A decade before the outbreak of World War 2, the Japanese Imperial Navy was already building
its strength. But limited by strict international treaties that aimed to prevent another naval arms
race after World War 1, the Japanese Empire's expansionist dream was about to be smothered.
Still, the Japanese were determined to bulk up their fleet.
Taking advantage of a loophole, they cleverly outsmarted the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922,
which restricted the amount and size of ships that the signatories could build.
They then built a secret aircraft carrier that was too small to be considered a proper one,
yet robust enough to take several torpedo bombers, dive bombers, and fighters to the seas.
By the time the international authorities realized the technicality,
IJN Ryūjō, or the Prancing Dragon, was already under construction,
and became the only light aircraft carrier of its kind - and in fact, an outlaw…
An Outlaw Vessel
When the Japanese found a way to outsmart the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922,
they immediately took advantage of said opportunity. Realizing that a vessel under
10,000 long tons standard displacement did not qualify as a proper aircraft carrier, the Imperial
Japanese Navy then ordered the construction of a light carrier of 8,000 metric tons.
Though the ship’s planning began as early as 1926, Ryūjō, or the Prancing Dragon,
was not laid down until late 1929 at Mitsubishi Yard in Yokohama. While under construction,
the London Naval Treaty of 1930 added Article Three,
which effectively closed the previous loophole and cornered the Japanese.
Consequently, the Ryūjō light carrier became the only of her kind. But unlike later light carriers,
she would suffer from several design issues during her full operational service at sea.
Prancing Dragon measured 590 feet 3 inches in length, with a beam of 66 feet 8 inches.
And her complement amounted to 600 officers and enlisted men.
To keep the carrier as light as possible, her hull had no armor,
and only a protective plating abreast shielded her machinery and magazines.
In addition, Ryūjō housed a single hangar, rendering her freeboard amidships extremely low.
Remarkably, the one-of-a-kind carrier had no island superstructure to facilitate deck
operations and avoid interference. Instead, her navigation and control bridge was placed
under her flight deck forward “lip,” inside a long glassed-in “greenhouse.”
Initially, her air group comprised nine Mitsubishi B1M2 torpedo bombers
and three A1N1 fighters, with three and two spares, respectively.
Ryūjō was launched in April of 1931, but before her commission,
the Navy increased her aircraft stowage to 48, which demanded a second hangar atop the original.
In addition to her narrow beam,
the resulting top-heaviness made her an unacceptably unstable vessel,
especially in rough seas, something that even the fitting of Sperry gyro-stabilizers could not fix.
Regardless, the light carrier was commissioned on May 9, 1933,
with Captain Toshio Matsunaga in command, but the following year Ryūjō became the flagship
of Rear Admiral Hideho Wada’s First Carrier Division and Captain Ichiro Ono assumed command.
Surprisingly, unstable designs were not uncommon in Ryūjō’s generation,
but after the incident of the Tomozuru torpedo boat in 1934
-which saw the vessel capsizing in a storm- the Navy revised the stability of all its ships.
Ryūjō was known to be only marginally stable, but still, she was docked
and had her keel strengthened while also adding ballast and shallow torpedo bulges.
Although the light aircraft carrier was refitted several times, her fate would
prove that her underwhelming design was never truly fixed.
Early Years
After a series of disappointing defeats, Ryūjō was caught in a typhoon alongside
other Japanese warships in the infamous Fourth Fleet Incident of 1935, severely damaging her.
The light carrier then reentered Kure Naval Yard for further improvements to her seaworthiness.
Her distinctive low forecastle was raised one deck higher, or 10 feet,
a flare was added to prevent shipping waters in rough seas, and her arresting gear was enhanced.
But more importantly, her bridge and front flight deck were rounded, effectively shortening it by
6.5 feet. By May 31, 1936, the refit was done, and the remodeled vessel undocked.
Later that year, Ryūjō resumed her role as the flagship and rejoined the First
Carrier Division. This time, her air strength included a mixture of B3Y1 torpedo bombers,
D1A1 dive bombers, and A2N fighters. However, the carrier soon showed
impressive dive-bombing tactics- and thus her torpedo bombers were removed.
In mid-November, Captain Katsuo Abe assumed command, but it would be until the following
summer that Prancing Dragon would truly start her career during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
On August 13, 1937, the First Carrier Division arrived off Shanghai
and met the Second Carrier Division in the East China Sea.
Vice Admiral Hasegawa Kiyoshi oversaw the operation that provided air support for
ground operations in central China and along the coast around Shanghai. In total, 80 carrier-based
aircraft participated in the engagement, including Ryūjō’s 15 D1A1 bombers and 12 A4N1 fighters.
Three days later, the Japanese launched a major joint strike on the Chinese
airfields around the city. Prancing Dragon destroyed one to the northwest of Shanghai,
Hia-King, but her aircraft were intercepted by several Chinese Curtiss Hawk IIIs.
Still, the Japanese downed two warplanes and endured no losses.
Throughout the month, the Japanese harassed the headquarters in Shanghai,
while many Chinese aircraft were neutralized. Then, on September 1,
Ryūjō sailed to Sasebo to resupply and returned three weeks later, now heading to Canton.
Nine A4N1 fighters escorted 12 D1A1 dive bombers
but were intercepted while on their way to the city. Still, the Japanese defeated
six enemy aircraft and claimed to have shot down at least five later that day.
Ryūjō then departed for Shanghai at the end of the month, and in early October, her aircraft were
briefly relocated to Kunda Airfield for inland aerial protection in the Shanghai-Nanking area.
Ryūjō then served as a training ship
before being assigned to the Second Carrier Division under Rear Admiral Tomoshige Samejima.
In addition, the light carrier had her outdated A4N biplanes replaced
with 9 Mitsubishi 45M “Claude” monoplanes in February of 1938.
Now upgraded, Ryūjō contributed to her division’s support in Southern China later that year. And
from December to November of 1939, she remained in position until she was reserved for maintenance
again, undergoing a third set of modifications that would last until January of 1940.
The Pacific
For the first half of 1940, Ryūjō practiced several takeoff exercises.
Then, in November, she became the flagship of Rear Admiral’s Kakuta Kakuji Third Carrier Division,
but under the direction of Captain Sugimoto Ushie.
During this time, her air group was further enhanced with 18 B5N1 Kates and 16 A5M4 Claudes,
but given her mediocre aft elevator, it did not carry dive bombers anymore.
By April of 1941, the light carrier was the flagship of the Fourth Carrier Division
and would subsequently serve her nation in the early days of the Pacific War.
Ryūjō took part in the invasion of the Philippines on December 8,
attacking the American naval base at Davao, Mindanao.
She then supported Japanese operations in the Malay Peninsula in the following weeks.
Then, on March 1, Ryūjō participated in the Second Battle of the Java Sea,
and six of her B5Ns sank the American destroyer Pope after it was abandoned by her crew.
The light carrier also raided the Indian Ocean in the mid-spring as part of the
recently created First Air Fleet, consisting of Ryūjō, six cruisers, and four destroyers.
The fleet continually harassed merchant shipping, and Ryūjō’s aircraft assaulted the small ports of
Cocanada and Vizagapatam in India - then claimed to have sunk two ships and damaged another six.
In addition, the carrier and her two escorts, Yura and Yugiri,
also claimed to have sunk three more vessels by gunfire.
After a last refit, which gave her six triple Type 96 25-millimeter guns,
Prancing Dragon was tasked with attacking the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific.
Battle of the Eastern Solomons
In May of 1942, an American attack was foretold. While the bulk of the American
fleet was entertained defending Midway, Ryūjō, now carrying A6M2 Zeros, executed
a cautionary attack on the American territories, anticipating an advance down the Kuril Islands.
However, the Americans landed on Guadalcanal in early August,
and Ryūjō joined Shokaku and Zuikaku in combat as part of the First Carrier Division.
A week later, an American carrier was sighted near the Solomons, and Ryūjō and heavy cruiser
Tone detached from the main advance with two destroyers, heading to Henderson Field.
On August 24, Ryūjō launched two airstrikes, but her 6 B5Ns and 15 Zeros were spotted by
four Wildcats on patrol near the airfield, alerting the Americans. Ten more Wildcats
and two Airacobras would soon arrive as reinforcements, but by then, at least 9
Zeros were already strafing the airfield, and the B5Ns were dropping 130-pound bombs.
The Americans claimed to have downed 19 aircraft, but in reality, the Japanese only lost six,
and another was forced to crash land. On the other hand, only three Wildcats were shot down.
Within 20 minutes, search aircraft from the USS Enterprise carrier located the detached force,
and at 2:55pm, Ryūjō launched another three Zeros. A counterattack by two Grumman Avengers followed,
but they missed by barely 490 feet. Then, at 3:00pm sharp, two more Avengers arrived
at the battlefield, but one was shot down on the spot, and the second went missing.
Meanwhile, USS Saratoga launched an airstrike with 31 Douglas Dauntlesses
and 8 Avengers, unescorted because of the range.
With Ryūjō on sight, the fleet dropped 1,000-pound bombs and scored three hits plus one torpedo.
Despite the masterful maneuvers by the captain and crew aboard the Japanese vessel, the torpedo
strike caused extreme flooding of the poorly protected starboard engine and boiler rooms.
The carrier then decelerated; ablaze and listing, Ryūjō was still struggling to survive.
However, the listing worsened every second that went by, as the unstoppable flooding
disabled her machinery, and the ship irremediably stopped. At 3:15pm,
the order was finally given to abandon the ship.
Amatsukaze, a friendly destroyer, then approached the wreck to rescue the crew
while another flock of American B-17s harassed the party with little effect.
Still, it wouldn’t take long for Ryūjō to go down.
The ship finally capsized at 5:55pm while carrying 7 officers and 113 crew members,
and not before condemning 14 of her returning aircraft to ditch.
It was the end of an aircraft carrier built against all odds
that strived to make the most of its underwhelming design to earn its rightful place in history.
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