IJN Shinano (空母信濃) was a Yamato-class Battleship that was converted into an Aircraft Carrier during construction. Due to her size, she was the largest aircraft carrier in the world until the USS Forrestal CV-59 was launched in 1954. Due to her secretive status, only two photographs of Shinano are known to exist.
History
Originally a Yamato-class battleship, Shinano was converted into an Aircraft Carrier due to the losses at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. At that time, only 45% of her hull was completed. Shinano was launched on 8 October 1944. The following month, a B-29 of the USAAF photographed her from 32,000ft. Shinano was then quickly commissioned on 19 November 1944 after two weeks of trials.
The vessel was ordered to leave with a cargo of 50 MXY-7 Ohka flying bombs and 50 Shinyo suicide craft on 28 November. At 3:15AM, USS Archerfish SS-311 (a Balao-class submarine of the US Navy) attacked Shinano with six torpedoes. Four of them successfully hit the carrier. Due to design flaws shared with her sister ships Yamato and Musashi in the torpedo belt armor, Shinano capsized and sank at 10:57AM.
