Japanese seaplane carrier Mizuho

Mizuho (瑞穂, "Fresh Grain") was a seaplane carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The ship was built at Kawasaki Shipbuilding at Kobe, Japan, and was completed in February 1939.[1][2]

Mizuho off Tateyama, Japan, in 1940.
History
Empire of Japan
Name: Mizuho
Laid down: 1 May 1937
Launched: 16 May 1938
Commissioned: 25 February 1939
Fate: Torpedoed and sunk by USS Drum, 2 May 1942
General characteristics
Type: Seaplane carrier
Displacement: 10,930 tons standard
Length: 183.6 m (602 ft 4 in) (waterline)
Beam: 18.8 m (61 ft 8 in)
Propulsion: 2-shaft diesel engines, 15,200 bhp (11,300 kW)
Speed: 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 24 seaplanes

Design and description

Mizuho was built to a similar design as the seaplane carrier Chitose, but with slightly less powerful diesel engines instead of Chitose's turbines.[3] She carried 24 seaplanes,[1] and was equipped to carry twelve miniature submarines,[1] although she could not carry full loads of both at one time.[3]

Service history

Mizuho participated in invasion support for much of her career;[1] her first mission was with the Fourth Surprise Attack Force.[2] On 1 March 1942, planes from Mizuho and Chitose damaged the American destroyer USS Pope, which was later sunk by aircraft from the aircraft carrier Ryūjō and gunfire from the heavy cruisers Ashigara and Myōkō.[4]

Sinking
Painting of Mizuho

The American submarine USS Drum torpedoed Mizuho at 23:03 hours on 1 May 1942 40 nautical miles (74 kilometres) off Omaezaki, Japan. She capsized and sank at 04:16 hours on 2 May 1942 with the loss of 101 lives. There were 472 survivors, of which 31 were wounded.[3][5][6]

Footnotes
  1. Toppan, Andrew (June 25, 1998). "World Aircraft Carriers List: Japanese Seaplane Ships". Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  2. Budge, Kent. "Mizuho, Japanese Seaplane Carrier". The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  3. "IJN Mizuho Seaplane Carrier". Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  4. Tully, Anthony. "IJN Mizuho: Tabular Record of Movement". Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  5. "USS Drum". Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  6. combinedfleet.com IJN Mizuho Tabular Record of Movement


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