At the Battle of Cape Engano, within the wider Battle of Leyte Gulf, Chitose and Chiyoda were sunk. Ise and Hyuga survived somewhat longer, but severe damage had effectively removed them from useful service by November 1944. All four ships belonged to a sacrificial force meant to convince the Americans that they faced functioning fast battleships and full-sized carriers. The deception relied on the appearance of carrier strength because the Japanese ships lacked full aircraft complements. Their use as decoys shows how far Japanese carrier power had declined and how little operational value the hybrid solution delivered.
Notable Point · 22:25-25:44
Hybrid carriers at Cape Engano as sacrificial decoys
The closing example connects Chitose, Chiyoda, Ise, and Hyuga to Cape Engano and Japan's late-war shortage of working carrier strength.