Originally designed as an Amagi-class battlecruiser, the provisions of the Washington Treaty led to her conversion into an aircraft carrier. As a result, Akagi (??, "Red Castle") was one of Japan's first major aircraft carriers. Akagi and her close sister Kaga straddled the line between carrier and dreadnought. In order to keep both options open, the ships were designed in such a way that they could be quickly converted into capital ships. They carried turrets, magazines and other Equipment in support of large turrets, and the wooden flight deck and hangar deck were designed to be quickly dismantled to make room for turret mounting. However, by the mid-1930s, the Admirals believed that the aircraft carrier was on par with the capital ship, and the Akagi underwent a major refit to improve aircraft handling capacity, ending any possibility of later conversion to a capital ship.
Their aircraft served in the Second Sino-Japanese War in the late 1930s. With the formation of the First Air Fleet in 1941, she became her flagship and remained so until her sinking. Notable actions include the attack on Pearl Harbor, the invasion of Rabaul, the bombing of Darwin, Australia, and the Indian Ocean raid.
In June 1942, she took part in the Battle of Midway, with her plane bombing the American-held atoll. However, US planes from Midway and US airlines Enterprise, Hornet and Yorktown attacked Akagi and three other Japanese naval carriers. Dive bombers from the USS Enterprise severely damaged Akagi, forcing friendly escort destroyers to sink her to prevent her from falling into US hands. The loss of four Japanese airlines in that engagement, including Akagi, was a crucial defeat for Japan and decisively shifted the balance of power in the Pacific Rim.
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