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Not much informations in TROMs, but...
All were converted from civilian transports, Chuyo even began conversion AFTER the war start (20 August 1942), so obviously it should not be in construction queue at the game beginning (same as Kaiyo, which was converted from Argentina Maru, in December 1942, the same conversion was planned for Brazil Maru, and same as Shinyo, which began conversion at September 1942

Anyway, they are listed as having:

Armor: 2.5 cm (0.98 in) side belt over machinery spaces and magazines

8 × Type 95 depth charges in 1945 coversion,

and their cruise speed is 18.


The most interesting part are flight decks:
Wikipedia says, that neither have catapults, or arresting gears, and their strips were 150 meters long, however Hosho, at 168.25 meters:

A later investigation determined on 23 December 1940 that she could not operate the latest aircraft types like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the Aichi D3A "Val", or the Nakajima B5N "Kate" in combat

at longer deck could not operate aircrafts which are listed as standard for TAIYOs. I can understand, that they could lift-off with rockets assistance (according to TMJ AT A-II AERONAUTICS TARGETS, Aircraft arrangements and handling facilities in Japanese naval vessels), but how could they land? Being caught in nets?

It seems additional landing equipment was not needed for pre-war planes:

Fifteen different types of landing equipment were evaluated before the British longitudinal wire system was adopted. Low landing speeds of the time meant that aircraft had little difficulty in stopping, but their light weight made them vulnerable to wind gusts that could blow them over the side of the carrier, and the longitudinal wires helped to prevent that.

The most interesting informations are on this page:
First, it claims, that Depth Charges were installed from the beginning, it also shows, that not only flight decks were longer, but Chuyo had actually full 172 meters deck, and the rest get it upgraded in 1944 (no word about additional flying equipment). All carriers have D3A as standard equipment, and Chuyo have even D4Y (only TAIYO lists CLAUDEs, and SUSIEs).
And, with situation similar to YAMATOs, RADAR is listed, as being installed during first upgrades in mid-1943 (plus they got some 13.2 mm AAMGs).

I believe the CVEs in the IJN were primarily used for aircraft ferries.  I don't think they had air groups.

Bill

They had no organic air groups, and certainly didn't commission with any, but the 931st Air Group deployed small detachments aboard the Unyo, Kaiyo and Shinyo between August and October 1944, for convoy escort. This is nothing new, and certainly doesn't warrant changing anything.

Source is Monograph no 116.

ORIGINAL: wdolson

I believe the CVEs in the IJN were primarily used for aircraft ferries.  I don't think they had air groups.

Actually, it seems they were used mainly as ASW convoy escorts, with additional airplanes transport duties. For example take a look at first Hosho assigment:

Hosho sortied from the Inland Sea on 7 December 1941 to provide distant cover for the carrier forces under Chuichi Nagumo which were attacking Pearl Harbor. The battleship force turned back 300 nautical miles (556 km) east of Japan, but Hosho became separated on 10 December due to radio silence restrictions while conducting anti-submarine air operations.

I have document, about Japanese WWII ASW warfare, but it is late-war US manual, assembled mainly from interrogations, so not very useful for early/mid-war. It clearly states, that the only planes used for ASW duty were KATEs, and some types of Float-Planes. But if those CVEs had too short decks for KATEs, how could they operate them?

The Hosho was a class of it's own and is known to have carried TBs, Jeans at the outbreak of the war and Kates during the Midway operation.

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

The Hosho was a class of it's own and is known to have carried TBs, Jeans at the outbreak of the war and Kates during the Midway operation.

Yet, it does not mean, that it have some exclusively different duty, than other CVEs, because it was hardly any different, than later models.

I am not sure, what exactly those 4 CVEs used were, but surely Hosho was used only for airplanes training then.

Hosho was an operational carrier at the start of the war through the Midway operation. At some point after Midway (soon after I think, but I'm not sure), she was relegated to training duties and did that for the remainder of the war.

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

Hosho was an operational carrier at the start of the war through the Midway operation. At some point after Midway (soon after I think, but I'm not sure), she was relegated to training duties and did that for the remainder of the war.

And this bring two possible explanations:

1) Its ASW duty was either a failure, or no longer needed

2) There was some other vessel, to take over ASW duty

IIRC in-game TAIYOs get KATE in late 1943, so either there was a gap in Japanese ASW warfare, or they should get their planes earlier (or something else fullfilled this duty)

They may not have been flying ASW armed.  They may have been working as spotting aircraft directing escorts to depth charge any subs spotted.

Though I'm not sure about the claim that only Kates were used for ASW.  It doesn't take much lift ability to mount a depth bomb.  On the other side, Kingfishers were used for ASW.

Bill

ORIGINAL: wdolson

They may not have been flying ASW armed.  They may have been working as spotting aircraft directing escorts to depth charge any subs spotted.

Though I'm not sure about the claim that only Kates were used for ASW.  It doesn't take much lift ability to mount a depth bomb.  On the other side, Kingfishers were used for ASW.

Bill

Seems I recall a passage in Hara's book about Kate's spotting subs for him ...

ORIGINAL: wdolson

They may not have been flying ASW armed.  They may have been working as spotting aircraft directing escorts to depth charge any subs spotted.

Though I'm not sure about the claim that only Kates were used for ASW.  It doesn't take much lift ability to mount a depth bomb.  On the other side, Kingfishers were used for ASW.

According to document TMJ SRT S-24 "SHIP AND RELATED TARGETS, JAPANESE ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE"
dated February 1946

only those types of planes were used in ASW duty:
JAKE
PETE
KATE
Patrol Planes (MAVIS is named)
LILY
and there is mention, that ZEROs were making short patrol duty at Coral Sea.

250 kg bomb do not weight that much, in comparison with whole plane, so I doubt getting rid of it would help with lift-off. They would probably need to pump out half of AVGAS to operate from short deck, but I do not see reason, to send unarmed KATE, with half fuel, if you can send wholly armed, and fuelled JEAN.

ORIGINAL: inqistor

250 kg bomb do not weight that much, in comparison with whole plane, so I doubt getting rid of it would help with lift-off. They would probably need to pump out half of AVGAS to operate from short deck, but I do not see reason, to send unarmed KATE, with half fuel ...

If we are still referring to the CVE launching ASW/Seach missions, I can see them launching unarmed ... or relatively so. My understanding is that both launch and recovery of the Kates on those ships was dicey*, jettisoning ordnance would have been best policy on recovery ... but wasting ordnance wasn't well tolerated in the IJN. Hence, launch them with no ordnance would have been the result ...

*Narrow decks, not great seaworthiness (plunging), difficulty attaining speed even in moderate seas, etc.

Hello

I am not sure but wasn`t here posted a photo with a D3a Val taking off from a carrier for ASW patrol (from 1942)? I can`t find it but maybe someone else remembers it.

Omat

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

Hosho was an operational carrier at the start of the war through the Midway operation. At some point after Midway (soon after I think, but I'm not sure), she was relegated to training duties and did that for the remainder of the war.

Hosho spend the majority of the war in the Inland Sea training up new carrier pilots flying Jill and Judy. Her flight deck was extended to allow these aircraft to land and take off, but she was never capable of carrying them inside here own hangars, the elevators and hangars being to small to handle the larger aircraft.

If one wants to use Hosho in game as a carrier with an organic group, they should limit the ship to carrying nothing more than A5Ms or B4Ys (with no upgrades), and no more than 18 total (she historically had only a capacity of 22).

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: inqistor

250 kg bomb do not weight that much, in comparison with whole plane, so I doubt getting rid of it would help with lift-off. They would probably need to pump out half of AVGAS to operate from short deck, but I do not see reason, to send unarmed KATE, with half fuel ...

If we are still referring to the CVE launching ASW/Seach missions, I can see them launching unarmed ... or relatively so. My understanding is that both launch and recovery of the Kates on those ships was dicey*, jettisoning ordnance would have been best policy on recovery ... but wasting ordnance wasn't well tolerated in the IJN. Hence, launch them with no ordnance would have been the result ...

*Narrow decks, not great seaworthiness (plunging), difficulty attaining speed even in moderate seas, etc.

I was thinking the same thing - that they would circle around dropping fuel, until almost empty, and then try to land, and be caught in nets.
Obviously total waste of everything, so either they did NOT operated KATEs, or they get their decks modified.

ORIGINAL: Omat

I am not sure but wasn`t here posted a photo with a D3a Val taking off from a carrier for ASW patrol (from 1942)? I can`t find it but maybe someone else remembers it.

What is interesting in-game terms, there is no reason to use KATEs for ASW (until they get MAD), because pilots need there 2-3 skills (NavT, and bombing), while DBs need only bombing.

Japanese CVEs had arrester gears, all internet sources claiming otherwise are fairy tales. CVEs could and did operate Kates, but what about Vals? Vals didn't have folding wings, so they required much more space in hangar. And could they even fit the elevators?

ORIGINAL: Puhis

Japanese CVEs had arrester gears, all internet sources claiming otherwise are fairy tales.

But were they already build with arrestor gear, or got them after some upgrade? I would say, if they were build as CVEs with decks, it was for purpose of operating aircrafts. If there was no arrestor gear, they were supposed to operate smaller aircrafts.

CVEs could and did operate Kates, but what about Vals? Vals didn't have folding wings, so they required much more space in hangar. And could they even fit the elevators?

You can always keep planes on deck, through whole trip. If they were too large for elevator, SUSIE would probably fit. Question is what exactly they operated, and why.

Whole LSD project assumed, that ship would carry planes, to immediately put them on conquered airfield. So, if CVEs were also operated in that role, does they carried fighters or bombers (maybe even not DB, but some light 1E bombers)?

ORIGINAL: inqistor

ORIGINAL: Puhis

CVEs could and did operate Kates, but what about Vals? Vals didn't have folding wings, so they required much more space in hangar. And could they even fit the elevators?

You can always keep planes on deck, through whole trip. If they were too large for elevator, SUSIE would probably fit. Question is what exactly they operated, and why.

I doubt they kept planes on deck, at least if they wanted to operate them. I think many times transported planes were not totally assembled, so that planes did not take much space in hangar and one ship could carry more planes than just 20-30.

On both sides, carriers used to transport aircraft would do so with assembled planes on deck -
often land planes. This duty was not compatable with operational uses in most instances -
and carriers in the USN and even RN often had no actual air groups at all for that reason.
On the other hand, some carriers operated aircrat that were not from air groups assigned to
them - sometimes quite often. But at such times they were not being used as transports.

The concept of a maintenance carrier is not unique to IJN either. Some were in RN - and the
first of these - Unicorn if memory serves - often played as a real carrier - but she never did have
an actual air group (again if my memory is correct).

It is my impression you can use game carriers as transports - and in that case they do not fly any
missions. They can be 'overloaded' - with "too many planes' - too. Just as IRL. One might
quibble with the numbers - but the basic system is pretty good - better than most games.

Keeping planes on deck is similar to operating from field airfield. Storm can be a problem, but operating CV during storm is impossible anyway, so ships should avoid such weather by definition.

What I find interesting, that last page, not only shows permanent airgroups:

Year fighters torpedo bombers
1942 11 A6M2 16 B5N

But this page, lists both TAIYO, and UNYO, as operating JUDYs, while first link lists only CHUYO:

Taiyo: 6 x 1 - 120/45 10-shiki, 2 x 2 - 25/60 96-shiki, 2 DCR(8), 27 aircraft (A5M, A6M fighters, D1A, D3A diving bombers, B5N torpedo bombers)

Unyo: 4 x 2 - 127/40 89-shiki, 2 x 2 - 25/60 96-shiki, 2 DCR(8), 30 aircraft (A6M fighters, D3A diving bombers, B5N torpedo bombers)

Chuyo: 4 x 2 - 127/40 89-shiki, 2 x 2 - 25/60 96-shiki, 2 DCR(8), 30 aircraft (A6M fighters, D3A, D4Y diving bombers, B5N torpedo bombers)

So, were they operated in sense of "trained", or as permanent CVEs airgroups?