Japanese cruiser Amagi

Japanese cruiser Amagi was an Unryū-class aircraft carrier constructed for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Originally ordered as one of the improved Mogami-class cruisers, her construction was halted and she was redesigned as a fast carrier to replace losses from the Battle of Midway. She had a brief operational career, primarily serving as an aircraft transport and training ship before being sunk at her moorings in the final months of the Pacific War.

Design and description

The design of *Amagi* was based on the preceding *Hiryū*, intended as part of the Rapid War Preparation Program to quickly build standardized carriers. Her hull was constructed with a pronounced starboard side island and a single downward-facing funnel, similar to that of *Sōryū*. As a member of the Unryū class, she was slightly modified from the original *Hiryū* plans, with reduced belt armor and a different arrangement of anti-aircraft armament to expedite construction. Her main battery consisted of twelve Type 89 127 mm AA guns in six twin mounts and fifty-one Type 96 25mm AT/AA Guns in triple and single mounts for close-range defense. *Amagi* was powered by four Kampon geared steam turbines, driving four propellers with steam provided by eight Kampon water-tube boilers, which gave her a top speed of approximately 34 knots. Her air group was designed to consist of 64 aircraft, including the A6M Zero fighter, the D3A dive bomber, and the B5N torpedo bomber, though she rarely operated a full complement.

Construction and career

*Amagi* was laid down on 1 October 1942 at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki Shipyard as the second vessel of the modified Unryū class. Launched on 15 October 1943, she was commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy on 10 August 1944, assigned to the 3rd Carrier Division. Due to critical shortages of aviation fuel, trained pilots, and aircraft by late 1944, she never saw combat as a frontline carrier. Instead, *Amagi* was primarily used to ferry aircraft and supplies between the Japanese archipelago and forward bases. She conducted training operations in the Seto Inland Sea with other carriers like *Katsuragi* and *Hōshō*. In March 1945, she was lightly damaged during the USN carrier raids on Kure but remained operational. For most of 1945, she was moored at the Kure Naval District, camouflaged and used as a floating anti-aircraft battery to defend against increasing Boeing B-29 Superfortress raids.

Fate

On 24 July 1945, *Amagi* was attacked at her moorings in Kure by aircraft from the United States Navy Task Force 38, including squadrons from the USS *Essex* and USS *Ticonderoga*. She sustained several near misses and one direct bomb hit that caused significant flooding. A follow-up attack on 28 July by aircraft from the USS *Hancock* and USS *Bennington* resulted in further bomb and rocket hits. The cumulative damage caused *Amagi* to capsize and sink in shallow water on 29 July 1945. Her wreck was partially salvaged after the war by the occupation authorities, and the remainder was broken up for scrap between 1946 and 1947. The name was later revived for a helicopter destroyer, *JS Amagi*, commissioned in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in 2023.

Category:Aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy Category:World War II aircraft carriers of Japan Category:Ships built in Nagasaki Category:Maritime incidents in July 1945