Sōryū was an aircraft carrier built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the mid-1930s. A sister ship, Hiryū, was intended to follow Sōryū, but Hiryū's design was heavily modified and she is often co
Sōryū on trials, January 1938
Sōryū on her speed trials, 11 November 1937
Sōryū at anchor in the Kurile Islands, shortly before the start of the Pacific War
Sōryū fitting out, early 1937
Ryūjō was a light aircraft carrier built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the early 1930s. Small and lightly built to exploit a loophole in the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, she proved to be t
Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū
…and battleship hulls respectively, Sōryū was designed from the keel up as an aircraft carrier and incorporated lessons learned from the light carrier Ryūjō. The ship had a length of 227.5 meters (746 ft 5 in) overall, a beam of 21.3 meters (69 ft 11 in) and a draught of 7.6 meters (24 ft 11 in). She displaced…
Oblique view of Ryūjō at speed, 6 September 1934
Bow view of Ryūjō, 19 June 1933
Ryūjō at anchor in 1936 after reconstruction
Starboard and overhead diagrams of Ryūjō