London, 15 July, The maritime employee of the newspaper Daily Telegraph became aware that at Yokosuka the large warship Shokaku was launched. He called it a mysterious ship and while Japan nothing reported about the naval shipbuilding he didn’t knew what kind of ship it was. She was launched in the presence of the chief of the naval staff, the minister of navy and two members of the imperial family. This suggested that she was not a standard ship. The correspondent believed that she was possible one of the 3 or 4 battleships of 40,000 ton which were since 1936 laid down or that she was a major aircraft carrier.(1)
Note
1. Sister ship of the Zuikaku. She was an aircraft carrier laid down 12 December 1937, launched 1 June 1939, commissioned 8 august 1941 and torpedoed by the American submarine USS Cavalla on 19 June 1944. With her displacement of 25,675 long tons/26,087 tons standard and 32,105 long tons/32,620 tons full load were her dimensions 257,5 x 26 x 8,8 metres (844’10”x 85’4” x 28’10”. Her crew numbered 1,660 men and she carried 72-94 planes. Together with her sister ship was part of the program of which the Yamato-class battleship were part although this were 71,111 tons standard and 73,000 tons full load ships and much larger as the 40,000 tons ships the journalist referred to!
Note
1. Sister ship of the Zuikaku. She was an aircraft carrier laid down 12 December 1937, launched 1 June 1939, commissioned 8 august 1941 and torpedoed by the American submarine USS Cavalla on 19 June 1944. With her displacement of 25,675 long tons/26,087 tons standard and 32,105 long tons/32,620 tons full load were her dimensions 257,5 x 26 x 8,8 metres (844’10”x 85’4” x 28’10”. Her crew numbered 1,660 men and she carried 72-94 planes. Together with her sister ship was part of the program of which the Yamato-class battleship were part although this were 71,111 tons standard and 73,000 tons full load ships and much larger as the 40,000 tons ships the journalist referred to!
