IJN Akagi

Conventionally-Powered Fleet Aircraft Carrier [ 1927 ]

The Akagi served the Japanese Empire through the assault on Pearl Harbor only to be sunk some seven months later in the Battle of Midway.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/30/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The IJN Akagi was born from a battlecruiser class design consisting of the Akagi and the Amagi. These cruisers were under construction by the time of the end of the First World War and the Washington Naval Treaty signed enacted after the conflict limited naval production throughout the globe in an effort to thwart a new arms race. As such, construction of these battlecruisers was stopped and consideration was given to their dismantling. The Imperial Japanese Navy, however, proceeded to transform the Akagi and Amagi battlecruisers into full-fledged fleet carriers (the Amagi would later be destroyed in the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923).

The Akagi was ordered in 1920 and laid down later that year. The vessel was launched five years later and commissioned in 1927. She featured two hangar decks with stacked flight decks which, the thinking being, allowed fighters the ability to scramble directly from their hangars and land on the top-most flight deck when returning. On paper this seemed a sound idea but, when put into practice, the results were not as effective. As such, the Akagi was taken back into port for some re-working from 1935 up to 1938. Through this new effort, the additional flight decks were eliminated which allowed for more space to carry additional aircraft. A more contemporary island superstructure was also added to the design though this was placed along the not-so-traditional portside of the vessel.©MilitaryFactory.com

With the Akagi fully ready she was put into action for the surprise attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7th, 1941. Akagi served a collection of torpedo bombers, dive bombers and fighter planes during the attack. With America no officially in the war, the Doolittle Raid (launched from the USS Hornet) caused quite a stir in Japan, showing that the Empire was not immune to the reach of the American military. The Akagi was sent in, unsuccessfully, to find and destroy the carrier. Shortly thereafter the Akagi was called to take part in the invasion of the island of Java and several actions against British Royal Navy cruisers off India by 1942.

The Akagi's involvement in World War 2 came to an abrupt end at the Battle of Midway on June 4th, 1942. Facing off against the USS Enterprise and her band of fighters and bombers, the Akagi was assaulted by American navy warplanes and struck once - thought critically - by dive bombers. The explosion ignited an inferno aboard her hangar decks (containing fuel and fully-laden aircraft ready for take-off). A second American bomb landed externally - though close enough - to jam her rudder and the Akagi became a helpless vessel burning throughout the following night. By the morning of June 5th, 1942, with most of her crew evacuated to other ships, the Akagi was ordered sunk by her own destroyers and was eventually torpedoed. Some 267 personnel perished with her. Strategically important to the Allies was the loss of four Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway, taking away much of the "reach" of the IJN in one fatal blow.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1927

Origin

Imperial Japan

Complement

2,000
PERSONNEL

Class

Akagi-class

Number-in-Class

2
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

IJN Akagi; IJN Kaga (half-sister)

Imperial Japan

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Flag Ship / Capital Ship
Serving in the fleet Flag Ship role or Capital Ship in older warship designs / terminology.

Length

816.0 ft
248.72 m

Beam

100.0 ft
30.48 m

Draught

27.0 ft
8.23 m

Displacement

33,800
tons

Installed Power: 19 x Kampon water-tube boilers; 4 x Kampon geared steam turbines; 4 x shafts

Surface Speed

32.0 kts
(36.8 mph)

Range

7,991 nm
(9,196 mi | 14,800 km)

6 x 20cm/50 caliber (7.9-inch) guns

6x2 120mm (4.7-inch) anti-aircraft guns

14x2 25mm (1-inch) anti-aircraft guns

Supported Types

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

1941:

18 x Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters

18 x Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers

27 x Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers

1942:

21 x Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters

21 x Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers

21 x Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers

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