Indian Ocean raid
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The Indian Ocean raid, also known as Operation C or Battle of Ceylon in Japanese, was a naval sortie carried out by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 31 March to 10 April 1942. Japanese aircraft carriers under Admiral Chūichi Nagumo struck Allied shipping and naval bases around British Ceylon, but failed to locate and destroy the bulk of the British Eastern Fleet. The Eastern Fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir James Somerville, was forewarned by intelligence and sailed from its bases prior to the raid; its attempt to attack the Japanese was frustrated by poor tactical intelligence.
British heavy cruisers HMS Dorsetshire and Cornwall under Japanese air attack and heavily damaged on 5 April 1942.
The Japanese strike force advancing to the Indian Ocean, 30 March. Ships shown from left to right are: Akagi, Sōryū, Hiryū, Hiei, Kirishima, Haruna, and Kongō. Taken from Zuikaku.
HMS Cornwall burning and sinking on 5 April 1942
Hermes sinking after Japanese air attack on 9 April 1942.
Shōkaku was the lead ship of her class of two aircraft carriers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) shortly before the Pacific War. Along with her sister ship Zuikaku, she took part in several key naval battles during the war, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea, and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, before being torpedoed and sunk by the U.S. submarine USS Cavalla at the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
Shōkaku upon completion, 23 August 1941
Shōkaku being launched in heavy rain at Yokosuka, 1 June 1939.
The twenty-eight chief shipbuilders of Shōkaku pose at the ship's prow prior to launching (30 May 1939).
Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero" fighters (fighter division commander : Tadashi Kaneko ) from Shōkaku preparing for the attack on Pearl Harbor.