Ryūjō

Armor Model

Overview

The Washington Naval Treaty did not impose restrictions on the number of ships with a displacement of up to 10,000 tons. Therefore, Japan, in addition to large aircraft carriers, began developing small aircraft-carrying ships as well. According to the initial design, the hangar was single-level, but during construction, it was transformed into a two-level one. This allowed for an increase in the size of the air group but led to severe overloading and a reduction in the ship's stability. As a result, the new aircraft carrier had to undergo modernization: bulges were added, and part of its armament was removed. The aircraft carrier Ryūjō was built in Yokohama. From 1937 to 1939, the ship participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War. During World War II, the carrier supported the landings in the Philippines, covered convoys heading to the Dutch East Indies, participated in the raid into the Indian Ocean and to the Aleutian Islands. During the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on August 24, 1942, the Ryūjō was sunk by carrier-based aircraft from the American aircraft carrier USS Saratoga.