Ōyodo (大淀) was a light cruiser built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II, and was the only ship of her class completed before the end of the war. Designed to command submarine operations, she was obsolete upon completion in 1943. The ship was used as a transport and to escort the navy's capital ships for the rest of the year. Ōyodo was lightly damaged by American aircraft in early January 1944 during one transport mission and returned home several months later to begin conversion to serve as the flagship of the Combined Fleet.
Ōyodo in 1943 at Kure Naval Arsenal, Hiroshima
Ōyodo maneuvering through Allied gunfire, while Zuihō begins sinking
Ōyodo sunk in shallow waters near Kure in 1945
Chiyoda was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Originally constructed as the second vessel of the Chitose-class seaplane tenders in 1934, she continued to operate in that capacity during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the early stages of the Pacific War until her conversion into a light aircraft carrier after the Battle of Midway. She was sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf by a combination of naval bombers, cruiser shellfire and destroyer-launched torpedoes.
Chiyoda in 1944 after conversion into an aircraft carrier
Japanese seaplane tender Chiyoda in 1938
Chiyoda burning, under fire from U.S. cruisers, 25 October 1944.