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Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 19 July 1920 |
| Launched: | 17 November 1921 |
| Commissioned: | 1 November 1929 |
| Fate: | Sunk by US air attack at the battle of Midway, on 4 June 1942 |
| Struck: | 10 August 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 33,693 tons |
| Length: | 855 ft 4 in (260.7 m) (waterline) |
| Beam: | 102 ft 8 in (31.3 m) |
| Draught: | 28 ft 6 in (8.7 m) |
| Propulsion: | Kanpon geared turbines, 91,000 hp (67.9 MW), 4 shafts |
| Speed: | 31.25 kts (57.88 km/h) |
| Range: | 7,000 nmi. at 12 knots (13,000 km at 22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 2,400 |
| Armament: | 10 8 inch (200 mm) guns, 16 4.7 inch (120 mm) guns, 22 25 mm anti-aircraft guns |
| Aircraft: | 91 (after reconstruction) |
Kaga (Japanese: 加賀, formerly Kaga Province, in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture) was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, originally intended as a Tosa class fast battleship. She took part in the battle of Pearl Harbor and was sunk at the battle of Midway on 4 June 1942.[1]
Kaga began as a Tosa-class battleship, and was launched in 1921 by the Kawasaki Heavy Industries shipyard at Kobe. But under the Washington Naval Treaty, which Japan signed in 1922, the Tosa-class ships could not be completed as battleships, and were designated for scrapping. Then the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 destroyed the unfinished aircraft carrier Amagi (which was being built on a converted battlecruiser hull). The incomplete Kaga was chosen to replace her.
During the 1930's Kaga supported operations in China, and was involved in the Shanghai Incident and during the early years of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
At the beginning of World War II, Kaga was commanded by Captain Okada Jisaku. Together with Akagi she formed Carrier Division 1 of the Striking Force for the attack on Pearl Harbor. On 7 December 1941 she launched two strikes against Oahu. In her first strike, 26 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers targeted Arizona, Vestal, Tennessee, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Nevada, and 9 Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters attacked the airbase at Hickam Field. In her second strike, 23 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers targeted Nevada, Maryland, and West Virginia.
In January 1942, together with Akagi, Kaga supported the invasion of Rabaul in the Bismarck Islands. On 9 February she hit a reef at Palau and took on water. After temporary repairs, she continued to the Timor Sea, where on 19 February 1942 she launched air strikes against Darwin, Australia, sinking nine ships, including USS Peary. In March 1942 Kaga covered the invasion of Java.
Kaga was unable to participate in the Indian Ocean raid in April because of the damage she had received in February. Instead she returned to Sasebo for repairs.
In May 1942, Kaga sailed on her final mission. Her aircraft complement was 30 "Zeros", 23 "Vals", and 30 "Kates". [1] On 4 June 1942 Kaga launched air strikes against Midway, and then came under attack from American land- and carrier-based planes. At 10:22, SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from USS Enterprise hit her with four 1000 lb (453.6 kg) bombs, which set off explosions and fires among the armed and fueled planes on her hangar deck. Captain Okada was killed by a bomb that hit the bridge. The fires proved impossible to control and the order to abandon ship was given at about 14:00.[2]
At 14:10 the submarine USS Nautilus hit Kaga with a torpedo, but it was a dud and did not explode. Kaga's crew were taken off by the destroyers Hagikaze and Maikaze, and at 19:25 she exploded and sank after being scuttled by two torpedoes.
In 1999, wreckage was discovered by the Nauticos company that has been identified as coming from Kaga.
Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Seizaburo Kobayashi - 10 March 1927 - 1 December 1927
Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Giichiro Kawamura - 1 December 1927 - 1 March 1928
Capt. Giichiro Kawamura - 1 March 1928 - 1 December 1930
Capt. Sekizo Uno - 1 December 1930 - 1 December 1931
Capt. Jiro Onishi - 1 December 1931 - 15 November 1932
Capt. Shunichi Okada - 15 November 1932 - 28 November 1932
Capt. Goro Hara - 28 November 1932 - 14 February 1933
Capt. Sonosuke Kobayashi - 14 February 1933 - 15 November 1933
Capt. Eijiro Kondo - 15 November 1933 - 15 November 1934
Capt. Teizo Mitsunami - 15 November 1934 - 1 December 1936
Capt. Ayao Inagaki - 1 December 1936 - 1 December 1937
Capt. Katsuo Abe - 1 December 1937 - 25 April 1938
Capt. / RADM Ichiro Ono - 25 April 1938 - 15 December 1938 (Promoted to Rear Admiral on 15 November 1938.)
Capt. Setsuzo Yoshitomi - 15 December 1938 - 15 November 1939
Capt. Kyuji Kubo - 15 November 1939 - 15 October 1940
Capt. Sadayoshi Yamada - 15 October 1940 - 15 September 1941
Capt. / RADM* Jisaku Okada - 15 September 1941 - 4 June 1942 (KIA)
