"Divine Hawk") was an

escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slower type of aircraf ...

operated by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

, converted from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

ocean liner . The liner had been trapped in Kure, Japan following the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in Europe, which prevented any attempt for the ship to return to Germany. The Japanese Navy then purchased the ship, and after the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...

in June 1942, decided to convert her into an aircraft carrier. Conversion work lasted from 1942 to late 1943, and ''Shin'yō'' was commissioned into the Japanese Navy in November 1943. After entering service, ''Shin'yō'' was employed as a convoy escort in the western Pacific. She served in this capacity for less than a year; in November 1944, the US submarine torpedoed ''Shin'yō'' while she was en route to

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. As many as four torpedoes hit the ship and detonated her aviation fuel tanks. The resulting explosion destroyed the ship and killed most of her crew.

Background and conversion

''Scharnhorst'' was a passenger ship operated by

Norddeutscher Lloyd Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL; North German Lloyd) was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on 20 February 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of th ...

in the 1930s. She was trapped in Japan after the outbreak of

in Europe in September 1939. The Japanese Navy purchased the ship on 7 February 1942, under the agreement they would pay Norddeutscher Lloyd twice the value of the ship after the end of the war. The ship was intended for use as a

troop ship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

, but after the Japanese defeat at the

, the Navy decided to convert her into an escort carrier. Conversion work on ''Scharnhorst'' began in September 1942 in the Kure Navy Dockyard. Steel from the uncompleted hull of the canceled fourth was used in the conversion process. Work lasted until December 1943, and the rebuilt ship was commissioned into the Japanese Navy on 15 December 1943. ''Scharnhorst''s design was similar to the Japanese passenger liners of the ''Nitta Maru'' class, which were also converted into the s, so her conversion followed a similar plan. The main differences were retention of the original propulsion machinery, and addition of external bulges which helped increase stability.

Characteristics

As rebuilt, ''Shin'yō'' was long

between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...

and

overall Overalls or bib-and-brace overalls, also called dungarees in British English, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers ...

. She had a beam of and a draft of . A flight deck was installed, along with a pair of elevators and a single large hangar. This arrangement allowed for 27 combat aircraft and six spare airframes, for a total of 33 aircraft. The ship was powered by a pair of geared turbines that were supplied with steam by four boilers. The propulsion system produced and a top speed of . At a speed of , the ship could steam for approximately . The original high-pressure, high-temperature, oil-fired boilers proved to be highly problematic and so the Japanese replaced them shortly after ''Shin'yō'' was completed. Steering was controlled by a single rudder. ''Shin'yō'' was armed with eight Type 89

dual-purpose gun A dual-purpose gun is a naval artillery mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets. Description Second World War-era capital ships had four classes of artillery: the heavy main battery, intended to engage opposing battleships and ...

s in four twin mounts. She also carried thirty Type 96

anti-aircraft guns Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-bas ...

in ten triple mounts. Later, twelve additional 25 mm guns in single mounts were added. When ''Shin'yō'' was refitted in July 1944, eight more 25 mm guns were added, bringing the total to fifty.

Service history

On 1 November 1943, ''Shin'yō'' was readied for

sea trial A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on op ...

s and ran a shake-down cruise. The ship was commissioned into the fleet on 15 November 1943, and was subsequently assigned to the Grand Escort Command on 20 December. For the first six months of 1944, the ship conducted training maneuvers in the Home Islands. On 13 July 1944, she escorted the convoy Hi-69, including the escort carriers and , which were carrying additional aircraft for the Philippines. ''Shin'yō'' was tasked with providing aerial cover for the convoy. The convoy arrived on 20 July; on 25 July, ''Shin'yō'' left with another convoy, bound for Singapore. The ship arrived on 31 July, and departed again four days later with the convoy Hi-70. The convoy consisted of eight transports, headed for Moji; ''Shin'yō'' was joined by a pair of

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

s and several smaller craft. The convoy arrived on 15 August, while ''Shin'yō'' put in at Kure the following day. On 8 September, ''Shin'yō'' escorted the convoy Hi-75, consisting of nine transports and several

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

s and smaller craft, bound for Singapore. On 13 September, the convoy stopped briefly in Takao, Formosa, before departing later that day. The convoy arrived on 22 September. Another convoy, Hi-76, left Singapore for Moji on 3 October, with ''Shin'yō'' and several destroyers escorting it. The convoy temporarily stopped in Mihara on 19–20 October; on 22 October, ''Shin'yō'' departed from the convoy and proceeded to the Saiki airbase, arriving on 24 October. The following day, she left for Kure. While there, she replenished fuel and supplies. On 7 November, she was ordered to cover the return of the carrier . On 9 November, she was assigned to

convoy Hi-81 was the designation for a Hi convoys, formation of Empire of Japan, Japanese transports that carried soldiers bound for Singapore and the Philippines during World War II. The transports were escorted by a large force of surface combatants includ ...

, carrying aircraft for the Philippines. Fourteen B5N "Kate"

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the World War I, First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carryin ...

s were assigned to the ship for the operation. The convoy left Japan on 14 November. The escort consisted of six destroyers, protecting seven troopships carrying an army division and a tanker. On 15 November, while in the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

, a US

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

sank one of the transports; two days later, another transport was sunk and the tanker was damaged. Later that night, ''Shin'yō'' was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine . The submarine hit her with as many as four torpedoes in quick succession. The carrier's unarmored fuel tanks exploded and started a massive fire that destroyed the ship and killed most of her crew. Only 70 men from her crew of 1,200 officers and men survived. ''Shin'yō'' quickly sank stern first. ''Spadefish'' attempted to attack the convoy again, but was driven off by the escorts. ''Shin'yō'' was formally stricken from the

naval register A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...

on 10 January 1945.

Footnotes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shinyo Ships built in Bremen (state) 1934 ships Turbo-electric steamships Aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy Escort carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy World War II escort carriers of Japan Ships sunk by American submarines World War II shipwrecks in the Yellow Sea World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Maritime incidents in November 1944