During a telephone conversation with Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, Lt. Saburo Shindo learned of the launching of the IJN Taiho, and was impressed by the news that it would be superior to the Shokaku and the Zuikaku, because it was the first Japanese aircraft carrier to be built with an armored flight deck. His joy was short lived, as he was promptly informed that the Taiho wouldn’t be ready for active combat until sometime the following year.