大鯨 （"Great Whale"）

Submarine Tender Taigei, later known as Light Aircraft Carrier Ryuuhou, in [[Kantai Collection]].

Character design by [[Kujou Ichiso]], voiced by [[Ogura Yui]].

h4. Appearance
She wears a white and blue [[serafuku]] with a red [[neckerchief]] (identical to [[shigure_kai_ni_(kancolle)|Shigure Kai2]]'s) under an [[apron]] with a picture of a whale on it. A whale-shaped pin is placed on the apron, at the level of her right kidney. On her back is her smokestack and a crane, hanging from her right shoulder is a bag full of torpedoes (presumably to refill her submarines, considering that she cannot use them) and she holds a bucket full of veggies. On her neck is either a tiny whale necklace or a blue [[magatama]]. Additionally, she wears a [[black pantyhose]] and [[sandals]].

Both of her seasonal art are shared with her Ryuuhou form, as a red/magenta version of the normally navy blue costumes below.
Summer 2016 gives her a bikini styled like her serafuku along with a hibiscus-patterned sarong and a sun hat. On her hat is her whale clip (The Ryuuhou form replaces this with a flower).
Saury Event 2016 gives her a kimono (in yagasuri) and hakama attire along with her usual apron, ready to grill sauries (The Ryuuhou version replaces the whale print on the apron with what appears to be a flower print).

She has dark [[purple hair]] with [[low twintails]], feathered [[hair flaps]] and an [[ahoge]] as well as [[red eyes]].

Attempts to obtain her are unsurprisingly called "Whaling". She is also one of four shipgirls who change names after remodelling and one of several shipgirls who functions differently after remodelling. Also noted for her resemblance to [[Shigure (kancolle)|Shigure]] (especially her Kai2).

h4. History
She was originally built as part of a project by the IJN to build auxiliary support ships that can be converted to carriers quickly should the need arise. However, she suffered from faulty hull welding and unreliable diesel engine propulsion that needed to be corrected after her ceremonial launch. Adding to her woes was her very questionable seakeeping (a flaw common to other treaty-skirting warships of her time), graphically demonstrated in a typhoon in 1934 that forced her into another refit.

In late 1941, she finally received approval for carrier conversion and was to be renamed [i]Ryuuhou[/i].

For further description, see [[Ryuuhou (kancolle)|Ryuuhou's page]].

h4. See Also

pool #11069 - Tender Taigei - depictions of Taigei acting motherly towards the submarines
大鯨 大鯨(艦隊これくしょん) 大鯨(艦これ)