Landing craft carrier

Additional ships were built after combat experience validated the concept, but most were completed after the Japanese invasions of the early war, and used primarily as troopships during later operations.

[1] The others were based on Hitachi Shipbuilding Corporation's standard 8,000-ton, 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) Type-M cargo steam ship modified (Type-MC)[1] to carry twelve Toku Daihatsu-class landing craft launched through stern doors[2] with funnels installed horizontally on the starboard side to accommodate a flight deck.

[1] The larger type were 11,910-ton, 20.8 knots (38.5 km/h; 23.9 mph) diesel-engined ships fitted with stern ramp gates for launching twenty Daihatsu-class landing craft stored in floodable holds.

[2] The landing craft were launched from rails which ran along the main deck (between port and starboard funnels for those carried forward of the superstructure) down to the waterline through large hinged doors at the stern.

[1] Takatsu Maru was a 5,656-ton, 19-knot steam ship[2] completed in January 1944 with icebreaker capability,[3] and used conventional cranes rather than gates for handling nine Toku-Daihatsu-class landing craft.