National Geographic History - 03.2020 - 04.2020

I.J.N. AKAGI

Designed as a battle cruiser in the 1920s, the Akagi was

converted into a carrier by the Imperial Japanese Navy

in 1935, with the addition of her full-length flight deck.

During the Battle of Midway, American dive-bombers

inflicted fatal damage to it, including one particularly

devastating hit delivered by pilot Richard Best. Soon after,

the Akagi was scuttled by Japanese torpedoes.

I.J.N. KAGA

Formerly a battleship, the Kaga was converted into

Japan’s first heavy aircraft carrier in 1929. During

the Battle of Midway it was attacked by around 30

American dive-bombers and received torpedo strikes

from the American destroyer U.S.S. Nautilus. More than

800 of the crew perished. Pounded into inoperability,

the Kaga was scuttled by the Japanese and left to sink.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY 7

Glimpsed in the Depths

BRISTLING WITH HIGH-TECH surveillance equipment, the Petrel is

one of the few vessels that can explore the sea below 19,

feet. Long-range sonar scanning revealed that the Kaga and the

Akagi are resting more than three miles below the ocean’s surface.

Clear, close-up images of the Kaga reveal striking details of the

sunken aircraft carrier’s weaponry.

OPERATIVES

ABOARD THE

PETREL STUDY

IMAGES ON

DEEP-SEA

SCANNING

DEVICES.

SIDE-SCAN SONAR IMAGE OF

THE WRECK OF THE AKAGI

A GUN AND SUPPORT BASE ON

THE WRECK OF THE KAGA

SECTION OF THE

KAGA’S EXHAUST

ALL IMAGES: VULCAN INC.

WRECK OF THE AKAGI SEEN

FROM ABOVE