Shinano

Namesake: Shinano Province Laid Down: May 4, 1940 Launched: October 5, 1944 Commissioned: November 19, 1944 Fate: Sunk by the submarine USS Archer-Fish, November 29, 1944

Shinano, named after the ancient Shinano province, was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Originally laid down as the third Yamato - class battleship, the partially completed hull of Shinano was converted to an aircraft carrier in 1942 while midway through construction. Shinano was commissioned on November 19, 1944, and soon received orders to transfer from the Yokosuka Naval Shipyard to Kure Naval Base, where her final fitting out would take place, along with transferring a load of 100 Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka rocket-propelled kamikaze aircraft.

Shinano was sunk on November 29, 1944 (10 days after being commissioned) by the submarine USS Archer-Fish after being hit by only 4 torpedoes because no pumps or underwater doors had been installed yet, taking 1,435 officers and men to their deaths, including the commander of Shinano, Captain Toshio Abe, along with both of his navigators. The survivors rescued were 55 officers, 933 petty officers and men, along with 32 civilian employees for a total of 1,080 survivors. Shinano's survivors were quarantined in Japan for several months following the sinking. To this day, Shinano is the largest warship to be sunk by a submarine.

In World Of Warships,the IJN Shinano is tier IX Japanese Aircracft Carrier.