The carrier that struck the first ship-to-ship aviation victory

Entertainment · Published 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1942, the Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku participated in a historic naval first. By coordinating a pincer attack with its sister ship, Shōkaku, it helped sink the HMS Hermes—the first time in history that one aircraft carrier was sunk by another. It was a turning point in naval warfare.

Entering service on 25 September 1941, the Japanese vessel Zuikaku represented a pinnacle of Pacific War aviation technology. As part of the Kidō Butai, she participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, launching waves of Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters, Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers, and Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers. While she suffered no aircraft losses during the initial strike, her role in the subsequent Indian Ocean raids cemented her reputation as a primary strike asset.

Zuikaku's most significant tactical milestone occurred on April 12, 1942, during a raid near Trincomalee. After a floatplane located the British light carrier HMS Hermes, Zuikaku launched 14 "Val" dive bombers. These aircraft, working in tandem with Shōkaku, pulverized the Hermes with a barrage of bombs that punched through the flight deck and ignited the magazines. The resulting massive explosion lifted the ship out of the water before it sank 15 minutes later, claiming 307 lives.

The carrier's career was defined by high-stakes carrier duels. In May 1942, Zuikaku's torpedo bombers, commanded by Shigekazu Shimazaki, executed a pincer attack that crippled the USS Lexington, leading to its scuttling. However, the carrier's luck eventually ran out. Following her involvement in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands—where she aided in the destruction of the USS Hornet—and the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, US dive bombers destroyed Zuikaku on 25 October 1944 at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Zuikaku remains a significant figure in naval history as one of the six carriers to participate in the Pearl Harbor attack, notably being the last of that group to be sunk during the war. Today, a memorial for her fallen personnel stands at the Kashihara Shrine in Nara Prefecture, Japan.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier was a laboratory of trial and error
• The first naval battle where opposing fleets never saw or fired upon each other
• The Axis aircraft that sank more Allied warships than any other
• A battlecruiser reborn as a carrier, then lost in a single morning
• In the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, carrier-based aircraft decided the fate of Guadalcanal.
• Why the 1963 epic Jason and the Argonauts remains a masterclass in practical effects
• Why the 2011 Jane Eyre adaptation chose to embrace the story's inherent gothic horror
• The athlete who became the heart of a team from a chair
• How Franco Zeffirelli transformed a Victorian classic into a two-hour Hollywood romantic drama
• A vigilante blockbuster that turned Indian box office records into a political statement
• Orson Welles acted in the 1943 Jane Eyre to fund his own failed projects.
• Why the production of Jaws 2 was a chaotic, $30 million maritime disaster

More in Films · More in Entertainment · Latest · A–Z · All topics