The Chitose-class ships were built as seaplane tenders, designed to make the conversion to aircraft carriers relatively easy.

Her sister ship Chiyoda (千代田) was completed approximately two months earlier at the Yokosuka Naval Yard.

Ozawa's was a desperate mission—provide an attractive target for U.S. Admiral William F. Halsey's Third Fleet, hopefully pulling the powerful American "fast carriers" north so that Japanese surface ships could slip in and attack U.S. invasion forces off Leyte.

Despite their role as "bait", the Japanese carriers sighted Halsey first and launched a strike in the late morning of 24 October.

She was later sunk by gunfire from four cruisers and nine destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral DuBose that had been detached from Halsey's Third Fleet to sail north and engage the Japanese.