elevators. She had arresting gear with six cables, but was not fitted with an aircraft catapult. The ship's primary armament consisted of eight Type 89 dual-purpose guns in twin mounts on sponsons along the sides of the hull. Zuihō was also initially equipped with four twin Type 96 light anti-aircraft (AA) guns, also in sponsons along the sides of the hull. In 1943, her light AA armament was increased to forty-eight 25 mm guns. The following year, an additional twenty 25 mm guns were added in addition to six 28-round AA rocket launchers. Service After commissioning, Zuihō remained in Japanese waters until late 1941. Captain Sueo Ōbayashi assumed command on 20 September and Zuihō became flagship of the Third Carrier Division ten days later. She was briefly assigned to the 11th Air Fleet in Formosa on 13 October and arrived in Takao the following day. The ship returned to Japan in early November, rejoining the Third Carrier Division, and was given a brief refit later in the month. Together with the carrier and six battleships, Zuihō covered the return of the ships of the 1st Air Fleet (Kido Butai) as they returned from the attack on Pearl Harbor in mid-December. In February 1942, the ship ferried Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters to Davao City, Philippines for the 11th Air Fleet. Transferred to the First Fleet after the Third Carrier Division was disbanded on 1 April, Zuihō remained in Japanese waters until June when she participated in the Battle of Midway. She was assigned to the Main Body of the invasion force and her aircraft complement consisted of six Mitsubishi A5M "Claude" and six A6M2 "Zero" fighters, and twelve Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bombers. After the initial American airstrikes that sank three Japanese carriers, the Main Body was ordered to rendezvous with the Kido Butai at high speed, but this order was cancelled later that evening. Late on 5 June, the fighters of her combat air patrol drove off an American Consolidated PBY Catalina reconnaissance aircraft of VP-44 that had spotted the Main Body. Zuihō was ordered the following afternoon to prepare to launch an airstrike, together with aircraft from the seaplane tender , on the carriers that the Japanese imagined were pursuing them, but this was cancelled on the morning of 7 June when it became clear that there was no pursuit. After a brief refit in July–August in Sasebo, the