IJN Akagi (full interior)

IJN Akagi was one of Japan’s most famous aircraft carriers and the flagship of the Kido Butai during the early Pacific War. Originally laid down as a battlecruiser, she was converted into an aircraft carrier and commissioned in 1927. After a major rebuild in the 1930s, she measured 260 meters (853 feet) in length and displaced around 41,300 tons fully loaded.


Powered by steam turbines producing 131,200 shp, Akagi could reach 31.5 knots (58 km/h / 36 mph). Her air group typically carried 66–72 aircraft, with a mix of fighters, dive-bombers, and torpedo bombers. She was armed with six 203 mm (8-inch) guns (later removed) and an array of AA guns.




Akagi led Japan’s carrier strike force in the attack on Pearl Harbor, and participated in raids across the Pacific. She was heavily damaged and scuttled after the Battle of Midway (June 1942), marking a turning point in the war