Completed on August 8, 1941 Shokaku displaced 32,105 tons fully loaded and had a maximum speed of 34.2 knots. Her normal complement of aircraft during operations was 72 while her crew totaled 1,660 officers and enlisted men. Her operational career began when she launched two air strikes on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Battle of the Coral Sea
On May 8, 1942 Shokaku experienced her first close shave when she was severely damaged by three bomb hits from planes of the carrier USS Yorktown during the Battle of the Coral Sea. Though burning, she conducted evasive maneuvers and all enemy torpedo attacks missed. Casualties were 108 officers and men killed by the fires and explosions, with 40 wounded.
During her subsequent race for home she avoided eight submarines. However, she nearly capsized due to flooding via bomb damage in her bow.
Following repairs, Shokaku returned to service during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons where she suffered light damage from bomb fragments.
Battle of Santa Cruz
On October 26, 1942 Shokaku was again heavily damaged by bombs during the Battle of Santa Cruz. As many as six struck her, and started large fires leaving the flight deck buckled amidships. Fortunately, none of her aircraft were aboard. Because aircraft fuel and munitions were secured, damage control efforts were able to save the ship. She retired to Truk for emergency repairs and then continued on to Yokosuka for refit.
As one of two remaining carriers from the Pearl Harbor strike, Shokaku returned to operations in the summer of 1943 and served repeatedly through the ensuing year.
USS Cavalla (SS-244)
In June 1944 Shokaku embarked with Operation A-Go to counter-attack allied operations in the Marianas. On the 15th she was spotted by the U.S. submarine Cavalla steaming towards the Philippine Sea. Rather than attack, Cavalla got off a detailed contact report regarding the Japanese forces. As Shokaku steamed away, Cavalla’s skipper, Herman Kossler, assumed he had lost his chance at the carrier. This would prove not to be the case.
Over the next four days Cavalla was redeployed to a new patrol area as a result of the contact report she had submitted. On the 19th, Cavalla picked up another large enemy contact. Periscope observation confirmed a large carrier with several escorts. Kossler had found Shokaku a second time. Shortly after 1100 Cavalla fired a spread of six torpedoes. At least three, possibly four, struck Shokaku and ignited large fuel fires.
Shokaku’s initial list was corrected through counterflooding. However, fires soon detonated an aerial bomb causing further damage. Her boilers shut down shortly thereafter. At 1350 the order was passed to abandon ship. Ten minutes later Shokaku sank bow first. Four violent explosions shook the vessel immediately thereafter claiming many of her crew. A total of 1,272 were lost.
By the end of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Japanese carrier air had been destroyed along with Shokaku. And Cavalla had earned a new nickname: “The Pearl Harbor Avenger.”
References:
Beach, Edward L. Submarine, New York: Henry Holt & Co. 1946.
Morison, Samuel Eliot. The Two Ocean War, Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1963.
Tully, Anthony P. IJN Shokaku: Tabular Record of Movement, Combined Fleet.com, 1998.
Paul Crozier - Paul Crozier is a lifelong student of history. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in English and minor in History. ...
