Shinano, originally the 3rd Yamato class battleship, was, after the debacle at Midway, converted into a massive aircraft carrier. I mean we're talking huge, damn near the size of a Nimitz class supercarrier!! Anyway, the ship would have carried few aircraft for her size, but with the huge stores below deck, she was intended to be a resupply ship, the core of battle groups. Soon after she was launched, she was sunk while on her way to be fitted out. One torpedo did her in due to the incomplete watertight compartments, and inexperinced crew, who panicked and of which, 2000 died. My big question is, why was this thing built in the first place, I mean by 1944, B-29's were wrecking havoc on the Japanese aircraft industry, and Shinano, was, by this time, useless. Also, whose great idea was it to send her to another port with incomplete watertight doors and a consturction crew, when they knew that the Inland Sea was brewing with our subs. Not a real swift move Toyoda!
Dimensions: 840 x 119 x 34 feet/256 x 36.3 x 10.3 meters
Extreme Dimensions: 872.5 x 131 x 34 feet/266 x 40 x 10.3 meters
Propulsion: Steam turbines, 12 boilers, 4 shafts, 150,000 shp, 27 knots
Crew: 2400
Armor: 8.1-15.7 inch belt, 7.5 inch armored deck
Armament: 8 dual 5/40 DP, 145 25 mm AA, 12 28-barrel AA rocket launchers
Aircraft: 47 (120 maximum)
Concept/Program: A large battleship hull of the Yamato class taken over for conversion to a carrier. The ship was intended to operate as a support, supply and repair base for the fast fleet carriers. She would have carried a mid-size air group of her own, plus spare aircraft, parts and supplies for the fleet carriers, enabling those ships to resupply without returning to Japan. She was the largest carrier prior to 1960.
Design/Conversion: Single-level hangar built above the main deck, armored flight deck, large island. The battleship hull was unchanged. Departure from Service/Disposal: Never became operational; sunk prior to fitting out. When lost she had no functional damage control facilities.
Below: Models of Shinano, top, scanned from Tamiya Catalog, bottom, as built by yours truly
