Back Akagi Afrikaans حاملة الطائرات اليابانية أكاغي Arabic Акаги Bulgarian Portaavions Akagi Catalan Akagi (1925) Czech Akagi (Schiff, 1927) German Akagi (1927) Spanish Akagi Basque ناو هواپیمابر آکاگی Persian Akagi Finnish
 Akagi conducting flight operations, April 1942
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Preceded by | Hōshō |
| Succeeded by | Kaga |
| Built | 1920–1927 |
| In service | 1927–1942 |
| In commission | 1927–1942 |
| Completed | 1 |
| Lost | 1 |
| History | |
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Akagi |
| Namesake | Mount Akagi |
| Ordered | 1920 |
| Builder | Kure Naval Arsenal |
| Cost | ¥53 million ($36.45 million) |
| Laid down | 6 December 1920 |
| Launched | 22 April 1925 |
| Commissioned | 25 March 1927 |
| Reclassified | 21 November 1923 as an aircraft carrier |
| Refit | 24 October 1935 – 31 August 1938 |
| Stricken | 25 September 1942 |
| Fate | Damaged by aircraft during the Battle of Midway and scuttled, 5 June 1942 |
| General characteristics (after 1938 modernization) | |
| Class and type | None |
| Type | Aircraft carrier |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 260.67 m (855 ft 3 in) |
| Beam | 31.32 m (102 ft 9 in) |
| Draught | 8.71 m (28 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 4 shafts; 4 geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph) |
| Range | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement | 1,630 |
| Armament |
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| Armor | |
| Aircraft carried |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: | First Air Fleet (Kido Butai) |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: | |
Akagi (Japanese: 赤城, "red castle") was an aircraft carrier built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), named after Mount Akagi in present-day Gunma Prefecture. Though she was laid down as an Amagi-class battlecruiser, Akagi was converted to an aircraft carrier while still under construction to comply with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. The ship was rebuilt from 1935 to 1938 with her original three flight decks consolidated into a single enlarged flight deck and an island superstructure. The second Japanese aircraft carrier to enter service, and the first large or "fleet" carrier, Akagi and the related Kaga figured prominently in the development of the IJN's new carrier striking force doctrine that grouped carriers together, concentrating their air power. This doctrine enabled Japan to attain its strategic goals during the early stages of the Pacific War from December 1941 until mid-1942.
Akagi's aircraft served in the Second Sino-Japanese War in the late 1930s. Upon the formation of the First Air Fleet or Kido Butai (Striking Force) in early 1941, she became its flagship, and remained so for the duration of her service. With other fleet carriers, she took part in the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the invasion of Rabaul in the Southwest Pacific in January 1942. The following month, her aircraft bombed Darwin, Australia, and assisted in the conquest of the Dutch East Indies. In March and April 1942, Akagi's aircraft helped sink a British heavy cruiser and an Australian destroyer in the Indian Ocean Raid.
After a brief refit, Akagi and three other fleet carriers of the Kido Butai participated in the Battle of Midway in June 1942. After bombarding American forces on the atoll, Akagi and the other carriers were attacked by aircraft from Midway and the carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown. A single dive bomber from Enterprise severely damaged Akagi. When it became obvious she could not be saved, she was scuttled by Japanese destroyers to prevent her from falling into enemy hands. The loss of Akagi and three other IJN carriers at Midway was a crucial strategic defeat for Japan and contributed significantly to the Allies' ultimate victory in the Pacific. Her wreck was located in 2019 by the Research Vessel Petrel.
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