The warship's career saw it participate in the "Shanghai Incident" of 1932 against China and, later, in the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) proper. These two campaigns provided a wealth of knowledge and experience to the IJN and aided in its future offensives across the Pacific during World War 2 (1939-1945) though the vessel's fifteen-strong air arm limited its tactical and strategic value for the long term. From 1939, IJN Hosho was placed in reserve and used for additional training initiatives.
All that changed when the United States went to war with Japan. The vessel made up part of the attacking force against Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (December 7th, 1941) and was present during the Battle of Midway (June 4th - 7th, 1942) though not in a direct, frontline role. The assault on the island proved devastating for the IJN as four carriers were lost in the action. Short on carriers, the service commissioned other vessels to help stem the tide but Hosho was sent to reserve role once again to train more airmen and support personnel from 1942 onward.
Amazingly for an IJN wartime vessel, Hosho managed to survive all of the war, suffering damage from running aground in 1944 and from American aerial bombs. She was allowed to be used as a transport for Japanese military personnel in the immediate post-war period. Tens of thousands of men were brought back to the Japanese mainland by Hosho (she was further modified for the role in December 1945). In early 1946 into 1947, she was stripped of her usefulness and her hulk scrapped. Her name was officially struck from the Naval Register on August 31st, 1946.
Hosho was critical to the design of several key Japanese carriers of the wartime period - namely Akagi, Kaga and Ryujo.
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