twelve [[Yokosuka B4Y]] ("Jean") Type 96 [[torpedo bombers]], but the A5Ms were in short supply and [[Nakajima A4N1]] biplanes were issued instead. On 25 April 1938, nine A4Ns, eighteen D1A2s, and nine B4Ys transferred to [[Nanjing]] to support forces advancing up the [[Yangtze River]]. The air group advanced with the successful Japanese offensive, despite the defense by the [[Republic of China Air Force|Chinese Air Force]] and the [[Soviet Volunteer Group]]; it was transferred to [[Wuhu]] in early June and then to [[Anqing]]. Little is known of its operations there, but its primary role during this time was air defense. One fighter pilot of the group was killed after he shot down a Chinese aircraft. Leaving a few fighters and their pilots behind to serve as the nucleus of a new fighter unit, the air group returned to ''Sōryū'' on 10 July. The ship supported operations over [[Guangzhou|Canton]] in September, but her aircraft saw no aerial combat. She returned home in December and spent most of the next year and a half training.<ref>Hata, Izawa & Shores, pp. 150–151; Hooton, p. 15</ref>

In September–October 1940, the ship was based at [[Hainan Island]] to support the [[Japanese invasion of French Indochina]]. In February 1941, ''Sōryū'' moved to [[Taiwan]] to reinforce the blockade of southern China.<ref name=h1>Hata, Izawa & Shores, p. 151</ref> Two months later, the 2nd Carrier Division was assigned to the [[First Air Fleet]], or ''Kido Butai'', on 10 April.<ref name=tu>Tully</ref> ''Sōryū''{{'}}s air group was detached in mid-July and transferred to Hainan Island to support the occupation of southern Indochina.<ref name=h1/> ''Sōryū'' returned to Japan on 7 August and became flagship of the 2nd Division. She was relieved of that role on 22 September as she began a short refit that was completed on 24 October. The ship arrived at [[Kagoshima]] two days later and she resumed her former role as flagship of the Division.<ref name=tu/>

===Pearl Harbor and subsequent operations===
{{main|Attack on Pearl Harbor}}
[[File:Japanese planes preparing-Pearl Harbor.jpg|thumb|right|D3A "Val" dive bombers preparing to take off from an aircraft carrier for the attack on Pearl Harbor; ''Sōryū'' is in the background. |alt=Photograph showing four aircraft lined up with several men working nearby. The sea and a complete ship are visible in the distance, along with the horizon and some sky.]]

In November 1941 the IJN's Combined Fleet, under Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]], prepared to participate in Japan's initiation of war with the United States by conducting a preemptive strike against the [[United States Navy|US Navy's]] [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]] base at [[Pearl Harbor]], Hawaii. On 22 November, ''Sōryū'', commanded by [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[Ryusaku Yanagimoto]], and the rest of the ''Kido Butai'' under [[Vice Admiral]] [[Chuichi Nagumo]], including six fleet carriers from the First, Second, and Fifth Carrier Divisions, assembled in Hitokappu Bay at [[Etorofu Island]]. The fleet departed Etorofu on 26 November<ref name="h1"/> and followed a course across the north-central Pacific to avoid commercial shipping lanes.<ref>Polmar & Genda, p. 162</ref>  At this time ''Sōryū'' embarked 21 [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] fighters, 18 [[Aichi D3A]] "Val" dive bombers, and 18 Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers. From a position {{convert|230|nmi}} north of [[Oahu]], ''Sōryū'' and the other five carriers launched two waves of aircraft on the morning of 8 December 1941 (Japan time).<ref>Brown 2009, pp. 116–117</ref><ref group=Note>[[Japan Standard Time]] is 19 hours ahead of [[Hawaiian Standard Time]], so in Japan, the attack on Pearl Harbor happened on 8 December.</ref>

In the first wave, eight of ''Sōryū''{{'}}s B5Ns were supposed to attack the aircraft carriers that normally berthed on the northwest side of [[Ford Island]], but none were in Pearl Harbor that day; six B5Ns attacked the ships that were present, torpedoing the [[target ship]] {{USS|Utah|BB-31|2}}, causing her to [[capsize]], and the elderly [[light cruiser]] {{USS|Raleigh|CL-7|2}}, damaging her. Two of the B5N pilots diverted to their secondary target, ships berthed alongside "1010 Pier", where the fleet flagship was usually [[wikt:moor|moored]]. That battleship was in drydock and her position was occupied by the light cruiser {{USS|Helena|CL-50|2}} and the [[minelayer]] {{USS|Oglala|CM-4|2}}. One torpedo passed underneath ''Oglala'' and struck ''Helena'' in one of her engine rooms; the other pilot rejected these targets and attacked the battleship {{USS|California|BB-44|2}}. Her other ten B5Ns were tasked to drop {{convert|800|kg|lb|adj=on|sp=us}} armor-piercing bombs on the battleships berthed on the southeast side of Ford Island ("Battleship Row") and may have scored one or two hits on them.<ref>Zimm, pp. 159–60, 164, 168</ref> Her eight A6M Zeros [[strafe]]d parked aircraft at [[Marine Corps Air Station Ewa]], claiming twenty-seven aircraft destroyed in addition to five aircraft shot down.<ref name=h1/>

''Sōryū''{{'}}s second wave consisted of nine A6M Zeros and seventeen D3As.<ref name=p6>Polmar & Genda, p. 166</ref> The former attacked [[Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay|Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay]], losing one Zero to American anti-aircraft guns. On the return trip, the Zero pilots claimed to have shot down two American aircraft while losing two of their own.<ref name=h1/> The D3As attacked various ships in Pearl Harbor, but it is not possible to identify which aircraft attacked which ship.<ref>Brown 2009, pp. 118–119</ref> Two of them were shot down during the attack.<ref>Polmar & Genda, p. 173</ref>

While returning to Japan, Vice Admiral [[Chūichi Nagumo]], commander of the First Air Fleet, ordered that ''Sōryū'' and ''Hiryū'' be detached on 16 December to attack the defenders of [[Battle of Wake Island|Wake Island]] who had already defeated the first Japanese attack on the island.<ref name=tu/> The two carriers reached the vicinity of the island on 21 December and launched twenty-nine D3As and two B5Ns, escorted by eighteen Zeros, to attack ground targets. They encountered no aerial opposition and launched thirty-five B5Ns and six A6M Zeros the following day. They were intercepted by the two surviving [[Grumman F4F Wildcat]] fighters of [[United States Marine|Marine]] Fighter Squadron [[VMF-211]]. The Wildcats shot down two B5Ns before they were shot down themselves by the Zeros. The garrison surrendered the next day after Japanese troops were landed.<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. I, p. 161</ref>

The carriers arrived at [[Kure, Hiroshima|Kure]] on 29 December. They were assigned to the Southern Force on 8 January 1942 and departed four days later for the [[Dutch East Indies]]. The ships supported the invasion of the [[Palau Islands]] and the [[Battle of Ambon]],<ref name=tu/> attacking Allied positions on the island on 23 January with fifty-four aircraft. Four days later the carriers detached eighteen Zeros and nine D3As to operate from land bases in support of Japanese operations in the [[Battle of Borneo (1941–42)|Battle of Borneo]]. On 30 January they destroyed two aircraft on the ground and shot down a [[Qantas]] [[Short Empire]] flying boat flying to [[Surabaya]] to pick up refugees.<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. I, pp. 226, 229, 231</ref>

''Sōryū'' and ''Hiryū'' arrived at Palau on 28 January and waited for the arrival of the carriers ''Kaga'' and ''Akagi''. All four carriers departed Palau on 15 February and launched [[Bombing of Darwin (February 1942)|air strikes]] against [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin, Australia]], four days later. ''Sōryū'' contributed eighteen B5Ns, eighteen D3As, and nine Zeros to the attack while flying [[Combat Air Patrol]]s (CAP) over the carriers. Her aircraft attacked the ships in port and its facilities, sinking or setting on fire eight ships and causing three others to be [[Beaching (nautical)|beached]] lest they sink. The Zeros destroyed a single [[Consolidated PBY Catalina]] flying boat; one D3A was lost. The Japanese aircraft spotted a ship on the return trip but had expended all their ordnance and had to be rearmed and refueled before they could attack the vessel. Several hours later, nine of ''Sōryū''{{'}}s D3As located and bombed an American supply ship of {{GRT|3,200|disp=long}}, ''[[Don Isidro (1939)|Don Isidro]]'', hitting her five times but failing to sink her.<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. II, pp. 176–182</ref> ''Sōryū'' and the other carriers arrived at [[Staring Bay]] on [[Celebes Island]] on 21 February to resupply and rest before departing four days later to support the [[Battle of Java (1942)|invasion of Java]].<ref name=tu/> On 1 March 1942, the ship's D3As damaged the destroyer {{USS|Edsall|DD-219|6}} badly enough for her to be caught and sunk by Japanese cruisers. Later that day the dive bombers sank the [[oil tanker]] {{USS|Pecos|AO-6|6}}. The four carriers launched an airstrike of 180 aircraft against [[Cilacap Regency|Tjilatjep]] on 5 March, sinking five small ships, damaging another nine badly enough that they had to be [[scuttled]], and set the town on fire. Two days later they attacked [[Christmas Island]] before returning to Staring Bay on 11 March<ref name=tu/> to resupply and train for the impending [[Indian Ocean raid]]. This raid was intended to secure newly conquered Burma, Malaya, and the Dutch East Indies against Allied attack by destroying base facilities and forces in the eastern Indian Ocean.<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. II, pp. 307, 327, 392–393</ref>

===Indian Ocean raid===
{{main|Indian Ocean raid}}
[[File:GF in Indian Ocean, 1942.jpg|thumb|From left to right: ''Akagi'', ''Sōryū'', {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiryū||2}}, and the battleships {{ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}}, {{ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}}, {{ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}}, and {{ship|Japanese battleship|Kongō||2}}. Taken from {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuikaku||2}}, 30 March 1942.]]
On 26 March 1942, the five carriers of the First Air Fleet departed from Staring Bay; they were spotted by a Catalina about {{convert|350|nmi}} southeast of [[Ceylon]] on the morning of 4 April. Nagumo closed to within {{convert|120|nmi}} of [[Colombo]] before launching an airstrike the next morning. ''Sōryū'' contributed eighteen B5Ns and nine Zeros to the force. The pilots of the latter aircraft claimed to have shot down a single [[Fairey Fulmar]] of [[806 Naval Air Squadron]], plus seven other fighters while losing one of their own. The D3As and B5Ns inflicted some damage to the port facilities, but a day's warning had allowed most of the shipping in the harbor to be evacuated. Later that morning the British [[heavy cruiser]]s {{HMS|Cornwall|56|2}} and {{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|2}} were spotted and ''Sōryū'' launched eighteen D3As. They were the first to attack and claimed to have made fourteen hits on the two ships, sinking both in combination with the dive bombers from the other carriers.<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. II, pp. 393–395, 399, 404–406</ref>

On 9 April, ''Sōryū'' contributed eighteen B5Ns, escorted by nine Zeros, to the attack on [[Trincomalee]]. Her B5Ns were the first to bomb the port and her fighters did not encounter any British fighters. Meanwhile, a floatplane from the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}} spotted the small aircraft carrier {{HMS|Hermes|95|2}}, escorted by the Australian destroyer {{HMAS|Vampire|D68|2}}, and every available D3A was launched to attack the ships. ''Sōryū'' contributed eighteen dive bombers, but they arrived too late and instead found three other ships further north. They sank the oil tanker ''British Sergeant'' and the Norwegian cargo ship ''Norviken'' before they were attacked by eight Fulmars of [[803 Naval Air Squadron|803]] and 806 Naval Air Squadrons. The Royal Navy pilots claimed three D3As shot down for the loss of a pair of Fulmars; the Japanese actually lost four D3As with another five damaged. While this was going on, ''Akagi'' narrowly escaped damage when nine British [[Bristol Blenheim]] bombers from Ceylon penetrated the CAP and dropped their bombs from {{convert|11000|ft|m}}. ''Sōryū'' had six Zeros aloft, along with fourteen more from the other carriers, and they collectively accounted for five of the British bombers for the loss of one of ''Hiryū''{{'}}s Zeros. After launching the D3As that sank ''Hermes'' and the other ships, the First Air Fleet reversed course and headed southeast for the [[Malacca Strait]] before recovering their aircraft; they then proceeded to Japan.<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. II, pp. 413, 421–423, 426–429</ref>

On 19 April, while transiting the [[Bashi Straits]] between Taiwan and [[Luzon]] en route to Japan, ''Akagi'', ''Sōryū'', and ''Hiryū'' were sent in pursuit of the American carriers {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|2}} and {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|2}}, which had launched the [[Doolittle Raid]] against Tokyo. They found only empty ocean, for the American carriers had immediately departed the area to return to Hawaii. The carriers quickly abandoned the chase and dropped anchor at [[Hashirajima]] anchorage on 22 April. Having been engaged in constant operations for four and a half months, ''Sōryū,'' along with the other three carriers of the First and Second Carrier Divisions, was hurriedly refitted and replenished in preparation for the [[Combined Fleet]]'s next major operation, scheduled to begin one month hence.<ref>Parshall & Tully, p. 12</ref> While at Hashirajima, ''Sōryū''{{'}}s air group was based ashore at nearby Kasanohara, near Kagoshima, and conducted flight and weapons training with the other First Air Fleet carrier units.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 10, 42, 88</ref>

===Midway===
{{main|Battle of Midway}}
[[File:Aerial view of the Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū evading an air attack on 4 June 1942 (fsa.8e00397).jpg|thumb|right|Aerial photograph of ''Sōryū'' and its circular wake on the morning of 4 June 1942. The ship was circling to evade bombs dropped from high altitude by US [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17]] aircraft. The photograph was taken from one of the B17s. |alt=Photograph looking directly down at the ocean's surface from a high altitude. There is a rough circle on the surface that is about as wide as the photograph. The top deck of a ship is seen at the lower left of the circle; the length of the ship is much smaller than the circumference of the circle.]]
Concerned by the US carrier strikes in the Marshall Islands, [[Invasion of Lae-Salamaua|Lae-Salamaua]], and the Doolittle raids, Yamamoto was determined to force the US Navy into a showdown to eliminate the American carrier threat. He decided to invade and occupy [[Midway Atoll|Midway Island]], an action that he was sure would draw out the American carriers.  The Japanese codenamed the Midway invasion Operation ''MI''.<ref>Stille 2007, p. 22</ref>

On 25 May 1942, ''Sōryū'' set out with the Combined Fleet's carrier striking force in the company of ''Kaga'', ''Akagi'', and ''Hiryū'', which constituted the First and Second Carrier Divisions, for the attack on Midway Island. Her aircraft complement consisted of eighteen Zeros, sixteen D3As, eighteen B5Ns, and two preproduction reconnaissance variants (D4Y1-C) of the new [[Yokosuka D4Y]] dive bomber. Also aboard were three A6M Zeros of the 6th [[Kōkūtai]] intended as a portion of the aerial garrison for Midway.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 3, 90</ref>

With the fleet positioned {{convert|250|nmi}} northwest of Midway at dawn (04:45 local time) on 4 June 1942, ''Sōryū''{{'}}s part in the 108-plane combined air raid was a strike on the airfield on Eastern Island with eighteen torpedo bombers escorted by nine Zeros. The air group suffered heavily during the attack; a single B5N was shot down by fighters, two more were forced to [[Water landing|ditch]] on the return (both crews rescued), and five (including one that landed aboard ''Hiryu'') were damaged beyond repair.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 126, 129, 200, 204</ref> The Japanese did not know that the US Navy had discovered their ''MI'' plan by breaking their cipher, and had prepared an ambush using its three available carriers, positioned northeast of Midway.<ref>Parshall and Tully, pp. 151, 154; Stille, p. 59</ref>

The carrier also contributed 3 Zeros to the total of eleven assigned to the initial combat air patrol (CAP) over the four carriers. By 07:00 the carrier had six fighters with the CAP that helped to defend the ''Kido Butai'' from the first US attackers from Midway Island at 07:10.<ref name="Parshall & Tully, p. 500">Parshall & Tully, p. 505</ref> At this time, Nagumo's carriers were attacked by six US Navy [[Grumman TBF Avenger]]s from [[VT-8|Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8)]] that had been temporarily detached from the ''Hornet'' to Midway, and four [[United States Army Air Corps]] (USAAC) [[Martin B-26 Marauder]]s, all carrying torpedoes. The Avengers went after ''Hiryū'' while the Marauders attacked ''Akagi''. The thirty CAP Zeros in the air at this time, including the six from ''Sōryū'', immediately attacked the American airplanes, shooting down five of the Avengers and two of the B-26s. The surviving aircraft dropped their torpedoes, but all missed. ''Sōryū'' launched three more Zeros to reinforce the CAP, at 07:10.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 151–152, 505; Lundstrom, p. 337</ref>

At 07:15 Admiral Nagumo ordered the B5Ns on ''Kaga'' and ''Akagi'' rearmed with bombs for another attack on Midway itself. This process was limited by the number of ordnance carts (used to handle the bombs and torpedoes) and ordnance elevators, preventing torpedoes from being stowed belowdeck until after all the bombs were moved up from their magazine, assembled, and mounted on the aircraft. The process normally took about an hour and a half; more time would be required to bring the aircraft up to the flight deck, and to warm up and launch the strike group. Around 07:40 Nagumo reversed his order when he received a message from one of his scout aircraft that American warships had been spotted. Depleted of ammunition, the first six of ''Sōryū''{{'}}s CAP Zeros landed aboard the carrier at 07:30.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 156–159, 505</ref>

At 07:55, the next American strike from Midway arrived in the form of sixteen [[Douglas SBD Dauntless]] bombers of [[VMA-241|Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 241]] (VMSB-241) under Major [[Lofton R. Henderson]].{{refn|To this day there is much confusion about VMSB-241 at Midway. At that time the squadron was in transition from the obsolete SB2U Vindicator to the modern SBD-2 Dauntless and flew both aircraft during the battle.<ref>Condon, p. 13</ref>|group=Note}} ''Sōryū''{{'}}s three CAP fighters were among the nine still aloft that attacked Henderson's planes, shooting down six of them as they executed a fruitless glide-bombing attack on ''Hiryū''. At roughly the same time, a dozen USAAC [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]]es attacked the Japanese carriers, bombing from {{convert|20000|ft}}. The high altitude of the B-17s gave the Japanese captains enough time to anticipate where the bombs would land and successfully maneuver their ships out of the impact area. Four B-17s attacked ''Sōryū'', but they all missed.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 176, 178, 180</ref>

The CAP defeated the next American air strike from Midway, shooting down three of the eleven [[Vought SB2U Vindicator]] dive bombers from VMSB-241, which attacked the battleship ''Haruna'' unsuccessfully, starting at around 08:30.<ref>Lundstrom, p. 338</ref> Although all the American air strikes had thus far caused negligible damage, they kept the Japanese carrier forces off-balance as Nagumo endeavored to prepare a response to news, received at 08:20, of the sighting of American carrier forces to his northeast. Around 08:30 ''Sōryū'' launched one of her D4Ys on a mission to confirm the location of the American carriers.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 183–189</ref>

''Sōryū'' began recovering her Midway strike force at around 08:40 and finished shortly by 09:10.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 154–155</ref> The landed aircraft were quickly struck below, while the carriers' crews began preparations to spot aircraft for the strike against the American carrier forces. The preparations were interrupted at 09:18 when the first American carrier aircraft to attack were sighted. These consisted of fifteen [[Douglas TBD Devastator]] torpedo bombers of VT-8, led by [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[John C. Waldron]] from ''Hornet''. The three airborne CAP Zeros were landing aboard at 09:30 when the Americans unsuccessfully attempted a torpedo attack on ''Soryū'', but three of the morning's escort fighters were still airborne and joined the eighteen CAP fighters in destroying Waldron's planes. All of the American planes were shot down, leaving [[George H. Gay Jr.]]—the only surviving aviator—treading water.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 205–209</ref>

Shortly afterwards, fourteen Devastators from [[Torpedo Squadron 6|Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6)]] from the ''Enterprise'', led by Lieutenant Commander [[Eugene E. Lindsey]], attacked. Lindsey's aircraft tried to sandwich ''Kaga'', but the CAP, reinforced by three more Zeros launched by ''Sōryū'' at 09:45, shot down all but four of the Devastators, and ''Kaga'' dodged the torpedoes. ''Sōryū'' launched another trio of CAP Zeros at 10:00 and another three at 10:15 after [[VA-35 (U.S. Navy)|Torpedo Squadron 3 (VT-3)]] from {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|2}} was spotted. A Wildcat escorting VT-3 shot down one of her Zeros.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 213–214, 221, 224, 505</ref>

While VT-3 was still attacking ''Hiryū'', American dive bombers arrived over the Japanese carriers almost undetected and began their dives. It was at this time, around 10:20, that in the words of Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully, the "Japanese air defenses would finally and catastrophically fail".<ref>Parshall & Tully, p. 219</ref> At 10:25, ''Sōryū'' was attacked by thirteen Dauntlesses from ''Yorktown''{{'}}s [[Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3)]]. The carrier received three direct hits from 1,000 lb (454&nbsp;kg) bombs: one penetrated to the lower hangar deck [[amidships]], and the other two exploded in the upper hangar deck fore and aft. The hangars contained armed and fueled aircraft preparing for the upcoming strike, resulting in secondary explosions and rupturing the steam pipes in the boiler rooms. Within a very short time the fires on the ship were out of control. At 10:40 she stopped and her crew was ordered to abandon ship five minutes later. The destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Isokaze|1939|2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Hamakaze|1940|2}} rescued the survivors. ''Sōryū'' was still afloat and showed no signs of beginning to sink by early evening, so ''Isokaze'' was ordered to scuttle her with torpedoes so as to allow the destroyers to be used for possible operations that night. The destroyer reported at 19:15 that ''Sōryū'' had sunk<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 236–238, 250–252, 261, 321, 332, 334–336</ref> at position {{coord|30|38|N|179|13|W|display=inline, title}}.<ref name=j5/> Losses were 711 crew of her complement of 1,103, including Captain Yanagimoto, who chose to remain on board. This was the highest mortality percentage of all the Japanese carriers lost at Midway, due largely to the devastation in both hangar decks.<ref>Parshall & Tully, p. 336</ref>

The loss of ''Sōryū'' and the three other IJN carriers at Midway, comprising two-thirds of Japan's total number of fleet carriers and the experienced core of the First Air Fleet, was a crucial strategic defeat and contributed significantly to the ultimate Allied victory. In an effort to conceal the defeat, the ship was not immediately removed from the Navy's registry of ships, awaiting a "suitable opportunity"<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 387–388, 419, 421</ref> before finally being struck from the registry on 10 August 1942.<ref name=tu/>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|25em}}

==Bibliography==
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book |last1=Parshall |first1=Jonathan |first2=Anthony |last2=Tully |title=Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway |publisher=Potomac Books |location=Dulles, Virginia |year=2005 |isbn=1-57488-923-0 |name-list-style=amp |url=https://archive.org/details/shatteredswordun0000pars }}
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==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last1=Milanovich |first1=Kathrin |editor1-last=Jordan |editor1-first=John |title=Warship 2022 |date=2022 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford|pages=47–62 |isbn=978-1-4728-4781-2 |chapter=The IJN Carriers ''Sōryū'' and ''Hiryū''}}
* {{cite book| last= Stille| first= Mark| series=Raid|volume=26| year= 2011| title =Tora! Tora! Tora!: Pearl Harbor 1941| publisher= Osprey Publishing| location= Oxford, UK| isbn= 978-1-84908-509-0}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sōryū (ship, 1937)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091027110106/http://geocities.com/jwarship/Soryu.html Japanese warships – Sōryū]
* [http://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=11 World War II DataBase: Sōryū]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061125202356/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-s/soryu.htm US Navy photos of ''Sōryū'']

{{WWII Japanese ships}}
{{Pearl Harbor attack}}
{{June 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soryu}}
[[Category:Sōryū-class aircraft carriers]]
[[Category:Ships built by Kure Naval Arsenal]]
[[Category:1935 ships]]
[[Category:Aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]
[[Category:Second Sino-Japanese War naval ships of Japan]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of Japan]]
[[Category:Attack on Pearl Harbor]]
[[Category:Ships of the Battle of Midway]]
[[Category:Scuttled vessels]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in June 1942]]