Taiyo (Japanese Great Eagle) was a Japanese light aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1940, launched in September 1940, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1941. The length of the ship was 180.2 m, width 23 m, and a full displacement - 18,100 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Taiyo was only around 21 knots, and its main armament was 27 airplanes.
In 1940, with the planned war in the Pacific, the command of the Japanese Navy decided to expand its air force by rebuilding ocean passenger ships under construction or already launched. One of the aircraft carriers created in this way was Taiyo. Due to its low maximum speed and a small air group, it can be classified as an escort aircraft carrier. Taiyo during World War II took a very limited part in combat operations. It was used primarily for training pilots and as an aircraft carrier. Sometimes it provided air cover to selected important convoys. In 1944, it was sunk near the Philippines by the American submarine USS Rasher.
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