Aoshima 00122 IJN Seaplane Carrier Mizuho

Mizuho was a Japanese seaplane transport ship, the keel of which was laid in 1937, launched in May 1938, and entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in February 1939. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 192.5 m, width 18.8 m, and full displacement - 11,960 tons. Mizuho's top speed was up to 22 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 6 127 mm guns in three twin turrets, and the secondary armament included: 12-18 25 mm guns. The aviation equipment consisted of 24 seaplanes.

Mizuho was the only ship of her type. It was a Chitose upgrade. The changes consisted in changing the drive: from turbine-diesel to diesel only, which allowed to increase the hangar, although at the expense of the maximum speed. The artillery armament was slightly strengthened and the possibility of operating miniature submarines was added at the expense of the number of seaplanes taken. The short combat career of the transport Mizuho began in December 1941 with supporting Japanese landings in the Philippines. From the end of December 1941 to February 1942, he was active in the area of the Dutch East Indies. Mizuho was sunk on May 2, 1942 as a result of a torpedo attack by the American submarine USS Drum.