KG-24 JAPANESE NAVY AIRCRAFT CARRIER SORYU FULL HULL

Soryu (Japanese: Blue Dragon) was a Japanese aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1934, launched in December 1935, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1937. The ship was 222 meters long, 21 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 19,500 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Soryu oscillated around 33-34 knots, and its main armament consisted of 73-75 on-board planes. The design solutions used on the Soryu were the result of the experience gained by the Japanese Navy in the course of operating other aircraft carriers - primarily the Hosho. As a result, already in the course of design, a lot of emphasis was placed on the maximum speed of the new aircraft carrier and its greatest possible impact force, expressed in a large number of on-board aircraft. On the other hand, the ship's armor was treated as secondary, as it was completely inadequate to protect the ship from an air attack. In parallel with Soryu, its sister unit, Hiryu, was being built, but the two ships differed quite significantly, e.g. in the location of the superstructure. During World War II, Soryu took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. In April 1942, Soryu also took part in the famous raid of the Japanese fleet to the Indian Ocean. He also took part in the Battle of Midway (June 1942) where he was sunk by American on-board planes.