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.