Katsuragi survived to become a repatriation ship

Katsuragi spent most of her wartime service around the Inland Sea because her intended air group had been committed elsewhere. At Kure, the flight deck was camouflaged with the appearance of roads, houses, and trees while the anti-aircraft batteries remained manned. Task Force 58 aircraft caused light damage in an earlier attack. Task Force 38 attacked on 24 and 28 July 1945, and the second raid hit her with a 2,000-pound bomb between the elevators and caused far heavier damage. She survived, was made watertight, and served as a special transfer ship repatriating Japanese personnel and civilians until late 1946. A closing counterfactual considers how a preserved Katsuragi might have served as a forward aviation-support asset while Japan handled minesweeping and other support work during the Korean War.