Hiryu (Japanese Flying Dragon) was a Japanese aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1936, launched in November 1937, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in July 1939. The ship was 227.4 meters long, 22.3 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 21,900 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Hiryu oscillated around 33-34 knots, and its main armament consisted of 73 on-board planes.
Numerous design solutions on Hiryu were the result of the experience gained by the Japanese during the operation of other aircraft carriers - primarily Hosho, Kaga and Akagi. As a result, already in the course of design, a lot of emphasis was placed on the maximum speed of the new aircraft carrier and its greatest possible impact force, expressed in a large number of on-board aircraft. On the other hand, the ship's armor was treated as secondary, as it was completely inadequate to protect the ship from an air attack. In parallel with Hiryu, his sister unit - Soryu - was being built - but the two ships differed quite significantly, e.g. in the location of the superstructure. During World War II, Hiryu participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and in early 1942, his on-board planes took part in a raid on Port Darwin in Australia. In April this year, Hiryu also took part in the famous rally of the Japanese fleet to the Indian Ocean. He also took part in the Battle of Midway (June 1942) where he was sunk by American on-board planes, along with his commander - Rear Admiral Yamaguchi
Kaga was a Japanese aircraft carrier laid down in 1920, launched in November 1921, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in March 1928. The ship was 248.6 meters long, 32.5 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 38,200 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Kaga oscillated around 27-28 knots, its main armament consisted of 90 on-board planes.
Originally, Kaga was built as a liner under the 8 + 8 fleet expansion program, but due to international commitments by the government in Tokyo, work was stopped and the hull was to be scrapped. Ultimately, however, in 1923 it was decided to build an aircraft carrier on the hull, which actually happened. At the time of entering service, Kaga had as many as three flight decks, but during the reconstruction in 1933-1935 only one flight deck was preserved and the fuselage nose was significantly changed. During World War II, Kaga participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and fought in the Bismarck Archipelago in early 1942. He also took part in the Battle of Midway (June 1942) where he was sunk by American on-board planes.
Soryu (Japanese: Blue Dragon) was a Japanese aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1934, launched in December 1935, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1937. The ship was 222 meters long, 21 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 19,500 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Soryu oscillated around 33-34 knots, and its main armament consisted of 73-75 on-board planes.
The design solutions used on the Soryu were the result of the experience gained by the Japanese Navy in the course of operating other aircraft carriers - primarily the Hosho. As a result, already in the course of design, a lot of emphasis was placed on the maximum speed of the new aircraft carrier and its greatest possible impact force, expressed in a large number of on-board aircraft. On the other hand, the ship's armor was treated as secondary, as it was completely inadequate to protect the ship from an air attack. In parallel with Soryu, its sister unit, Hiryu, was being built, but the two ships differed quite significantly, e.g. in the location of the superstructure. During World War II, Soryu took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. In April 1942, Soryu also took part in the famous raid of the Japanese fleet to the Indian Ocean. He also took part in the Battle of Midway (June 1942) where he was sunk by American on-board planes.
Akagi was a Japanese carrier whose keel was laid in 1920, launched in November 1925, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in March 1927. The ship was 260.7 m long, 31.3 m wide, and her full displacement was 41,300 tons. The maximum speed of the Akagi aircraft carrier was around 30-31 knots, and its main armament consisted of 91 on-board planes.
Originally, Akagi, like another Japanese carrier, Kaga, was built as a liner under the '8 + 8' fleet expansion program, but due to international commitments by the government in Tokyo, work was stopped and the hull was to be scrapped. Ultimately, however, it was decided to build an aircraft carrier on the largely finished hull, which actually happened. At the time of entry into service, Akagi had as many as three flight decks, but with the development of aviation technology, it was decided to thoroughly rebuild it, which took place in 1935-1938. As a result of it, the shape of the hull was radically changed and only one flight deck was preserved. During World War II, Akagi took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and fought in the Bismarck Archipelago in early 1942 supporting the Rabaul landing. In April this year, he also took part in the famous rally of the Japanese fleet to the Indian Ocean. He also took part in the Battle of Midway (June 1942) where he was sunk by American on-board planes.
Kirishima was a Japanese battlecruiser, the keel of which was laid in 1912, launched in December 1913, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in April 1915. The total length of the ship was 223 meters, width 29.3 meters, and a full displacement of 38,200 tons. The maximum speed of the line cruiser Kirishima was around 30-31 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 8 356 mm guns in four turrets, two guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 14 152 mm guns.
Kirishima was the third of four Congo-class battleships. The vessel, the second in the series, was built at the Japanese shipyard in Nagasaki. In the interwar period, Kirishima underwent three modernizations, in the years 1927-1930, 1932-1933 and 1934-1936. They were aimed at: significantly improving the armor of the ship (especially in critical points, such as the engine room), rebuilding the front superstructure, which took the shape of a Japanese pagoda, and increasing the power and modernizing the engine room. The combat career of Kirishima in World War II began with the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 1941), during which she was part of the forces protecting Japanese aircraft carriers. In April 1942, he also took part in the famous Japanese raid on the Indian Ocean, and later - in June this year - took part in the Battle of Midway. Kirishima was sunk on November 15, 1942 during the Battle of Guadalcanal.