was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served from 1938 to 1944, seeing service as a seaplane carrier and later as a light aircraft carrier during World War II. In her initial guise as a seaplane carrier, she first saw service during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938, and subsequently played a key role in the Imperial Japanese Navy's development of a network of seaplane bases on the islands of the Pacific Ocean. After the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific, she took part in the Philippines campaign, the Dutch East Indies campaign, the Battle of Midway, and the Guadalcanal campaign, during which she was damaged in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and also saw service related to the Battle of Cape Esperance.
Chitose was converted into a light aircraft carrier during 1943, and subsequently took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was sunk in the Battle off Cape Engaño, one of several actions that made up the Battle of Leyte Gulf, on 25 October 1944.
Although it has been speculated that Chitose as a seaplane carrier also carried Type A midget submarines, only her sister ship had that capability.
Construction and commissioning
Chitose was laid down on 26 November 1934 by the Kure Naval Arsenal at Kure, Japan. Launched on 29 November 1936, she was completed as a seaplane carrier and commissioned on 25 July 1938.
Service history Seaplane carrier
Second Sino-Japanese War
When Chitose entered service, the Second Sino-Japanese War had been raging for a year. Operating her original complement of Kawanishi E7K (Allied reporting name "Alf") and Nakajima E8N (Allied reporting name "Dave") floatplanes, she supported Operation Z, the surprise unopposed landing of the Imperial Japanese Army′s 21st Army at Bias Bay on the coast of China northeast of Hong Kong, on 12 October 1938. The 21st Army advanced against little opposition toward its main objective, Canton, which fell to the Japanese on 29 October 1938."The Invasion of Canton," Pacific Eagles Accessed 10 December 2021
1939–1941
On 15 November 1939, the Imperial Japanese Navy established the 4th Fleet at Truk Atoll under the command of Vice Admiral Eikichi Katagiri, with Chitose as Katagiri's flagship. In December 1939, Chitose, the seaplane tender , and 24 Kawanishi H6K (Allied reporting name "Mavis") flying boats were stationed at Truk. From December 1939 into 1940, Chitose and Kinugasa Maru were involved in transporting construction crews and technicians to build seaplane and flying boat ramps at Dublon in Truk Atoll, Malakal Island in the Palau Islands, Ebeye Island and Roi at Kwajalein Atoll, and Saipan in the Mariana Islands, and also made several voyages to and from Japan to transport construction materials to these locations.
On 11 October 1940, Chitose was one of 98 Imperial Japanese Navy ships that gathered along with more than 500 aircraft on the Japanese coast at Yokohama Bay for an Imperial fleet review — the largest fleet review in Japanese history — in honor of the 2,600th anniversary of the enthronement of the Emperor Jimmu, Japan's legendary first emperor. The occasion was the first time that Chitose and many other new Japanese naval vessels — including the seaplane carriers and and the heavy cruisers and , which had extensive floatplane-handling capabilities — were displayed to the public. She arrived at Sasebo, Japan, on 15 October 1940 to undergo repairs and an overhaul.
By November 1941, Chitose and Mizuho made up Seaplane Tender Division 11. On 2 December 1941, Chitose was deployed at Palau as the Japanese armed forces mobilized to enter World War II with an offensive against Allied forces.
World War II Philippines campaign On 8 December 1941 Japan time — 7 December 1941 on the other side of the International Date Line in Hawaii — the Pacific War began when Japan entered World War II with its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On 8 December, Chitose and Mizuho were attached to the 2nd Fleet to operate as part of the Fourth Surprise Attack Force, tasked with providing air cover for amphibious landings at Legaspi in southeastern Luzon in the Philippine Islands. Chitose got underway from Palau on 8 December and supported the landings on 11–12 December.
After the Legaspi landings, Chitose continued to operate in support of Japanese operations in the Philippines campaign. On 14 December 1941, one of her Mitsubishi F1M (Allied reporting name "Pete") floatplanes unsuccessfully attacked a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber of the United States Army Air Forces Far East Air Force as the B-17 flew over Catanduanes Island off Legaspi on an anti-shipping strike. On 19 December, she was east of Davao on Mindanao when she launched seaplanes to reconnoiter Davao. From 20 to 25 December 1941 she was attached to the forces supporting the Japanese landings at Davao and at Jolo on Jolo Island in the Sulu Archipelago.
Dutch East Indies campaign
On 26 December 1941, Chitose was transferred to the 2nd Air Force, a component of the Netherlands Indies Force in the Eastern Occupation Forces, to operate in support of Japanese forces during the Dutch East Indies campaign. She departed Davao on 2 January 1942. Chitose was anchored in Malalag Bay in Davao Gulf on the coast of Mindanao on 4 January 1942 when U.S. Army Air Forces B-17D Flying Fortresses flying from Java attacked the anchorage, and five of her floatplanes suffered damage from splinters from a bomb hit on the nearby heavy cruiser .
As part of the 11th Seaplane Tender Division with Mizuho, Chitose proceeded to the waters of the Netherlands East Indies to support the Japanese invasion of those islands as part of the 2nd Fleet, Southern Force, Netherlands East Indies Force. She rendezvoused with Mizuho and the two vessels anchored west of the Sangihe Islands at 09:00 on 10 January 1942. From their anchorage, the two ships launched floatplanes to escort an invasion convoy heading for Manado in northern Celebes, make reconnaissance flights, and conduct a harassing bombing raid on an Allied radiotelephone station. After sunset on 10 January, the two seaplane carriers got back underway and headed toward Manado.
The Battle of Manado began on 11 January 1942 as Japanese Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) personnel landed at Kema and Manado in northern Celebes, and Chitose and Mizuho arrived at an anchorage at Bangka Island off the northeastern tip of Celebes at 05:40 that day. Sources are unclear on the aircraft the two seaplane carriers operated, one asserting that they carried a combined 49 Aichi E13A (Allied reporting name "Jake") floatplanes and another that Chitose operated Mitsubishi F1Ms (Allied reporting name "Pete"). The two seaplane tenders conducted air operations from 06:30 to 19:00 in support of the landings. During the day, Chitose and Mizuho floatplanes reported engaging nine Allied flying boats and four Allied bombers, claiming two flying boats shot down; in one action, seven Netherlands Naval Aviation Service and United States Asiatic Fleet PBY Catalina flying boats attacked Japanese forces landing at Manado, and a floatplane from Chitose — described by one source as an F1M — shot down one of the Dutch Catalinas. In a friendly fire incident, one E13A from Mizuho shot down an Imperial Japanese Navy Yokosuka L3Y (Allied reporting name "Tina") carrying SNLF paratroopers when it flew low over the anchorage without responding to recognition signals. Between them, the two ships lost three floatplanes — all identified by one source as E13As — during the day, one which crashed and two which were wrecked in emergency landings. The landings concluded on 12 January 1942.
Allied opposition to the advance of Japanese forces at Manado was slight, and although Chitose and Mizuho continued to support Japanese forces ashore there on 12 and 13 January 1942, their aircraft did not need to fly any ground-support missions. From 14 to 19 January, they both searched unsuccessfully for Allied submarines in the Celebes Sea, based on what turned out to be erroneous information. They were released from supporting the Manado landings on 19 January 1942.
Chitose and Mizuho departed Bangka Island on 21 January 1942 and proceeded to the waters off Kendari on the southeastern coast of Celebes, patrolling the waters ahead of an invasion convoy carrying SNLF forces bound for Kendari, their aircraft conducting combat air and antisubmarine patrols over and around the convoy. The Battle of Kendari began with Japanese landings on 23 and 24 January 1942. The two seaplane carriers provided distant support to the Japanese operation, and Chitose and Mizuho arrived at Sarabanka Bay (or Salabangka Bay) on the coast of Celebes on the morning of 24 January, from which they conducted further air operations in support of Japanese forces at Kendari. On 26 January, Chitose separated from Mizuho, departing Sarabangka Bay bound for the Bangka Island anchorage accompanied by destroyers.
Assigned to support the Japanese invasion of Ambon Island in the Molucca Islands, Chitose got back underway on 29 January 1942. She rendezvoused with Mizuho south of Mangole Island at 10:00 on 30 January 1942, and the two seaplane carriers spent the day in the Manipa Strait, providing cover for Japanese invasion forces approaching Ambon and conducting harassing bombing raids against Namlea on Buru that doubled as reconnaissance flights. They departed the strait in the evening and made for an anchorage in Keelang Bay on the southwestern tip of Ceram Island, where they arrived at 05:50 on 31 January 1942 to provide air cover for the invasion of Ambon, although bad weather made flight operations impossible that day. The weather subsequently improved, and on 1 and 2 February 1942 floatplanes from both ships provided air and antisubmarine defense to the Japanese invasion convoy, devoted about 70 sorties each day to heavy attacks against Allied ground forces on Ambon, and patrolled over the Banda Sea.
The two seaplane carriers parted company at 15:00 on 3 February 1942, when Mizuho got underway from the Keelang Bay anchorage for Staring Bay on the southeast coast of Celebes. At 19:00, Chitose also departed Keelang Bay to proceed to Piru Bay on the coast of Ceram, accompanied by a patrol boat.
Chitose rendezvoused with Mizuho in the Flores Sea southwest of Kabaena Island at 07:20 on 8 February 1942, and the two ships headed westward to support Japanese landings at Makassar on the southwest coast of Celebes. The landings began that evening around midnight in bad weather with poor visibility. Chitose and Mizuho were anchored in Makassar Strait southwest of Bulunrue Island south of Celebes at 03:40 on 10 February 1942 when three U.S. Army Air Forces LB-30 Liberator bombers of the Far East Air Force's 19th Bomb Group attacked them, damaging Chitose. At 19:20, Chitose parted company with Mizuho, getting underway along with two patrol boats for Jolo in the Sulu Islands in the Philippines. Chitose supported Japanese operations against Surabaya in eastern Java on 14 February 1942.