The Akagi aircraft carrier had first been designed as a battlecruiser, which would be converted into a carrier between 1923 and 1927. The conversion was the result of the Washington Naval Disarmament Treaty, which forced the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) to reduce its tonnage and, hence, the number of warships, leaving the IJN with a surplus in battlecruisers and battleships to be scrapped. Thus, the need for combat aircraft platforms led the Japanese government to convert these warships into aircraft carriers.
The conversion work on the Akagi began in 1923 and it was completed in March 1927, with a 210-meter-long flight deck and two funnels at its starboard edge. However, ten years later, in 1937, it would be completely rebuilt, with a small island superstructure on the port side of vessel, and a full length flight deck (260-m long). It was hoped that a port side island would simplify operations when sailing alongside other carriers. The IJN Akagi would take part in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and it was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Nagumo. It also participated in a series of Japanese raids in the East Indies and Indian Ocean, sinking the British carrier Hermes.
Below, the Akagi in 1939, with a Yokosuka B4Y torpedo-bomber in the foreground. This biplane aircraft would be replaced with the Nakajima B5Ns.
The IJN Akagi also took part in the Battle of Midway. She and Kaga carrier attacked the island on June 4, 1942, suffering slight damage. However, at about 10:30 AM, she was attacked by dive-bombers that had taken off the USS Enterprise, being struck twice. One of the bombs burst into the hangar, which started a fire that spread throughout the rest of the carrier. As a result, the Akagi was abandoned and scuttled by a Japanese destroyer.
Specifications
Type: aircraft carrier
Length: 260.6 m (855 ft)
Beam: 31.4 m (103 ft)
Draft: 8.6 m (28 ft, 3 in)
Power Plant: 4-shaft geared steam turbines, delivering 133,000 HP.
Maximum Speed: 31 knots
Aircraft: 21 Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero' fighters; 21 Aichi D3A 'Val' dive-bombers; 21 Nakajima B5N 'Kate' torpedo-bombers.
Armament: six 200mm, six twin 120mm, and 14 twin 25mm Anti-Aircraft guns.
Below, the IJN Akagi sailing in the Pacific Ocean in 1938
Front view of the Akagi. Photo taken around 1940.
