Shinano

[Monter_Trismegistos]

What was proposed role of Shinano? She had to cooperate with 4 Unryu fleet carriers, and after launching air strike those 4 carriers would retreat. As much more protected, Shinano would stay and recover planes from that air strike.

So I am assuming she should have place to accomodate 4 carriers attack echelons.

[DuckofTindalos]

I thought she was supposed to be an aviation transport, carrying replacement aircraft for fleet carriers?[&:]

[el cid again]

What was proposed role of Shinano? She had to cooperate with 4 Unryu fleet carriers, and after launching air strike those 4 carriers would retreat. As much more protected, Shinano would stay and recover planes from that air strike.

So I am assuming she should have place to accomodate 4 carriers attack echelons.

That must be an assumption by someone. It was not her role. She was assigned to a carrier division (Japanese late war carriers formed up in divisions of three, and all three shared the same, land based, air wing).
The design concept was made post-Midway, at a time it appeared there would be many carriers (they managed nine at the Mariana's without Shinano). While she was intended to support a similar mixed group (carriers of several classes, possibly including an Unryu or two one day),
the idea was that she could recover only DAMAGED planes, in some cases flying off replacements even before they were repaired. [It is not usually said, but she had a number of disassembled aircraft equivelants in parts - which while normal for Japanese carriers - she did in a greater proportion]. This plan was, in the event, not accepted as such, and a compromise design adopted, one giving her an air group in her own right, not just for self defense, but to participate in the offense. This you can see in the organization: 16 fighters (ALL carrier fighter squadrons late war had 4 flights of 4 planes) and 24 bombers (which somehow often gets modified to other numbers in English sources - but bombers continue to have flights of 3 - and so a number like 26 cannot be correct - 16 fighters plus 26 bombers does = 42, the value usually given; 27 would work, but 16 fighters plus 27 bombers = 43, a number never given!). Anyway, the original ship didn't contemplate a real bomber squadron, but the as built ship did, and for that reason, she had to be at the launch point when the force was, in the as built operational concept.

Most of what we know is in Shinano - by the senior surviviing officer - who unfortunately was a doctor! There are only two photographs of her extant - both in the book - and some information is available from the assigned air unit (which didn't get to operate from her, of course). For that, see Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units of World War II.

[Adnan Meshuggi]

thanks !!! i forgot it is 115 not 110% !!!

Thank you