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Shinano was to be the third Yamato-class battleship, but was converted mid-way through her construction when it became obvious in 1942 that Japan needed aircraft carriers. Because of her initial design as a battleship, she was envisioned as more of an "aircraft tender" - able to ferry large numbers of planes and pilots out to the smaller, faster carriers of the fleet. She was torpedoed by the USS Archerfish while on her way to her final outfitting in the port of Kure late in 1944, and sank after about 18 hours. Her Captain mistakenly thought that the damage was manageable, so instead of turning back to nearby Tokyo Harbor, he tried to make the voyage. But her damage control crews were too inexperienced and her flood control compartments unfinished. The infiltration of water could not be stemmed.