Japanese battleship Ise
Despite the expensive reconstruction, the ship was considered obsolete by the eve of the Pacific War, and did not see significant action in the early years of the war. Following the loss of most of the IJN's large aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway in mid-1942, she was rebuilt with a flight deck replacing the rear pair of gun turrets to give her the ability to operate an air group of floatplanes; lack of aircraft and qualified pilots meant that "Ise" never actually operated her aircraft in combat. She participated in the Battle of Cape Engaño in late 1944, where she decoyed the American carrier fleet supporting the invasion of Leyte away from the landing beaches. Afterwards the ship was transferred to Southeast Asia; in early 1945 "Ise" participated in Operation Kita, where she transported petrol and other strategic materials to Japan. The ship was then reduced to reserve until she was sunk during American airstrikes in July. After the war "Ise" was scrapped in 1946–1947.
Ise (river)
The Ise used to be maintained by the "Iseverband" Wasser Association in Wahrenholz but has been superseded by the "Aller-Ohre-Verband" in Gifhorn. There is no shipping on the river but it is well suited to canoe tours (boats may be hired near Gifhorn). In recent decades the Ise and its surrounding landscape has been discovered to be a valuable natural habitat, so that its use for nature conservation has become a top priority. In general, the river crosses wide, flat meadow country, far from habitation, in a sparsely-populated region. Shortly before its mouth in Gifhorn, near the river banks, are the Gifhorn Mill Museum and Gifhorn Castle. Several hundred metres downstream is another mill, the "Cardenapsmühle". This has been a watermill at least since the 27 January 1213 (when it was mentioned in a deed of donation by Otto IV) and, until its closure in 2004, was one of the oldest working mills in Europe.