Taihō (大鳳) was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, representing a major advancement in carrier design with its armored flight deck—the first of its kind in the Japanese fleet. Commissioned on 7 March 1944, she was built by Kawasaki at Kobe and intended to be a highly survivable, long-endurance carrier capable of sustaining damage and continuing operations.

Despite her advanced armor and defensive features, Taihō was sunk on 19 June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, just 10 weeks after commissioning. The loss was caused by a single torpedo hit from the U.S. submarine USS Albacore (SS-218), which damaged her forward aviation fuel tanks. The resulting volatile fuel vapor leak, combined with poor damage control and blocked ventilation due to a jammed forward elevator, led to a catastrophic explosion and fire. The ship sank within hours, marking one of the most dramatic naval disasters of the Pacific War.

Her design included:

260.6 m (855 ft) length, 29,770 tons standard displacement
33.3 knots (61.7 km/h) top speed
65 aircraft capacity (up to 82 planned)
75–80 mm armored flight deck, 40–152 mm belt armor
Two large armored elevators, no catapults (relied on RATOG for takeoffs)