Hasegawa 1/350 IJN Junyo Aircraft Carrier # Z030

IJN Jun'yō (meaning "Soaring Falcon") was a Japanese aircraft carrier that served during World War II.

Originally laid down as a luxury passenger liner named Kashiwara Maru for the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) shipping company, she was requisitioned and converted into an aircraft carrier by the Imperial Japanese Navy during construction, reflecting Japan’s urgent need to expand its carrier fleet in the early stages of the Pacific War.

General Characteristics:
Displacement: Approx. 24,150 tons (full load)
Length: 219.3 meters (719 feet)
Speed: 25.5 knots
Aircraft Capacity: Around 48 operational aircraft
Complement: About 1,187 officers and crew

Design and Conversion:
Unlike purpose-built fleet carriers, Jun'yō was one of two Hiyō-class carriers (the other being Hiyō) converted from passenger liners. The conversion included installing a full-length flight deck, hangars, aircraft elevators, and defensive armament. Due to her origins as a civilian liner, she was relatively slower and more lightly armored than fleet carriers like Shōkaku or Akagi.

Service History:
Jun'yō entered service in 1942 and participated in several key operations in the Pacific Theater:

Battle of the Aleutian Islands (1942): Provided air support during the diversionary attack concurrent with the Battle of Midway.
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (1942): Took part in one of the major carrier battles of the Solomon Islands campaign.
Battle of the Philippine Sea (1944): Participated in this decisive air battle, suffering aircraft losses as Japan’s carrier air power was decimated.
Leyte Gulf & Subsequent Operations: Damaged in air attacks and later relegated to transport duties due to declining aircrew and aircraft availability.

Fate:
Jun'yō was heavily damaged by a U.S. submarine torpedo attack in December 1944. She was never fully repaired and spent the rest of the war in Japanese waters, mostly inactive. After Japan’s surrender, she was used for repatriation duties before being scrapped in 1947.