IJN Akagi

IJN Akagi Story

IJN Akagi was born out of a battlecruiser class design consisting of Akagi and Amagi. These cruisers were under construction at the end of World War I, and the Washington Naval Treaty, signed and enacted after the conflict, restricted naval production around the world to prevent a new arms race.

Therefore, the construction of these battlecruisers was stopped and demolition was considered. However, the Imperial Japanese Navy continued to convert the battlecruisers Akagi and Amagi into full-fledged fleet carriers (Amagi was later destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923).

Akagi was ordered in 1920 and laid later that year. The ship was launched five years later and entered service in 1927. It has two hangar decks and a stacked flight deck, allowing fighters to climb straight out of the hangar and land on the top flight deck on return.

On paper, this seems like a good idea, but in practice it turns out not to be that effective. Therefore, from 1935 to 1938, Akagi was brought back to port with some modifications. This new effort eliminates the extra flight deck, allowing more space to carry more aircraft.

A more modern island layout was also added to the design, although it was placed on the ship's less traditional port side.

On December 7, 1941, with Akagi fully armed, she was used in the surprise attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. During the attack, Akagi served with a series of torpedo bombers, dive bombers, and fighter jets.

The Doolittle attack (initiated by the USS Hornet) caused quite a stir in Japan as the United States was not formally engaged in the war, showing that the Empire was not immune to the influence of American forces either. Akagi was unsuccessful in locating and destroying the carrier.

Shortly thereafter, Akagi was called up for the invasion of Java, and carried out a number of operations against British Royal Navy cruisers off India before 1942.

Akagi's participation in WW2 came to an abrupt end at the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. While battling the USS Enterprise and her fighters and bombers, the Akagi was attacked by U.S. Navy fighter jets and hit once - critically - by dive bombers. The explosion ignited hell on their hangar deck (fuel and fully loaded plane ready to take off).

A second American bomb fell outside - albeit close enough - and jammed her rudder, and the Akagi became a helpless ship that burned the following night. On the morning of June 5, 1942, after most of her crew had been evacuated to other ships, Akagi was sunk by her own destroyer and eventually torpedoed.

About 267 employees died with her. Of strategic importance to the Allies, four Japanese aircraft carriers were lost in the Battle of Midway, a fatal blow that took most of the Japanese Navy's "range".

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