World War II Database

Editor's Note: The following content is a transcription of a period document or a collection of period statistics. It may be incomplete, inaccurate, or biased. The reader may not wish to take the content as factual.

ww2dbaseLocation, activity, and operational status of Japanese aircraft carriers at the end of each month

	1922-12	1923-12	1924-12	1925-12	1926-12	1927-12	1928-12	1929-12	1930-12	1931-12	1932-12	1933-12	1934-12	1935-12	1936-12	1937-12	1938-12	1939-08	1939-09	1939-10	1939-11	1939-12	1940-01	1940-02	1940-03	1940-04	1940-05	1940-06	1940-07	1940-08	1940-09	1940-10	1940-11	1940-12	1941-01	1941-02	1941-03	1941-04	1941-05	1941-06	1941-07	1941-08	1941-09	1941-10	1941-11	1941-12	1942-01	1942-02	1942-03	1942-04	1942-05	1942-06	1942-07	1942-08	1942-09	1942-10	1942-11	1942-12	1943-01	1943-02	1943-03	1943-04	1943-05	1943-06	1943-07	1943-08	1943-09	1943-10	1943-11	1943-12	1944-01	1944-02	1944-03	1944-04	1944-05	1944-06	1944-07	1944-08	1944-09	1944-10	1944-11	1944-12	1945-01	1945-02	1945-03	1945-04	1945-05	1945-06	1945-07	1945-08
Fleet (CV) and Light (CVL) Carriers
Hosho (CVL)	Cp	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Bp	pt	p	p	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	pt	ptd	pv	pv	pv	pvd	pvd
Akagi (CV)						p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Rp	Qp	p	p	p	p	BLp
Kaga (CV								p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Rp	Qp	p	pd	pd	p	BLp
Ryujo (CVL)												p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Rp	Qp	Qp	Q	Rpo	p	Bp	p	Lp
Soryu (CV)																p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Rp	p	p	p	p	p	BLp
Hiryu (CV)																		p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Rp	p	p	p	p	p	BLp
Zuiho (CVL)																																		Cp	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Bp	po	p	p	Bpd	pd	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	po	p	p	p	Bp	p	p	p	BLp
Shokaku (CV)																																										Cp	p	p	p	Rp	Qp	po	p	Rp	Bpd	p	p	Bp	p	Bpd	pd	pd	pd	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	po	p	p	p	p	p	BLp
Zuikaku (CV)																																											Cp	p	p	Rp	Qp	p	p	p	Bp	p	po	Bp	p	Bp	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	po	p	p	Bpd	pd	p	p	BLp
Shoho (CVL)																																															Cp	p	p	p	BLp
Junyo (CV)																																																			Cp	Bp	p	p	p	Bp	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	pd	po	po	po	p	p	p	Bpd	p	p	p	p	p	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd
Hiyo (CV)																																																					Cps	ps	ps	Bpd	pd	pd	pd	pd	p	p	p	pd	pd	pd	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Lp
Ryuho (CVL)																																																									Cps	pd	pd	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd
Chitose (CVL)																																																																							Cp	p	p	p	p	Bp	p	p	p	BLp
Chiyoda (CVL)																																																																				Cp	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Bpd	p	p	p	BLp
Taiho (CV)																																																																						.			Cp	p	p	Lp
Unryu (CV)																																																																														Cp	p	p	p	Lp
Amagi (CV)																																																																														Cps	ps	ps	ps	ps	p	p	pd	pd	pd	pd	Lp
Katsuragi (CV)																																																																																Cps	ps	ps	ps	ps	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd
Shinano (CV)																																																																																	CLp
Escort Carriers (CVE)
Taiyo (CVE)																																											Cp	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	pd	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	pd	pd	p	po	po	po	po	p	p	p	p	Lp
Unyo (CVE)																																																			Cp	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	po	p	p	p	pd	pd	pd	pd	pd	p	p	p	Lp
Chuyo (CVE)																																																									Cps	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	Lp
Kaiyo (CVE)																																																																					Cps	p	p	po	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	p	pd	pd	pt	pt	ptd	L
Shinyo (CVE)																																																																					Cps	ps	ps	ps	ps	ps	ps	ps	p	p	p	p	Lp
Carriers Afloat in the Pacific Theater
Fleet Carriers (CV's)	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	2	2	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	2
Light carriers (CVL's)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
CV's & CVL's	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	9	9	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	6	7	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	9	9	10	10	10	7	7	9	9	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	4	4
Escort Carriers (CVE's)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0
Total Carriers Afloat	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	12	8	9	8	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	11	13	12	13	13	14	14	14	11	11	12	11	8	7	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	4
Carriers Operational in the Pacific Theater
Fleet Carriers (CV's)	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	6	3	2	3	3	2	2	2	2	3	4	4	4	3	3	3	4	4	3	2	3	3	4	5	5	0	1	3	3	2	2	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Light carriers (CVL's)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	1	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	5	4	5	5	5	4	5	5	5	2	2	2	2	2	0	1	1	1	0	0
CV's & CVL's	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	9	9	9	9	10	9	9	8	9	6	4	5	5	3	3	4	4	6	7	7	7	6	6	6	7	8	7	6	8	7	9	10	10	4	6	8	8	4	4	2	3	3	0	1	1	1	0	0
Escort Carriers (CVE's)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	1	2	3	2	1	0	1	2	2	3	4	3	2	2	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	0
Total Carriers Operational	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	10	10	10	10	11	10	10	9	11	8	6	7	6	5	5	7	7	9	10	10	10	9	9	9	8	10	10	8	9	7	10	12	12	7	10	11	10	6	5	3	4	4	0	1	2	2	0	0

Abbreviations Used In The Table

1. Action During Month

B: Engaged in one of the six carrier battles
C: Commissioned
L: Lossed due to sinking
Q: Provided air cover for amphibious invasion
R: Engaged in carrier raid

2. Ship Location

a: Atlantic Ocean
g: Artic Ocean
i: Indian Ocean
m: Mediterranean Sea
p: Pacific Ocean

3. Operational Status At End Of Month

d: Non-operational due to combat-related damaged
o: Non-operational due to being refitted or overhauled
s: Non-operational due to still in initial shakedown trial period or in transit to place for repair or for initial embarkation of aircraft; not yet ready for operations. May be transporting an load of aircraft from US to UK as part of going to UK to become fully operational.
t: Operational as a training vessel and/or engaged only in trials.
v: Operational but in reserve

Notes

The planning and outcomes of naval initiatives involving carriers were a function of the number that were "operational", ready for combat.

This table indicates the number of carriers that were "operational" as well as afloat.

Carriers kept in port or otherwise not engaged in naval initiatives because of shortages of aircrews or fuel remain classified as "operational" in this table. ww2dbase

Source(s):
Richard Frank (1990). Guadalcanal- The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle.
Jonathan Parshall & Anthony Tully (2005). Shattered Sword- The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway.
Francis Pike (2019). Hirohito's War- The Pacific War 1941-1945.
Mark Stille (2013). The Imperial Japanese Navy.
Craig Symonds (2018). World War II At Sea.
William Y'Blood (1987). The Little Giants- U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan.
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Imperial Japanese Navy Page
Naval War In The Pacific, 1941-1945
Royal and Dominion Navy Warships
Wikipedia

Added By:
Bob Bryant

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