Ah, If Only Yamamoto Had Lived to See It

Notice the radar set up and stacks? Looks similar to one of their destroyers........

I read somewhere that this was what the Sea Control ship would have looked like........

TORA! TORA! TORA!

It looks long enough for a Zero to do a straight take-off from.

The Japanese have to walk a fine line with their "helicopter destroyers" as their constitution says they can't have things like offensive aircraft carriers. Well that and the neighbors start to get nervous when they hear the words Japan and carrier in the same sentence without the phrases "U.S. Navy" and "based out of."

Hopefully, the powers that be who are running Pearl Harbor will conduct adequate aerial patrols this time.

This thing looks stealthy. Could pop up anywhere in the Pacific.

John's comment is hilarious!!!

What was it the Soviets called the Kiev so the Turks would let it past the Bosphorus? An "aircraft carrying cruiser" or somesuch?

The Japanese are just carrying on the tradition...

Sweet!! I thought this was what you get when you let the air boss come up with the flight III design for the Arleigh Burke (excuse me, Kongo) class destroyer. At least they didn't name it Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, or Soryu. Technically, I guess if you could come up with remote piloted planes, then you could officially call them "command guided drones/missiles" and end up with a full air wing of killer UAV's on this thing without it being considered a carrier. Either that our just use giant flying/walking robots.

Uh oh, looks like the Japanese need another full on recruiting campaign to make sure they have enough seamen!!!!!

Yamamoto -- that's the guy the Air Force ambushed, shot down, and killed.

No, I don't think it was the Air Force.

It was the ARMY Air Corps!!!!

On a serious note, as much of a coup as it was, in a sense it's a shame he (and other leaders of the Japan and Germany) did not survive the war to tell their stories.

It would have made for some fascinating history.

Don't forget it was NAVY Secretary Frank Knox that ordered the ambush citing the fact that Yamamoto was worth more than any number of ships to the Japanese.

Yamamoto's story is interesting because he knew full well that Japan was sticking its head into a hornets nest by attacking the US and still went ahead with the plan any way.

Of course he was not counting on Nagumo dithering for those crucial 10 minutes at Midway.....................

SGT Jeff (USAR):

"Heavy Aircraft Carrying Anti-Submarine Rocket Cruiser" was what the Kievs were called...

"It was the ARMY Air Corps!"

Nope, sorry, your history-fu is weak.

It was the US Army Air Forces, as of 20 June 1941. :)

So, yes, it _was_ the Air Force.

I remember the pocket cruisers the Germans used to build...

Well, Japan has bigger problems now, don´t think they´ll try Pearl Harbour again, and she´s a fine looking ship.

How many pocket carriers can one run with the operational costs of a single Nimitz-class carrier?

joel -

It was the Army Air Force that got Yamamoto.

The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) from 1926 to 1941, which in turn was the forerunner of today's United States Air Force (USAF). Although abolished as an organization in 1941, it existed as a branch subordinate to the USAAF from 1941 to 1947.

The superstructure is practically identical to their CONGOU class destroyers. And it is also interesting to note that their CONGOU class destroyers are based on the US Arleigh Burke class detroyers (such as the USS Cole) - the CONGOU class has an extra deck within the superstructure. If you squint, you can see the same superrstructure design in this helo carrying "destroyer"... FWIW :)

"Uh oh, looks like the Japanese need another full on recruiting campaign to make sure they have enough seamen!!!!! "

That loud humming sound is from Yamamoto spinning in his grave!