IJN Akagi was a Japanese aircraft carrier and the first fleet carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). Originally laid down as an Amagi-class battlecruiser in 1920, it was converted into an aircraft carrier during construction to comply with the Washington Naval Treaty. Commissioned in 1927, Akagi became the flagship of the First Air Fleet (Kido Butai) and played a central role in major Japanese operations during World War II, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the invasion of Rabaul, the bombing of Darwin, and the Indian Ocean Raid.

Akagi was rebuilt from 1935 to 1938, consolidating its three flight decks into a single large flight deck and adding an island superstructure, significantly increasing its aircraft capacity from 61 to 91. At the Battle of Midway in June 1942, Akagi was severely damaged by dive bombers from the USS Enterprise. Unable to be saved, the ship was scuttled by Japanese destroyers on June 5, 1942. Her wreck was discovered in 2019 by the Research Vessel Petrel at a depth of approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) near Midway Atoll.

Name: Akagi (赤城 – "Red Castle")
Class: Akagi-class (first fleet carrier)
Builder: Kure Naval Arsenal
Laid down: December 6, 1920
Launched: April 22, 1925
Commissioned: March 25, 1927
Sunk: June 5, 1942
Displacement: 36,500 long tons (standard), 41,300 long tons (deep load)
Length: 260.67 m (855 ft 3 in)
Beam: 31.32 m (102 ft 9 in)
Speed: 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h)
Aircraft Capacity: 66 operational, 25 in reserve
Crew: 1,630
Fate: Scuttled after being damaged at the Battle of Midway