Akagi (ship, 1927)
 The Akagi after its renovation in 1938
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The Akagi ( Japanese 赤城 Red Castle ) was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , named after the Akagi volcano in what is now Gunma Prefecture . Laid down as a battlecruiser of the Amagi class , it was transformed even during construction in an aircraft carrier to the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty to be fulfilled. After Japan's termination of the contract at the end of 1934, another conversion of the ship took place between 1935 and 1938, in which a single one was constructed from its three flight decks . In addition, it received an island structure as a command center. As the second commissioned and first fleet aircraft carrier in Japan, the Akagi represented a nucleus for the development of the Japanese carrier combat group doctrine. Japan's successes in the first six months of the Pacific War were largely based on this doctrine.
Akagi aircraft intervened in the fighting of the Second Sino-Japanese War as early as the late 1930s . When the Kidō Butai was set up in early 1941, it was determined to be the flagship of the carrier group and remained so for the rest of its service life. Together with the other porters of the group, she carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. In January 1942 their planes intervened in the battle for Rabaul . The following month, their combat groups carried out an air raid on Darwin and helped occupy the Dutch East Indies . In March and April, their planes sank a British heavy cruiser and an Australian destroyer during a foray into the Indian Ocean .
After a short stay in the shipyard, she took part in the Battle of Midway in June 1942 with three other fleet carriers . There she was badly damaged by an enemy air strike and when it seemed hopeless to rescue the ship, she was evacuated and sunk by Japanese destroyers themselves. The loss of the Akagi and the other carriers used by Midway represented a decisive strategic loss for Japan's armed forces and ensured that the Allies could go on the offensive.
Construction and construction
The construction of the ship was originally 1920 as Battlecruiser the Amagi class in Kure been started.
The name Akagi , the name of a mountain, corresponded to the typical scheme of naming Japanese battle cruisers, as it had been practiced in the previous Kongō class .
Based on the decisions of the Washington Naval Conference of 1922, the completion of the battle cruiser was canceled and the Akagi was scheduled for completion as an aircraft carrier. It was the second aircraft carrier whose construction the Imperial Japanese Navy began after the Hōshō of 1922.
The scheduled work also included a redesign of the hull, which was almost finished. Among other things, the heavy protection system of the original battle cruiser was significantly reduced in order to save weight; the belt armor was reduced from 25.4 cm thick to 15.2 cm. Storage tanks for aircraft fuel and ammunition bunkers for aircraft bombs and torpedoes were fitted into the fuselage.
The new aircraft carrier was initially designed for the double-decker aircraft types that were common at the time and had three flight decks. Of these, the two lower hall decks were - naturally - only suitable for aircraft take-off, while the upper deck could also be used for landing. None of the decks extended over the entire length of the ship. The upper deck was 190 meters long and not completely horizontal. It reached its highest point, roughly in the middle of the ship, and dropped slightly aft and towards the bow to help aircraft accelerate during take-off and brake after landing. The departure deck below had only a short departure platform 15 meters long and the lower departure deck was 55 meters long.
The rear part of the two departure decks also served as a hangar in which the aircraft could be stored, armed, refueled and repaired. At the time of its commissioning, the capacity was 60 aircraft.
The ship was initially armed with six 12 cm / L45 anti-aircraft guns in three twin mounts and six individually mounted 20 cm / L50 guns in casemates.
The water displacement with a full load was 34,364 ts and thus significantly lower than the displacement that the ship would have had as a battle cruiser under the same conditions.
The launch took place on April 22, 1925. The equipment and commissioning took place in Yokosuka and were completed on March 27, 1927.
Retrofits
Because the doctrine of use for aircraft carriers was still in its early stages when the ship was being built, several changes were made to the equipment and fittings of the Akagi in order to adapt the ship to new knowledge and modern technology.
A temporary bridge was subsequently installed in the forward area of the starboard side of the upper flight deck.
In the following years, two turrets with two 20 cm / L50 guns each, which were set up at the base of the middle departure deck, one each on port and starboard, were retrofitted in the following years. The armament, which was primarily suitable for fighting enemy ships, increased to ten 20 cm / L50 pipes for a few years. This later uncommon way of arming an aircraft carrier for artillery duels with other ships was based on the limited range of their own aircraft and their weak armament: one was not sure whether an enemy ship could be detected and stopped by one's own aircraft before it could get within range of its own carrier.
modification
The concept of three flight decks was insufficient for the use of new, significantly heavier and larger types of aircraft. These required a longer runway than the model aircraft the ship was originally built for, and also took up much more hangar space. The two lower departure decks were no longer up to date and were converted into pure hangar decks. The new continuous flight deck was 249 meters long and 30 meters wide.
The carrier now also received a permanently installed bridge tower, which was placed on port amidships on the flight deck.
The work began on November 15, 1935 and should ultimately last three years due to delays caused by financing problems. They also included the replacement of the steam boilers, some of which were still intended to be fired with coal , for those with oil firing.
In the Akagi , the exhaust gases generated by the boilers were initially discharged via two chimneys arranged one behind the other, which left the upper hangar deck amidships on the starboard side. The construction then did not discharge the exhaust gases vertically upwards, but diverted them downwards towards the surface of the water in order not to hinder flight operations with smoke.
The two twin towers with their 20 cm / L50 guns were removed, but the six 20 cm guns in the casemates were retained.
The Akagi wore after conversion fourteen 25-mm twin automatic cannon type 96 , whose use has been coordinated by six type 95 Leitgeber. The older 12 cm heavy anti-aircraft guns were supplied with instructions from new Type 94 control devices. The slightly increased weight due to the conversion increased the draft and the maximum speed decreased accordingly from 32.5 to 31.2 knots.
The planned replacement of the 12 cm / L45 anti-aircraft guns by the modern Type 89 12.7 cm / L40 twin mounts was no longer implemented due to their demise.
The capacity for combat aircraft remained the same after the renovation despite the enlarged hangar, because the larger types of aircraft on board, some without real wing folding, compensated for the advantages of the enlarged hangar space. For the state after the complete renovation, the maximum number of aircraft that could be carried is given as 91. It applies to old aircraft types with the inclusion of dismantled reserve machines. In fact, the capacity was typically 63 aircraft during World War II.
comparison
The Akagi remained the flagship of the Japanese carrier fleet for traditional reasons until 1942 , but was in many ways the weakest of the six Japanese fleet carriers of the time. The bent flight deck, the small hangar space, the outdated anti-aircraft gun (the only ship with the old 12 cm weapons) and the low sea endurance, plus the trimming problems, resulted in a ship that was technically behind the kaga despite the higher speed (larger hangars with effective capacity for at least 72 aircraft, modern and much more powerful anti-aircraft guns, high sea endurance, continuous flight deck) and was also lapped in armament by the much smaller Soryu and Hiryū , not to mention the drastically more powerful ships of the Shokaku class .
Calls
The Akagi's first in command was Yamamoto Isoroku , who later became commander in chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second Sino-Japanese War , the aircraft carrier was used off the coast of China .
As the flagship of Kaigun-Chūjō Nagumo , who commanded the Kidō Butai , she went to the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. She carried 18 Mitsubishi A6M 2, 18 Aichi D3A and 27 Nakajima B5N 2. Two waves of her fighter planes caused considerable damage at the American warships in port and at the Hickam Field Air Force Base . The Akagi launched 27 B5N torpedo bombers and nine A6M fighters in the first wave. In the second wave of Japanese attacks, 18 Akagi D3As attacked ship targets, while six fighters attacked enemy airfields.
During the subsequent Pacific War , the Akagi were involved in the invasion of Rabaul and the Bismarck Islands . On February 19, 1942, their aircraft flew air raids on Darwin, Australia in the Northern Territory , sinking eight ships, including the Peary .
The Akagi also fought with the Allied fleet near Sumatra , Java and in the Indian Ocean .
In April 1942 she took part in the attack in the Indian Ocean , in which, among other things, the Royal Navy base on Ceylon attacked on April 5, 1942, as well as the British cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire southwest of Colombo and on April 9 the British aircraft carrier Hermes and the Australian destroyer vampires were sunk at Batticaloa .
Battle for Midway
The Akagi was the flagship of the Japanese carrier group, the fleet that was to prepare and secure the planned invasion of the Midway Islands in June 1942 . Vice Admiral Nagumo and his staff were in command of the Akagi . She had 21 operational Mitsubishi A6M 2 fighters , 18 Aichi D3A 1 dive bombers and 18 Nakajima B5N 2 torpedo bombers on board. In addition, there were three non-operational reserve machines of each type. The Akagi ran at the head of the starboard column of the fleet, followed by the Kaga .
For easier identification by its own pilots, a Hinomaru was painted on the front quarter of the flight deck across the entire width of the deck. Immediately on the rear edge of the flight deck, the katakana letter ア for A was painted on the deck on port side in order to identify the carrier as an Akagi for pilots on approach .
The Akagi launched a wave of attacks at dawn on June 4th at 4:30 a.m., consisting of its 18 D3A Val dive bombers, accompanied by nine of their A6M Zero fighter planes , against the facilities of the American airfield on Midway. They joined forces with the other porters' squadrons. The flight officer of the Hiryu had command of the attack formation .
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At that time, the Akagi was in "State 4", a standard organizational procedure that provided for the aircraft still on board to be kept ready for the attack on a new enemy fleet that might appear. For this purpose, the B5N Kate were loaded with torpedoes .
After around two hours of flight time, the Akagi aircraft reached Midway at 6:45 a.m. and began their attack. At the same time, their fighters were involved in aerial battles with F4F and F2A fighters of the US Marine Corps over the atoll , which had previously taken off from the airfield. Air battles at 4,500 meters and 3,400 meters altitude were reported, in which the pilots of the Akagi reported one of their own Zero as a loss, but at the same time declared nine American machines as being shot down; two other enemy aircraft were reported as "probably shot down". A subsequent attack by the fighters with on-board weapons on the airfield damaged a B-17 parked there.
The 18 D3A Val bombers dropped eighteen 242 kg bombs and reported three direct hits on hangars and flares on the target after the attack . There were no losses of my own.
At 7:10 a.m., the commander of the attack force reported from a machine belonging to the Hiryū that the objectives of the attack had not been achieved and that a second wave of attacks was necessary. Almost at the same time, the security ships of the Japanese Aircraft Carrier Association discovered twin-engine B-26 Marauder aircraft , which were setting up a torpedo attack on the ships. Attacked by the self-defense fighter planes, the unit split up and four machines targeted the Akagi . At 7:12 a.m., the ship managed to avoid three of the four torpedoes that had been dropped. The fourth exploded harmlessly in front of the carrier due to a misfire. However, the gunner of the bombers hit the Akagi anti-aircraft gun number 3 , damaged it slightly and killed two crew members.
At 7:15 am, the order was given to remove the torpedoes from the B5N bombers and instead load them with Type 80 explosive bombs (805 kg) for another attack on Midway. This procedure was time-consuming and could take around 20 minutes per aircraft.
When the conversion was already underway, Vice Admiral Nagumo decided that one of the enemy fleets, which the pilot of a reconnaissance plane had discovered at 7:28 a.m., was considered to be a major threat and ordered the rearmament to cease at 7:45 a.m. All B5Ns that were not yet carrying bombs were to keep the torpedoes.
At 8:00 a.m., American aircraft again appeared over the fleet. The Akagi was able to outmaneuver several bomb attacks by four-engine B-17 bombers , and the attack by 18 single-engine American torpedo bombers was repulsed by the air defense and its own hunting security until 8:40 a.m. At this point the machines of the first wave of attacks from the early morning returned. According to a new order from 9:05 a.m. all returning aircraft should now be picked up so that the fleet could run north and start a joint attack with all aircraft, including those of the first wave, against the American fleet. In addition to the refueled and ammunitioned aircraft of the second wave, bombs, torpedoes and fuel had to be provided for the rearmament of the first wave.
The Akagi and the rest of the porters reported at 9:15 a.m. that they would have finished equipping and refueling all aircraft between 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Shortly afterwards, at 9:25 am, American torpedo bombers again attacked the Akagi ; their attack was intercepted by the air surveillance of the Japanese fleet, including five Akagi A6M2 fighters and all 15 Douglas TBD - Devastator torpedo bombers launched by the Hornet were shot down. Another group of Enterprise torpedo bombers attacked a few minutes later and lost 10 of their 14 machines. The attack by both torpedo bomber groups ended around 9:58 a.m. without any damage to the Japanese ships. However, the constant evasive maneuvers that the ship performed slowed down the work on board, and the picking up, rearming and starting of the fighters of the own air security increased the time pressure on the mechanics of the Akagi .
Downfall
At around 10:16 a.m., another mixed association of American torpedo and dive bombers attacked. While the Akagi commander , Taijiro Aoki, was concentrating on maneuvering the group of torpedo bombers, which consisted of other devastator bombers from Yorktown , three SBD Dauntless of the Enterprise fell in one from a height of around 2,000 meters, unnoticed by the Akagi hunting protection Angle of around 50 ° on the ship and set off their bombs at a height of around 500 meters.
One of the thrown 1000- lb. - (453 kg) bombs missed the carrier, the second was either a hit or missed the ship, but certainly the explosion slightly damaged the quarterdeck and killed a crew member of the Akagi . The third bomb hit, penetrated the flight deck at the height of the middle elevator, detonated in the upper hangar and immediately set fire to the B5N bombers parked there. Three minutes later, the bombs and torpedoes stored there began to explode in the heat of the burning fuel. The ordered flooding of the storage facilities for bombs and torpedoes could initially only be carried out in the forecastle, as the pump systems for the rear ammunition chambers had failed. The order to put the carbon dioxide extinguishing system into operation was given at 10:32 a.m. However, the measure was ineffective.
At 10:36 the starboard aft engine room failed and the speed dropped to 12 knots . The hull of the aircraft carrier was meanwhile rocked by shock waves, triggered by further explosions of bombs and torpedoes in the hangar decks. A malfunction in the control system for the rudder occurred at 10:42 a.m. when the Akagi had just initiated another evasive maneuver after sighting another enemy torpedo bomber. The ship stopped temporarily.
The entire crew was assigned to fight the fire, but the fires, fed by fuel and ammunition from the aircraft in the hangars and on deck, continued to spread. A parked fighter caught fire near the bridge tower of the Akagi and made it impossible to stay on the command bridge ; Vice Admiral Nagumo left the porter with his staff at 10:46 a.m. and transferred to the destroyer Nowaki to continue command of the fleet from another ship. The machines were started up again and the carrier ran again at the highest possible speed.
At around 11:30 am, the order was given to evacuate the wounded and all flight operations personnel from the Akagi . Five minutes later, more bombs and torpedoes exploded in storage rooms on the hangar deck. Much of the wooden flight deck was on fire. The commanding officers of the carrier about Captain Aoki focused on the anchor deck at the bow a an impromptu command post, but were not able to on the radio to communicate with the rest of the fleet, but had to go through light signals in Morse code to communicate.
At 1:38 p.m., the destroyer Nowaki finally took over the portrait of the emperor from the Akagi , which was carried on every major Japanese warship to prevent its loss - which was viewed as a disgrace. A few minutes later the Akagi stopped for good . Captain Aoki later testified that all machinery on the ship had failed due to fire damage. It is more likely that the ventilation systems in the upper part of the ship will be destroyed by the effects of heat and explosions, so that the fresh air supply for the boiler collapsed. It was also impossible to stay in the four engine rooms, as heated air and smoke were forced into the rooms via the ventilation.
At around 3:00 p.m., the walls of the front hangar deck were torn open outwards by further secondary explosions. Although the ship had not suffered any water ingress and the buoyancy did not appear to be jeopardized, the possibility of being able to save the Akagi became increasingly unlikely, and around 7:20 p.m. the commander decided to finally abandon the carrier. The evacuation of the second wave of crew members was completed by the destroyers Nowaki (around 200 survivors) and Arashi (around 500 survivors) around 10:00 p.m. Captain Aoki stayed on the ship at his own request, but members of his staff went back on board after a while and fetched him onto the Arashi .
On the morning of June 5 at around 4:50 a.m., Admiral Yamamoto radioed the order to sink the Akagi with Type 93 torpedoes . Between 5:00 and 5:30 in the morning, the burned-out wreck sank after several torpedo hits by the securing destroyers.
losses
The final count of survivors revealed that 221 crew members had died during the air strike and subsequent attempts by the ship's security to save the Akagi . The losses among the pilots of the ship are estimated to be low. At the time of the bombing, three Akagi pilots had already been killed in aerial combat, and another had been picked up by a destroyer after an emergency landing. According to the Akagi's commander, the bomb hit killed six pilots who had been waiting in their planes for take-off. The rest of the 60 or so pilots were rescued.
wreck
On October 20, 2019, the wreck was discovered by the research vessel Petrel in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument at a depth of 5490 meters.
See also
Evidence and references
Remarks
- ↑ The Japanese rank Chūjō corresponds to the German rank of Vice Admiral . The prefix Kaigun indicates that it is a naval officer.
- ↑ The number of Akagi fighters ready for action fluctuates in the literature between 57 and 54. In their book Shattered Sword , Parshall and Tully assume only 18 A6M2s, while DW Insom adds three ready-to-use aircraft from Group 6 on the Akagi.
- ↑ All times for the Battle of Midway are given in the literature either according to Japanese time, i.e. UTC +9 hours, or according to the time used by the Americans, UTC −12 hours (as in this article), so that the corresponding date can differ by one day. See the article time zone .
- ↑ In some sources two hits are counted, for example in The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway p. 52 and in God's samurai: lead pilot at Pearl Harbor ISBN 1-57488-695-9 , p. 77 - the second hit was accordingly on the outer port side in the aft quarter of the flight deck.
- ↑ The losses stated in the Japanese documents are 221 (including 8 officers), see The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway p. 67. Tully and Parshall, on the other hand, assume that 263 crew members were killed.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Lengerer: Akagi & Kaga, Warship Vol.22. P. 129.
- ^ Mark R. Peattie: Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941. US Naval Institute Press, 2007, ISBN 1-59114-664-X , p. 55.
- ^ Mark R. Peattie: Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941. US Naval Institute Press, 2007, ISBN 1-59114-664-X , p. 58.
- ↑ 20 cm / 50 at navweaps.com, viewed July 28, 2010
- ↑ Hans Lengerer: Akagi & Kaga, Warship Vol.22. P. 172 and following.
- ↑ Midway inquest: why the Japanese lost the Battle of Midway. P. 101.
- ^ The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway. OPNAV P32-1002, p. 7.
- ^ The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway. OPNAV P32-1002, p. 43.
- ^ The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway. OPNAV P32-1002, p. 44.
- ^ Peter C. Smith: First from the Sky: Japan´s Dive-Bomber Ace of World War II. Stackpole Co, 2006, p. 213.
- ↑ Midway inquest: why the Japanese lost the Battle of Midway. P. 125.
- ^ The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway. OPNAV P32-1002, p. 15.
- ↑ Midway inquest: why the Japanese lost the Battle of Midway. Pp. 191 and 192.
- ^ The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway. OPNAV P32-1002, p. 20
- ^ Paul S. Dull: A battle history of the Imperial Japanese Navy - 1941-1945. US Naval Institute Press, ISBN 1-59114-219-9 , p. 154.
- ^ The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway. OPNAV P32-1002, p. 25
- ↑ Minutes of the questioning of Captain Aoiki on October 9, 1945 by American officers , viewed on July 31, 2010
- ↑ Shattered sword: the untold story of the Battle of Midway. Pp. 258-286.
- ^ The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway. OPNAV P32-1002, p. 36
- ^ Paul S. Dull: A battle history of the Imperial Japanese Navy - 1941-1945. US Naval Institute Press, ISBN 1-59114-219-9 , p. 155.
- ^ The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway. Office of Naval Intelligence, OPNAV P32-1002, p. 9.
- ↑ 5:30 a.m. from combinedfleet.com, viewed July 26, 2010
- ↑ Midway inquest: why the Japanese lost the Battle of Midway. Pp. 232, 233.
- ↑ https://www.apnews.com/f026d20d928143ddadfc3df0f3d36f77
- ↑ Second World War in the Pacific: Deep sea explorers find wreckage from the Battle of Midway . In: Spiegel Online . October 21, 2019 ( spiegel.de [accessed October 21, 2019]).
literature
Japanese sources
- The Japanese Story Of The Battle Of Midway. Translation, Office of Naval Intelligence, USN, 1947, OPNAV P32-1002.
- Maru Special: Japanese Naval Vessels. (First Series) Vol.2, Akagi / Kaga, Tokyo 1975.
- Maru Special: Japanese Naval Vessels. (Second Series) Vol.126, Early Carriers Part 1 (Hosho, Akagi, Kaga), Tokyo 1987.
- Maru Special: Japanese Naval Vessels. (Second Series) Vol. 127, Early Carriers Part 2 (Ryujo, Kaga, Akagi), Tokyo 1987.
- Maru Special: The Imperial Japanese Navy. (Vol.3, Aircraft Carriers I) Tokyo 1989.
- Fukui Shizuo: Japanese Naval Vessels Illustrated, 1869-1945. Vol.3, Aircraft Carriers. Tokyo 1982.
- Todaka Kazushig: Japanese Warship Photo Album Vol.2, Aircraft Carrier and Seaplane Carrier. Kure 2005.
- Watanabe Yoshiyuki: The Aircraft Carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army. Tokyo 2003, 2nd edition 2004.
- T. Kizu: History of Japanese Aircraft Carriers (Ships of the World Vol.481). Tokyo 1994.
- Model Art: Drawings of Imperial Japanese Naval Vessels Vol.3, Aircraft Carriers. Tokyo 1999.
- NN: Maru Magazine Vol.12: Imperial Japanese Aircraft Carriers. Tokyo 1972.
Non-Japanese sources:
- Adam Jarski / Mirosław Skwiot: Akagi Vol. 1. (AJ Press EOW 49), Gdańsk 2007.
- Adam Jarski / Mirosław Skwiot: Akagi. (Monograph Morskie 2), Gdańsk 1994.
- Hans Lengerer: Akagi & Kaga, Warship Vol.22. 127, Vol. 23, 170, Vol. 24, 305, London 1982.
- Jonathan Parshall / Anthony Tully: Shattered Sword. Potomac Books, 2005, ISBN 1-57488-924-9 .
- Dallas Woodbury Isom: Midway inquest: why the Japanese lost the Battle of Midway. Indiana University Press, 2007, ISBN 0-253-34904-4
Aircraft squadron (selection)
- Michel Ledet: Samourai sur Porte-Avions. Outreau 2006.
- Eduardo Cea: The Air Force of the Japanese Imperial Navy 2. Carrier Based Aircraft 1922–1945, Valaldolid o. J.
- Ian K. Baker / Zygmunt Szeremeta: Nippon's Naval Air Force. Kraków 1991/1998.
