The IJN Taiho was the first Japanese aircraft carrier built with an armored deck and was based off the designs of the Shokaku class carriers. She was ordered in 1939 and laid down by Kawasaki on July 10th 1941 at the shipyards at Kobe; Launched almost two years later, on 7 April 1943, and was commissioned on 7 March 1944.
IJN Taiho in Days of Infamy[]
During a telephone conversation with Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, Lt. Saburo Shindo learned of the launching of the IJN Taiho, and was impressed by the news that it would be superior to the Shokaku and the Zuikaku, because it was the first Japanese aircraft carrier to be built with an armored flight deck. His joy was short lived, as he was promptly informed that the Taiho wouldn’t be ready for active combat until sometime the following year.
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