Editing Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku

{{short description|Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = japanese.aircraft.carrier.zuikaku.jpg
| Ship caption = ''Zuikaku'' at [[Kobe]], 25 September 1941
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = [[Empire of Japan]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
| Ship name = ''Zuikaku''
| Ship namesake = {{lang|ja|瑞鶴}}, "Auspicious Crane"
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = [[Kawasaki Shipyards]]
| Ship laid down = 25 May 1938
| Ship launched = 27 November 1939
| Ship commissioned = 25 September 1941
| Ship struck = 26 August 1945
| Ship honors = 
| Ship fate = Sunk by air attack in the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]], 25 October 1944
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = (as built)
| Ship class = {{sclass|Shōkaku|aircraft carrier}}
|Ship displacement={{cvt|32105|t|LT|lk=on}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|257.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|29|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|9.32|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (deep load)
|Ship power=* 8 × [[water-tube boiler]]s
*{{cvt|160000|shp|kW|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=4 × shafts; 4 × geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|34.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|9700|nmi|lk=on|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn}}
|Ship depth={{convert|23|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=1,660
|Ship armament=*8 × twin [[12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun|{{cvt|127|mm|0}}]] [[DP gun]]s
* 12 × triple [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|{{cvt|25|mm|0}}]] [[AA gun]]s
|Ship armor=*[[Belt armor|Waterline belt]]: {{convert|46|-|165|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|65|-|132|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
| Ship aircraft = *72 (+12 spares)
* '''7 December 1941:'''
* 18 × [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero|Mitsubishi A6M]]2 "Zero"
* 27 × [[Aichi D3A]]1 "Val"
* 27 × [[Nakajima B5N]]2 "Kate"<ref>Bōeichō Bōei Kenshūjo (1967), ''[[Senshi Sōsho]] Hawai Sakusen''. Tokyo: Asagumo Shimbunsha, p. 344</ref>
| Ship aircraft facilities = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

{{Nihongo|'''''Zuikaku'''''|瑞鶴|lead=yes||meaning "Auspicious Crane"}} was the second and last {{sclass|Shōkaku|aircraft carrier}} built for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] (IJN) shortly before the beginning of the [[Pacific War]]. ''Zuikaku'' was one of the most modern Japanese aircraft carriers when commissioned, and saw successful action throughout numerous battles during the [[Pacific War]].

''Zuikaku'' started the war as part of [[1st_Air_Fleet#Kidō_Butai|Kidō Butai]]. Her aircraft struck airfields during the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] that formally brought the [[United States]] into the war. She also participated in the [[Indian Ocean raid]], where her dive bombers sank or helped to sink several major British warships. ''Zuikaku'' and her sister {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Shōkaku||2}} were detached from [[1st_Air_Fleet#Kidō_Butai|Kidō Butai]] to support [[Operation Mo]], the invasion of [[Port Moresby]], New Guinea, during which her torpedo bombers contributed to the sinking of the aircraft carrier {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|6}} at the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]]; however heavy airgroup losses and damage to ''Shōkaku'' resulted in both carriers missing the [[Battle of Midway]].  She and her sister fought US carriers at the [[Battle of the Eastern Solomons]], and again at the [[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands]] where she helped to sink the aircraft carrier {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|6}}. During the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]] and [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]], she was damaged by US carrier aircraft, being sunk in the latter engagement.<ref name="Zuikaku @">[http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-xz/zuikaku.htm Zuikaku @] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070418140651/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-xz/zuikaku.htm |date=18 April 2007 }} www.history.navy.mil</ref>

''Zuikaku'' was one of six carriers to participate in the Pearl Harbor attack and was the last of the six to be sunk in the war ({{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}}, {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Kaga||2}}, {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiryū||2}}, and {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Sōryū||2}} in the [[Battle of Midway]]; {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Shōkaku||2}} in the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]]; and ''Zuikaku'' in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.)

A memorial for the fallen personnel of the ''Zuikaku'' is located at the grounds of [[Kashihara Shrine]], located in the city of [[Kashihara, Nara|Kashihara]], [[Nara Prefecture]], [[Japan]].

==Service history==
[[File:Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku.jpg|thumb|left|''Zuikaku'' in November 1941]]
''Zuikaku'' was laid down on 25 May 1938, launched on 27 November 1939, and formally commissioned on 25 September 1941. On the day of commissioning, ''Zuikaku'' departed on her maiden voyage from [[Kobe]] to [[Kure Naval Arsenal|Kure]]. Under the command of Captain Yokokawa Ichibei, ''Zuikaku'' departed for Oita Bight on October 7, arriving at her destination the next day where for the first time she joined her [[sister ship]] {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Shōkaku||2}}. Both ships made up [[Carrier Division 5]].<ref name=":0" />

=== Attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent activities ===
On 26 November 1941, she left [[Hitokappu Bay]] for the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] as part of the ''[[Kidō Butai]]'' ("Mobile Force"). Her aircraft complement consisted of 18 [[Mitsubishi A6M]] "Zero" [[fighter aircraft|fighters]], 27 [[Aichi D3A]] "Val" [[dive bomber]]s, and 27 [[Nakajima B5N]] [[torpedo bomber|"Kate" torpedo bomber]]s. On 7 December, she launched two waves of aircraft against American military installations on the island of [[Oahu]]. In the first wave, 25 [[Aichi D3A|Val]] dive bombers attacked [[Wheeler Army Airfield]] and five [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero|Zero]] fighters attacked the airbase at [[Kaneohe]]. In the second wave, 27 [[Nakajima B5N|high-level Kate bombers]] attacked the airbase at [[Hickam Air Force Base|Hickam Field]].

On the 24th of December, ''Zuikaku'' arrived back at Kure alongside ''Shōkaku'', {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Kaga||2}}, and {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}} ({{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Sōryū||2}} and {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiryū||2}} having previously departed to attack [[Wake Island]]), and she was drydocked from the 30th to January 3rd. Meeting ''Shōkaku'' on the 5th, they departed Hiroshima Bay on the 8th, arriving at [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] on the 14th. In aid of the Japanese conquest against Pacific islands, on January 20 they launched 19 dive bombers and 6 fighters to attack [[Rabaul]], then the next day struck both [[Lae]] and [[Salamaua]], and on the 23rd launched strikes to aid the successful landings on both Rabaul and [[Kavieng]] before returning to Truk on the 29th. ''Zuikaku'' finally took part in a failed attempt to sweep for allied aircraft carriers on February 1st before departing back to Japan, arriving at [[Yokosuka Naval Arsenal|Yokosuka]] on the 13th, where her pilots took part in vigorous training exercises until the 28th.<ref name=":0" />

=== Indian Ocean Raid ===
[[File:Kaga and Zuikaku Pearl Harbor.jpg|thumb|''Zuikaku'' and the aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Kaga||2}} preparing to attack [[Pearl Harbor]], December 7th 1941]]
[[File:Zuikaku Indian Ocean April 1942.jpg|thumb|Zuikaku during Indian Ocean raid.]]
''Zuikaku'' would play a key role in the [[Indian Ocean raid|Indian Ocean Raid]] throughout April, where the Kidō Butai (excluding {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Kaga||2}} which scraped her hull on a reef) attacked various British warships and positions in a multiple-day raid. On the 5th, ''Zuikaku''{{'}}s air group attacked [[Colombo]] in an event since named the [[Easter Sunday Raid]]. Her torpedo bombers sank the [[destroyer]] {{HMS|Tenedos|H04|6}}, while her dive bombers damaged the [[Tanker (ship)|tanker]] ''San Cirilo''. Later that night, alongside the other aircraft carriers, ''Zuikaku''{{'}}s aircraft engaged and sank the heavy cruisers {{HMS|Cornwall|56|6}} and {{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|6}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=National Defence |first=Royal Canadian Air Force |date=2014-12-08 |title=Air Raid Colombo, 5 April 1942: The Fully Expected Surprise Attack - RCAF Journal - Royal Canadian Air Force |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/air-force/corporate/reports-publications/royal-canadian-air-force-journal/2014-vol3-iss4-06-air-raid-colombo-5-april-1942.html |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=www.canada.ca}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=dreadnaughtz |date=2021-12-20 |title=Shokaku class aircraft carriers |url=https://naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/japan/shokaku-class.php |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=naval encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Shores |first=Christopher |title=Bloody Shambles. Vol. II: The Defence of Sumatra to the Fall of Burma |publisher=London: Grub Street |year=1993 |isbn=0-948817-67-4 |pages=413–429}}</ref> On the 9th, ''Zuikaku'' and ''Shōkaku'' raided [[Trincomalee]], where they destroyed the cargo ship {{SS|Sagaing}} and damaged the monitor {{HMS|Erebus|I02|6}}.

==== Sinking of HMS ''Hermes'' ====
Later that night, a Japanese floatplane launched from the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}} managed to locate the light carrier {{HMS|Hermes|95|6}}, and ''Zuikaku''{{'}}s air group was the first to respond, quickly followed by ''Shōkaku''. Bombers from the pair hit ''Hermes'' almost 40 times, smashing the carrier into a burning hulk. The pair were then joined by planes from the fellow aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}}, who on her own sank the destroyer {{HMAS|Vampire|D68|6}}. The floating wreck of ''Hermes'' rapidly sank, having only managed to shoot down six attacking planes.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

''Zuikaku,'' alongside ''Shōkaku,'' was the first aircraft carrier in history to sink an enemy aircraft carrier in combat.

=== Battle of the Coral Sea ===
In May 1942, she was assigned along with ''Shōkaku'' to support [[Operation Mo]], the invasion of [[Port Moresby]], New Guinea. On the 7th, a large US naval force was located by spotters from the heavy cruisers {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Furutaka||2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Kinugasa||2}}, prompting both ships to launch their planes, fearing US carriers in the area. However, once attacked, it was discovered to only be a US convoy. Not wanting their efforts to go to waste, planes from both ''Zuikaku'' and ''Shōkaku'' combined to sink the destroyer {{USS|Sims|DD-409|2}} and the oil tanker {{USS|Neosho|AO-23|2}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neosho II (AO-23) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/neosho-ii.html |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=NHHC |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=Lundstrom-2152013>{{Cite book |last=Lundstrom |first=John B |title=Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal |publisher=Naval Institute Press |date=February 15, 2013 |isbn=978-1591144199 |edition=Reprint |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|189–190}}

Alerted by [[Signals intelligence in modern history|intercepted]] and [[Cryptography|decrypted]] [[Japanese naval codes|Japanese naval messages]], the Americans dispatched the carriers {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|6}} and {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|2}} to stop the operation. On the same day as the carrier's initial attack, the US planes located the light carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Shōhō||2}}, which ''Lexington''{{'}}s aircraft crippled before ''Yorktown''{{'}}s aircraft finished her off. Both ''Zuikaku'' and ''Shōkaku'' sent out plane squadrons to scout for the US carriers, but failed to make contact on the 7th.<ref name=Lundstrom-2152013/>{{rp|198–206}}

On the 8th, a spotter plane from ''Lexington'' located both ''Zuikaku'' and ''Shōkaku'', and both carriers attacked with their air groups. Hidden by a rain squall, ''Zuikaku'' escaped detection, but ''Shōkaku'' was hit three times by bombs and was unable to launch or recover her aircraft. In return, ''Zuikaku''{{'}}s planes located the American carriers, and proceeded to wreak havoc on both ships. First, ''Zuikaku''{{'}}s torpedo bombers, commanded by [[Shigekazu Shimazaki]], caught ''Lexington'' in a [[Pincer movement|pincer attack]], hitting the flat top with two torpedoes, cutting her speed to 24 knots and punching through the gasoline storage tanks, leaking gas fumes throughout the ship. Her dive bombers, commanded by [[Tamotsu Ema]], then attacked and crippled ''Yorktown'' with a bomb hit that caused severe damage to her hangar bay and aviation storage rooms and over a dozen near misses. ''Shōkaku''{{'}}s dive bombers then hit ''Lexington'' with three bombs to her flight deck, starting a large fire.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stille |first=Mark |title=USN Carriers vs IJN Carriers: The Pacific 1942 (Duel) |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |date=November 20, 2007 |isbn=978-1846032486 |page=56 |language=English}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Lexington (CV-2) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/ships/aircraft-carriers/uss-lexington.html |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=NHHC |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=Lundstrom-2152013/>{{rp|198–206}}
[[File:Zuikaku Type 99 Coral Sea.jpg|thumb|''Zuikaku'' launching a [[Aichi D3A|Val dive bomber]] during the [[battle of the Coral Sea]], May 8th 1942.]]
Damage control efforts quickly persisted on ''Lexington'', putting out the fires from ''Shōkaku''{{'}}s bomb hits. However, gas fumes from ''Zuikaku''{{'}}s torpedo hits leaked throughout the ship. When the fumes reached electric motors, a chain reaction of explosion after explosion riddled ''Lexington'' with fatal damage. ''Lexington'' began to sink, as her crew was evacuated. To make sure she hit the ocean floor and wasn't captured by Japanese forces, ''Lexington'' was scuttled by escorting destroyers.<ref name=":1" />

''Zuikaku'' was undamaged in the battle, but sustained severe losses in aircraft and aircrew. This required her to return to Japan with her sister ship for resupply and aircrew training, and neither carrier was able to take part in the [[Battle of Midway]] in June 1942, where every carrier that participated in the Pearl Harbor attack besides the two ''Shōkaku''-class ships was sunk by American carrier-based aircraft. Both ships returned to Kure, ''Shōkaku'' still operating under her own power despite immense damage. On the 21st, ''Zuikaku'' was targeted by the submarine {{USS|Pollack|SS-180|6}}, but was not damaged. She spent the rest of June and July transiting to various ports and naval facilities.<ref name=":0" />

===Battle of the Eastern Solomons===
In August 1942, commanded by Captain Tameteru Notomo, ''Zuikaku'' was dispatched as part of the [[First Carrier Division]] along with the repaired ''Shōkaku'' and their escorts to oppose the American offensive in the [[Guadalcanal Campaign|Solomon Islands]]. Their goal was to sink US shipping operating in the Solomons to aid in recapturing [[Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)|Henderson Field]], an ex-Japanese air base which was captured by American forces and being used against Japanese shipping to great effect.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Imperial Flattops |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Zuikak.htm |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=www.combinedfleet.com}}</ref>

On the 24th, a floatplane launched from the [[heavy cruiser]] {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Chikuma|1938|2}} spotted a large American task force, consisting of the aircraft carriers {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}} and {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|6}}, and their escorts, battleship {{USS|North Carolina|BB-55|6}}, four cruisers, and eleven destroyers. Subsequently, both ''Zuikaku'' and ''Shōkaku'' launched 37 aircraft and attacked the US ships. Due to the haste of Japanese pilots, almost all attacks were focused on ''Enterprise'' to heavy results. The effectiveness of US anti aircraft, particularly of ''North Carolina''{{'}}s part, shot down many attacking aircraft, but in the end, both carriers crippled ''Enterprise'' with three bomb hits. They nearly sank her, with a squadron of seven dive bombers, three from ''Shōkaku'' and four from ''Zuikaku'', nearly delivering the final blow when ''North Carolina'' shot down every single attacking plane.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Eric |first=Hammel |title=Carrier Clash: The Invasion of Guadalcanal & The Battle of the Eastern Solomons August 1942 |publisher=Minnesota: Zenith Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-7603-2052-7 |page=137}}</ref>

Neither ''Zuikaku'' or ''Shōkaku'' were damaged during the battle, although ''Shōkaku'' barely avoided being bombed by ''Enterprise''. However, together they lost 25 aircraft out of 37 launched, and planes from ''Saratoga'' sank the [[light carrier]] {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Ryūjō||2}}, while planes from Henderson Field sank the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Mutsuki||2}} and the [[troopship]] ''Kinryu Maru''. The battle is considered a US victory as ''Zuikaku'' and the other Japanese ships retreated without sinking a single American vessel.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=David |first=Evans |title=The Japanese Navy in World War II: In the Words of Former Japanese Naval Officers |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1986 |isbn=0-87021-316-4 |edition=2nd |pages=168–169}}</ref>

=== Battle of Santa Cruz ===
While the US still maintained air superiority through Henderson field, their carrier force was greatly diminished. After her big action, ''Saratoga'' was crippled by a torpedo fired from the submarine {{Jsub|I-26||2}}, putting her out of action, while in September the aircraft carrier {{USS|Wasp|CV-7|6}} was sunk by three torpedo hits fired by the submarine {{Jsub|I-19||2}}. These actions left {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|6}} as the only American fleet carrier operating in the Pacific, shortly joined by the repaired ''Enterprise''. Taking advantage of this, ''Zuikaku'' and ''Shōkaku'' were sent out to attack the remaining US carriers in a decisive battle, now joined by the aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Jun'yō||2}} and the light carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuihō||2}} and their escorts. This would culminate in the [[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands]].

The force set out on October 11. On the 15th, a Japanese patrol plane spotted the destroyer {{USS|Meredith|DD-434|6}} towing a barge that carried fuel and bombs for US forces at Guadalcanal. ''Zuikaku''{{'}}s air group quickly responded, and in a ten-minute battle hit ''Meredith'' with three torpedoes and a number of bombs, causing the destroyer to roll over and sink.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DD-434 DANFS |url=https://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd434txt.htm |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=www.hazegray.org}}</ref> The force continued on, and on the 26th was spotted by a [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|Catalina seaplane]], shortly followed by the attacks of both ''Hornet'' and ''Enterprise'', just as the Japanese wanted. Dive bombers from ''Enterprise'' hit ''Zuihō'' with a bomb that prevented her from recovering aircraft, while dive bombers from ''Hornet'' scorched ''Shōkaku'' with at least 3–4 (and potentially up to 6) bomb hits and damaged the heavy cruiser ''Chikuma'' with two bombs.<ref name=":0" />

In return, the Japanese planes wreaked havoc on American shipping. Fighters from ''Zuihō'' shot down an American torpedo bomber, which in a bamboozling series of events launched its torpedo as it crashed in a friendly fire incident that sank the destroyer {{USS|Porter|DD-356|6}}, while ''Jun'yō'' damaged the battleship {{USS|South Dakota|BB-57|6}} and the light cruiser {{USS|San Juan|CL-54|6}} with bomb hits.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hammel |first=Eric |title=Carrier Clash: The Invasion of Guadalcanal & and the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, August 1942 |publisher=Pacifica Press |year=1997 |isbn=0-7603-2052-7 |pages=411–413}}</ref> ''Zuikaku'' focused her attacks on ''Hornet'', and hit her with three bombs. Two of her bombers that were shot down proceeded to crash into ''Hornet'', one of which still had its bomb equipped which exploded on impact. Meanwhile, planes from ''Shōkaku'' hit ''Hornet'' with two torpedoes. The damage from both ships left Hornet dead in the water and heavily listing.<ref name=":0" />

Under tow from the heavy cruiser {{USS|Northampton|CA-26|6}}, damage control efforts attempted to correct the list on the crippled, but not sunk ''Hornet'' in an attempt to save the ship. However, further air attacks persisted. A flight of nine torpedo bombers from both ''Shōkaku'' and ''Jun'yō'' attacked the flat top, and while ''Jun'yō''{{'}}s planes missed, ''Shōkaku'' hit ''Hornet'' with a third and fatal torpedo which caused the US to abandon all efforts to save ''Hornet''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=J D |title=Carrier Operations in World War II |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-59114-108-2 |location=Annapolis, Maryland |pages=181–186}}</ref>

''Zuikaku'' hit ''Hornet'' with another bomb while US destroyers attempted to scuttle ''Hornet'' (though due to the quality of US torpedoes, all either missed or failed to explode). ''Hornet'' slowly sank, and was listing at a 45-degree angle when she was discovered by the destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Akigumo|1941|2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Makigumo|1941|2}}. They fired their torpedoes, claiming three hits. Because of this, they are sometimes credited with sinking ''Hornet'', but she was already sinking due to damage from the previous air attacks, and would have sunk regardless of any further damage, meaning it's debatable whether they deserve credit for ''Hornet''{{'}}s sinking as opposed to the carrier's loss being pinned solely on the ''Shōkaku'' twins.<ref name=":0" />

Of the 110 aircraft launched by the Japanese carriers, only 67 returned to ''Zuikaku''.  She then returned to the home islands via Truk for training and aircraft ferrying duties.
[[File:Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku in movie.jpg|left|thumb|''Zuikaku'' launching a [[Nakajima B5N|Kate torpedo bomber]] in September of 1944.]]
In February 1943, she covered the evacuation of Japanese ground forces from [[Guadalcanal]]. In May, she was assigned to a mission to counterattack the [[Aleutian Islands Campaign|American offensive]] in the [[Aleutian Islands]], but this operation was cancelled after the Allied victory on [[Attu Island|Attu]] on 29 May 1943. Later in 1943, under the command of Captain Kikuchi Tomozo, she was again based at Truk and operated against U.S. forces in the [[Marshall Islands]], but never managed to see combat throughout the rest of the year.

''Zuikaku'' started off 1944 by entering drydock at Kure on January 8, and leaving drydock on the 17th. On February 13, ''Zuikaku'' was assigned to carrier division 1 alongside ''Shōkaku'', and over 2 days received her air group, but her new pilots were poorly trained and inexperienced, a grand fall from the glory days of the Kidō Butai. However, they were sufficient to score ''Zuikaku'' another kill when on 27 February, her torpedo bombers hunted down the submarine {{USS|Grayback|SS-208|6}} and quickly sank her with a single 250-kilogram (551 lb) bomb hit.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-12 |title=Lost World War II Submarine Rediscovered 75 Years Later |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a29765905/uss-grayback-discovery/ |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=Popular Mechanics |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> After ferrying aircraft to [[Singapore]] and being drydocked, she joined ''Shōkaku'' and the new armored aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Taihō||2}}.

===Battle of the Philippine Sea===
In June she was assigned to Operation A-Go, an attempt to repulse the Allied invasion of the [[Mariana Islands]]. On 19 June, in the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]], ''Taihō'' and ''Shōkaku'' were both sunk by American [[submarine]]s, leaving ''Zuikaku'', the only survivor of Carrier Division One, to recover the Division's few remaining aircraft. On 20 June, a bomb hit started a fire in the hangar, but ''Zuikaku''{{'}}s experienced damage control teams managed to get it under control, and she was able to escape under her own power. After this battle, ''Zuikaku'' was the only survivor of the six fleet carriers that had launched the attack on Pearl Harbor.

===Battle off Cape Engaño===
[[File:Cape Engano II.jpg|thumb|''Zuikaku'' and destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Wakatsuki||2}} underway during U.S. carrier plane attacks. The carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuihō||2}} is in the background.]]
In October 1944, she was the flagship of Admiral [[Jisaburo Ozawa]]'s decoy Northern Force in [[Battle of Leyte Gulf|Operation Shō-Gō 1]], the Japanese counterattack to the [[Battle of Leyte|Allied landings on Leyte]]. On 24 October, as part of the depleted [[Third Carrier Division]], which had just 108 aircraft across four carriers, she launched aircraft along with the light carriers {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuihō||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Chitose||2}}, and {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Chiyoda||2}} in an ineffective strike against the [[U.S. Third Fleet]]. Several of these aircraft were shot down, and the majority of the surviving aircraft did not return to the carriers, instead landing at Japanese land bases on [[Luzon]]. However, some of her aircraft made ''[[kamikaze]]'' attacks and helped sink the [[Light aircraft carrier|light carrier]] {{USS|Princeton|CVL-23|6}}; and most of the others were sent to other surviving carriers and air bases, to later sink the [[escort carrier]] {{USS|St. Lo|CVE-63|6}} during the [[Battle off Samar]] after again using the new ''kamikaze'' tactics.

The next day, during the [[Battle off Cape Engaño]], she launched her few remaining aircraft for [[combat air patrol]], search, or to join the aircraft already on Luzon. She then came under heavy air attack and was hit by seven torpedoes and nine bombs. With ''Zuikaku'' listing heavily to port, Ozawa shifted his flag to the [[light cruiser]] {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Ōyodo||2}}. The order to abandon ship was issued at 13:58 and the naval ensign was lowered. ''Zuikaku'' rolled over and sank stern-first at 14:14, taking the lives of Rear Admiral (promoted from captain 10 days earlier) Kaizuka Takeo and 842 of the ship's crew; 862 officers and men were rescued by the [[destroyer]]s {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Wakatsuki||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Kuwa|1944|2}}. Before her loss, ''Zuikaku'' was the last surviving Japanese carrier to have attacked Pearl Harbor. She was also the only Japanese fleet carrier (as opposed to a light carrier) to have been sunk by aircraft-launched torpedoes, as all others were sunk by bombs delivered by dive bombers or submarine-launched torpedoes.<ref name="Zuikaku @"/>

== List of Naval Successes ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Date
!Ship Name
!Ship Type
!Battle
!Nationality
!Fate
|-
|5 April 1942
|''San Cirilo''
|[[Oil tanker]]
|[[Indian Ocean raid|Indian Ocean Raid]]
|[[England|British]]
|Damaged
|-
|5 April 1942
|{{HMS|Tenedos|H04|2}}
|[[Destroyer]]
|Indian Ocean Raid
|British
|Sunk
|-
|5 April 1942
|{{HMS|Cornwall|56|2}}
|[[Heavy cruiser]]
|Indian Ocean Raid
|British
|Sunk
|-
|5 April 1942
|{{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|2}}
|Heavy cruiser
|Indian Ocean Raid
|British
|Sunk
|-
|9 April 1942
|{{SS|Sagaing||2}}
|[[Cargo ship]]
|Indian Ocean Raid
|British
|Sunk
|-
|9 April 1942
|{{HMS|Erebus|I02|2}}
|[[Monitor (warship)|Monitor]]
|Indian Ocean Raid
|British
|Damaged
|-
|9 April 1942
|{{HMS|Hermes|95|2}}
|[[Light aircraft carrier]]
|Indian Ocean Raid
|British
|Sunk
|-
|7 May 1942
|{{USS|Sims|DD-409|2}}
|Destroyer
|[[Battle of the Coral Sea]]
|[[United States|US]]
|Sunk
|-
|7 May 1942
|{{USS|Neosho|AO-23|2}}
|Oil tanker
|Battle of the Coral Sea
|US
|Sunk
|-
|8 May 1942
|{{USS|Lexington|CV-2|2}}
|[[Aircraft carrier]]
|Battle of the Coral Sea
|US
|Sunk
|-
|8 May 1942
|{{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|2}}
|Aircraft carrier
|Battle of the Coral Sea
|US
|Damaged
|-
|15 October 1942
|{{USS|Meredith|DD-434|2}}
|Destroyer
|N/A
|US
|Sunk
|-
|26 October 1942
|{{USS|Hornet|CV-8|2}}
|Aircraft carrier
|[[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands|Battle of Santa Cruz]]
|US
|Sunk
|-
|26 October 1942
|{{USS|Smith|DD-378|2}}
|Destroyer
|Battle of Santa Cruz
|US
|Damaged
|-
|27 February 1942
|{{USS|Grayback|SS-208|2}}
|Submarine
|N/A
|US
|Sunk
|-
|24 October 1944
|{{USS|Princeton|CVL-23|2}}
|Light aircraft carrier
|[[Battle of Leyte Gulf]]
|US
|Sunk
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery widths=180>
Image:Zuikaku at Hitokappu Bay 1941.jpg|Sailors winching up the anchor on the quarterdeck of ''Zuikaku'', 26 November 1941.
Image:Zuikaku flight deck.jpg|A [[Nakajima B5N]]2 "Kate" taking off from ''Zuikaku'' to attack [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]], 7 December 1941.
Image:Zuikaku Cape Engano.jpg|''Zuikaku'' during the [[Battle off Cape Engaño]], 25 October 1944.
Image:Lowering the flag on Zuikaku.jpg|The crew of the sinking ''Zuikaku'' salute as the flag is lowered on 25 October 1944.
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Brown |first=David |title=WWII Fact Files: Aircraft Carriers|location=New York |publisher=Arco Publishing |year=1977 |isbn=0-668-04164-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Brown|first=J. D.|title=Carrier Operations in World War II|year=2009|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-108-2}}
* {{cite book | last = Campbell | first = John | year = 1985 | title = Naval Weapons of World War Two | publisher=Naval Institute Press | location = Annapolis, Maryland | isbn = 0-87021-459-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Chesneau|first=Roger|title=Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present: An Illustrated Encyclopedia|edition=New, Revised|year=1995|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-902-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/aircraftcarriers00ches}}
* {{cite journal|last=Dickson|first=W. David|year=1977|title=Fighting Flat-tops: The Shokakus|journal=Warship International|publisher=International Naval Research Organization|volume=XIV|issue=1|pages=15–46}}
* {{cite book| last = Gill| first = G. Hermon| year = 1968| url = https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1070208/| title = Volume II&nbsp;– Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945| series = ''[[Australia in the War of 1939–1945]]'', Series 2: Navy| location = Canberra| publisher = [[Australian War Memorial]]}}
* {{cite book| last1 = Jentschura| first1 = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|editor=Jordan, John|publisher=Conway|location=London|year=2014|title=Warship 2015|isbn=978-1-84486-276-4 |first=Hans|last=Lengerer|chapter=The Aircraft Carriers of the Shōkaku Class|pages=90–109}}
* {{cite book|last1=Letourneau|first1=Robert|last2=Letourneau|first2=Dennis|title=Operation KE: The Cactus Air Force and the Japanese Withdrawal From Guadalcanal|year=2012|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-61251-179-5|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Lundstrom|first=John B.|year=2005a|edition=New|title = The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = Annapolis, Maryland | isbn = 1-59114-471-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Lundstrom|first=John B.|title=The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign|year=2005b|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=1-55750-526-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Peattie |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Peattie |title=Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909–1941 |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland |year=2001 |isbn=1-55750-432-6}}
* {{cite book|last1=Polmar|first1=Norman|last2=Genda |first2=Minoru |author-link2=Minoru Genda|title=Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events|publisher=Potomac Books|location=Washington, D.C. |year=2006|volume=1, 1909–1945|isbn=1-57488-663-0|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last1=Shores|first1=Christopher|last2=Cull|first2=Brian|last3=Izawa|first3=Yasuho|title=Bloody Shambles |volume=I: The Drift to War to the Fall of Singapore|year=1992|publisher=Grub Street|location=London|isbn=0-948817-50-X|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last1=Shores|first1=Christopher|last2=Cull|first2=Brian|last3=Izawa|first3=Yasuho|title=Bloody Shambles |volume=II: The Defence of Sumatra to the Fall of Burma|year=1993|publisher=Grub Street|location=London |isbn=0-948817-67-4|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book| last = Stille| first = Mark| series =Campaign|volume=214| year = 2009| title = The Coral Sea 1942: The First Carrier Battle| publisher = Osprey Publishing| location = Oxford, UK| isbn = 978-1-84908-106-1}}
* {{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}}
* {{cite book| last = Stille| first = Mark| series =Duel|volume=6| year = 2007| title = USN Carriers vs IJN Carriers: The Pacific 1942| publisher = Osprey Publishing| location = Oxford, UK| isbn = 978-1-84603-248-6}}
* {{cite web| last = Tully| first = Anthony P.| date =September 2010| url = http://combinedfleet.com/Zuikak.htm| title = IJN Zuikaku: Tabular Record of Movement| work = Kido Butai| publisher = Combinedfleet.com| access-date = 14 July 2015}}
* {{cite book|last=Zimm|first=Alan D.|title=Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions|year=2011 |publisher=Casemate Publishers|location=Havertown, Pennsylvania|isbn=978-1-61200-010-7}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Zuikaku (ship, 1941)|''Zuikaku''}}
* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/Zuikak.htm Tabular record of movement] from [http://www.combinedfleet.com/ combinedfleet.com]

{{Shōkaku class aircraft carrier}}
{{Pearl Harbor attack}}
{{October 1944 shipwrecks}}
{{Coord|19|20|N|125|51|E|display=title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuikaku}}
[[Category:Shōkaku-class aircraft carriers]]
[[Category:Ships built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries]]
[[Category:1939 ships]]
[[Category:Aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of Japan]]
[[Category:Attack on Pearl Harbor]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by US aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft carriers sunk by aircraft]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by aircraft during the Battle of Leyte Gulf]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Philippine Sea]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in October 1944]]