Aoshima A004521 1/700 I.J.N. Aircraft Carrier Chuyo

Chuyo (Japanese: Soaring Hawk) was a Japanese light aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1938, launched in May 1939, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in November 1942. The length of the ship was 180.4 m, width 22.5 m, and a full displacement of 19,800 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Chuyo 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 carriers created in this way was Chuyo - originally the Nitta Maru transatlantic liner. At the beginning of the war, Nitta Maru was confiscated by the fleet and served as a transport unit, but after the catastrophic losses suffered at Midway (the loss of as many as 4 aircraft carriers!), It was decided to convert it into an aircraft carrier. The works lasted from August to November 1942. Due to its low maximum speed and a small air group, it can be classified as an escort aircraft carrier. Chuyo during World War II took a very limited part in combat operations. It served primarily as a training unit and often sailed with its sister ships Taiyo and Unyo. In December 1943, she was sunk by the American submarine USS Sailfish.

This is an injection-plastic ship model kit.