| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | |
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| Commissioned: | |
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| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: 41,300 tons | |
| Length: 855'3" | |
| Beam: 102'9" | |
| Draught: 28'7" | |
| Propulsion: | |
| Speed: 31 knots | |
| Range: | |
| Complement: 2000 | |
| Armament: | |
| Aircraft: 91 | |
| Motto: | |
The Akagi (赤城; "Red Castle") was a Japanese aircraft carrier that took part in the Battle of Pearl Harbor. It was destroyed on 5 June 1942 by planes of the US Navy during the Battle of Midway.
Akagi, a 34,364-ton aircraft carrier, was built at Kure, Japan. Begun as a battle cruiser, she was completed as one of Japan's first two large aircraft carriers in March 1927. Massively reconstructed in 1935- 1938 to include an unusual port-side island and a full length flight deck, she was active off China during the next few years, and was flagship for the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
She also led other carriers on raids through the East Indies and the Indian Ocean, sinking the British carrier Hermes, driving the Allies out of Java and Sumatra and even getting to Darwin in Northern AustraliaAustralia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia. Australia includes the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring count.
She subsequently took part in carrier raids into the Indian Ocean area and was flagship of the carrier striking force during the Battle of Midway. On 4 June 1942, while operating northward of Midway, Akagi was hit by dive bombers from USS EnterpriseThe USS Enterprise Underway Career Laid down: 16 July 1934 Launched: 3 October 1936 Commissioned: 12 May 1938 Decommissioned: 17 February 1947 Fate:Scrapped General Characteristics Displacement:19,800 tons (light) 27,100 (full load-1945) Length:809 ft 6 i and set afire. Damage control efforts were unsuccessful, and she was scuttled by Japanese destroyer torpedoes early the following day.
A portion of this text is taken from the United States Naval History website, but is not subject to copyright violations. See the page here.