The {{nihongo|Zuihō class|瑞鳳型}}, also known as the {{nihongo|Shōhō class|祥鳳型}}, consisted of two aircraft carriers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) before World War II, the Zuihō and Shōhō. Both ships were originally built as submarine tenders, but were subsequently converted into carriers. Completed in early 1942, Shōhō supported the invasion forces in Operation MO, the invasion of Port Moresby, New Guinea, and was sunk by American carrier aircraft on her first combat operation during the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7 May. Shōhō was the first Japanese aircraft carrier to be sunk during World War II. Zuihō played a secondary role in the Battle of Midway in mid-1942 and did not engage any American aircraft or ships during the battle. The ship participated in the Guadalcanal campaign during the rest of 1942. She was lightly damaged during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during this campaign and covered the evacuation of Japanese forces from the island in early 1943 after repairs. Afterwards, her aircraft were disembarked several times in mid to late 1943 and used from land bases in a number of battles in the South West Pacific. Zuihō participated in the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf in mid-1944. In this last battle, Zuihō mainly served as a decoy for the main striking forces and she was finally sunk by American aircraft fulfilling her task. In between engagements, the ship served as a ferry carrier and a training ship. Design, construction and conversion In the mid-1930s, the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to build a class of two submarine tenders which could be converted into light aircraft carriers or fleet oilers. The first ship, Tsurugizaki, was commissioned into service in 1939. Construction of the second, Takasaki, was stopped soon after launch and she was completed as an aircraft carrier. The ship was commissioned as Zuiho in December 1940. In early 1941, Tsurugizaki was taken out of service, converted to an aircraft carrier, and recommissioned as Shōhō in early 1942. After their conversion, the ships had a length of overall. They had a beam of and a draft of . They displaced at standard load. As part of their conversion, their original diesel engines, which had given them a top speed of , were replaced by a pair of destroyer-type geared steam turbine sets with a total of , each driving one propeller. Steam was provided by four Kampon