This is I J Anakagi, the Red Dragon.
One of the most powerful aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
At 260 m in length and carrying 66 fighter aircraft, Akagi was once a symbol of unstoppable naval power.
On December 7th, 1941, aircraft from Aagi’s deck participated in the world shocking attack on Pearl Harbor.
For the next 6 months, this ship swept away every opponent from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.
The Japanese believed a Kagi was invincible, but it would all end on one fateful morning at Midway, June 4th, 1942.
[music] >> This is the story of Akagi’s final battle.
After the resounding victory at Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto planned to capture Midway Island, an important American outpost in the middle of the Pacific.
The objective, lure out the American fleet and destroy it completely.
The Japanese strike force was terrifying.
[music] Four heavy aircraft carriers, Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, and Soryu.
These were the ships that had devastated Pearl Harbor, Darwin, and Salon.
They had never known defeat.
But the Americans had broken the Japanese JN25 code.
Admiral Nimmitz knew exactly when and where Japan would attack.
Three American carriers, Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown, were waiting an ambush.
4:45 in the morning, June 4th.
From the four Japanese carriers, the first attack wave took off toward Midway Island.
108 aircraft carrying bombs and torpedoes flew into the dimly lit sky.
From a kagi alone, 27 aircraft launched.
Everything was going according to plan.
But at 7:28 in the morning, a reconnaissance sea plane reported, “Enemy ships spotted.
” The news struck like lightning.
Then at 8:09, the critical message arrived.
Enemy force includes what appears to be a carrier.
Admiral Nagumo fell into a terrible dilemma.
The reserve aircraft on deck were being armed with land bombs for a second strike on Midway, but now they needed torpedoes to fight warships.
>> The order was given.
>> Change the weapons immediately.
Get that.
>> On a kagi’s hanger deck, hundreds of sailors began removing bombs and replacing them with torpedoes.
Bombs, torpedoes, and fuel lines piled up on the deck.
And then a worse problem emerged.
The aircraft returning from midway were out of fuel and needed to land urgently.
The flight deck had to be cleared to receive them.
The rearming process was delayed again.
The time was 10:20 in the morning.
Akagi was at its most vulnerable moment.
Fuel, ammunition, aircraft, everything crowded on deck.
One bomb hit would be catastrophic.
From 7:00 in the morning, American attacks began pouring in.
But not all were successful.
First came the torpedo planes from USS Hornet.
Squadron VT8 with 15 TBD Devastator aircraft flew low over the water trying to approach and drop torpedoes.
But the TBD Devastator was an old slow aircraft achieving only 200 km per hour when carrying torpedoes.
Zero fighters from a Kagi dove down like hunting hawks.
The VT8 formation was torn apart.
One aircraft, then two, then three, exploded in midair.
The remaining aircraft tried to continue, but Akagi’s anti-aircraft guns opened fierce fire.
Within 10 minutes, all 15 TBD Devastators from VT8 were shot down.
Not one dropped its torpedo.
Only one pilot, Enson George Gay, survived, floating in the sea, watching the entire battle unfold.
Next came VT6 from Enterprise with 14 aircraft and VT3 from Yorktown with 12 aircraft.
Same fate.
They flew into dense fire without fighter escorts.
41 torpedo bombers launched in total.
Only six returned.
Not a single torpedo hit its target.
On Akagi’s deck, sailors cheered.
They had repelled three waves of American attacks.
It seemed this would be another easy victory, but these failed attacks had created an unexpected consequence.
All the Zero fighters were flying low over the water, having chased the torpedo planes.
The sky at high altitude was now completely empty.
10:22 in the morning.
On Akagi’s deck, sailors were rushing to complete arming aircraft with torpedoes.
[music] Just 15 more minutes and they could launch a counterattack wave.
From an altitude of 4,500 m, Lieutenant Commander Wade McCcluskey with 37 SBD Dauntless dive bombers from USS Enterprise were circling, searching for the Japanese fleet.
They were almost out of fuel and preparing to return.
Then McCcluskey spotted a Japanese destroyer running at high speed.
[music] It was Arashi trying to catch up with the main fleet after attacking an American submarine.
McCcluskey decided to follow Arashi’s course.
10 to 20 in the morning.
Four Japanese carriers appeared below.
No fighters at high altitude.
The decks were packed with aircraft being refueled.
McCcluskey signaled.
The entire squadron split up.
Some targeting Kaga, others targeting other carriers.
Only three aircraft from Best’s section would attack a Kagi.
The rest of McCclusk’s bombers went after Kaga.
Lieutenant Richard Best, commanding a three plane section, aimed his small flight straight at a Kagi.
He dove at a 70° angle, speed increasing to 380 km per hour, then 400.
Akagi’s bullseye, the 260 meter wide flight deck, became increasingly clear in his bomb site.
At an altitude of 550 m, Best released his bomb.
The 1,000 lb bomb 454 kg fell freely, spinning through the air, plummeting at terrifying velocity.
on Akagi’s deck.
Those who saw it only had time to gape, no time to hide, no time to do anything.
10, 22, and 30 seconds in the morning.
Best’s bomb penetrated the flight deck near the center elevator.
It punched through to the hangar deck below before detonating.
The explosion tore through the hangar deck.
Precisely there, several aircraft were being refueled.
Fuel lines burst.
Aviation gasoline sprayed out like waterfalls, then ignited immediately.
The shock waves swept through rows of aircraft packed tight on the hanger deck.
A B5N Kate carrying a type 91 torpedo was thrown aside.
The torpedo flew out of the aircraft’s belly, rolled across the deck, its detonator striking a steel column.
The torpedo detonated with a thunderous roar.
The 200 kg warhead tore apart the fuselage of the adjacent aircraft.
That aircraft also carried a torpedo.
It exploded in turn.
Then the one beside it.
The chain reaction began.
Seconds later, either another bomb from Best’s wingmen struck or the secondary explosions were so massive they seemed like another bomb hit.
Historical accounts differ.
Some say only one direct hit.
Others suggest too.
What is certain is that the devastation was catastrophic.
The explosion in the hangar deck center, whether from a second bomb or from the massive pile of bombs and torpedoes waiting to be stored, was three times more devastating than the first.
Dozens of bombs detonated simultaneously.
Multiple torpedoes exploded in sequence.
The entire center of the hangar deck transformed into a massive fireball.
The heatwave spread like an invisible wall, igniting everything within 40 m.
The nearest men burst into flames instantly.
They didn’t even have time to scream.
The explosion’s pressure pushed upward, bulging the flight deck.
Some deck plates were blown off.
Flames shot up through the gaps, burning those standing on the flight deck.
In less than two minutes, Akagi had become hell.
On the flight deck, a massive hole gaped open.
From that hole, black smoke rose like a monstrous column.
The temperature from below was so high it made the surrounding flight deck steel begin to glow red.
Below in the hanger deck was an indescribable scene.
Temperature exceeded 1,000° C.
Aluminum, the metal of aircraft skin, melted, dripping like rain.
>> Rubber tires burned, creating toxic black smoke.
>> Petty Officer Mitsuo Fuida, who had commanded the Pearl Harbor attack, was on the bridge level when the bombs fell.
The explosion threw him, breaking both legs.
When he regained consciousness, he saw a horrific scene.
The hangar deck was a sea of fire.
Aircraft exploded one by one.
Torpedoes detonated with harsh sounds.
Men ran wildly.
Bodies of flame.
Some jumped overboard.
Some tried to roll to extinguish flames on themselves.
I could hear screaming, but the explosions were so loud they almost drowned everything out.
In the damage control room, Commander Nakajima tried to assess the situation.
Reports flooded in.
>> Hanger deck.
Fire uncontrollable.
>> Automatic firefighting system destroyed.
Multiple secondary explosions.
Engine room still secure.
Rudder still operational.
There was still hope.
The engines were running.
The ship maintained 28 knots.
If they could extinguish the fires, firefighting teams sprang into action.
120 men carrying fire hoses, extinguishers, and extraordinary courage.
They advanced into the hangar deck from both ends of the ship.
The temperature was too high.
Paint on walls spontaneously combusted before flames touched it.
Air so hot it was difficult to breathe.
Each breath felt like inhaling knives.
Teams led by brave warrant officers pushed into the inferno.
They opened the water hoses, spraying into the fires.
Water evaporated immediately, creating scalding steam.
The steam layer obscured visibility.
Then another torpedo exploded.
The shock wave threw men backward.
Some were impaled by metal fragments, but survivors stood up, continued fighting.
From the stern, another team tried to advance.
They used foam suppressant, hoping to stop the flames, but the fire was too large.
Each time they extinguished one spot, three others flared up.
10:40 in the morning, just 18 minutes after the bombs fell, a series of explosions shook the entire ship.
It was the anti-aircraft ammunition storage near the hanger deck.
Thousands of 25 mm rounds exploded like fireworks.
Shell fragments pierced through bulkheads, shooting into adjacent compartments.
Some pierced straight up to the flight deck, killing those trying to fight fires there.
Some shot downward, puncturing fuel lines.
Fuel spilled out, flowing with the ship’s list, creating a stream of burning liquid from midship toward the bow.
Fire followed the fuel stream, igniting new blazes.
11:00 in the morning, Commander Nakajima was forced to report to Captain Aoki.
The situation grows worse.
Fire is spreading to new compartments.
Casualties are mounting.
Some compartments are too hot to enter.
>> 10:46 in the morning.
Admiral Nagumo, fleet commander, stood on the bridge as communications became increasingly difficult.
The bridge was filling with smoke.
Fire was threatening to reach the island superructure.
>> The chief of staff reported >> Admiral, you must transfer your flag.
We cannot command the fleet from here.
This was a cruel decision.
Leaving Akagi meant admitting the ship was defeated.
>> But Nagumo had no choice.
evacuation.
>> He had to save the remaining fleet.
Around 11:00, Admiral Nagumo and his staff were transferred to Destroyer Noaki by boat.
As he left Akagi, he turned back to look at the ship, tears streaming.
“Forgive me, Akagi.
I have failed you.
” But Captain Aoki Tairo refused to leave.
“This is my ship,” he said.
“I will stay until the end.
” Noon.
The situation became hopeless.
Temperature in some compartments had exceeded 70° C.
People could not survive there.
Firefighting water pipes burst from pressure and temperature.
Many hoses had no water.
Rescue teams tried to reach trapped sailors in various compartments.
But many corridors had become furnaces.
Dozens of brave men died trying to save their comrades.
Engineering crews worked desperately near the magazines.
Their mission, flood these compartments with seaater before they exploded.
If the magazines detonated, the entire ship would break in two.
>> They opened the sea valves.
>> Water rushed in, but the temperature was so high that water boiled upon touching the compartment bottom.
Scalding steam severely burned several men.
They continued until critical compartments were flooded.
2:00 in the afternoon, nearly 4 hours since the bombs fell.
The fires remained uncontrolled.
Actually, they were spreading.
Fire had reached areas dangerously close to the engine rooms.
Captain Aoki convened an emergency meeting with remaining officers.
The situation was grim.
Hanger deck completely out of control.
firefighting system.
60% damaged casualties.
Over 200 dead or seriously wounded engine room still operational but threatened ship’s structure weakening from heat and explosions.
Is saving the ship possible? Aayoki asked.
Silence.
Finally, Commander Nakajima spoke.
Sir, with current equipment, I don’t think so.
The fire is too strong.
were fighting a losing battle.
4:30 in the afternoon, another massive explosion shook the ship, larger than previous ones.
Part of the flight deck collapsed into the hangar deck below.
Black smoke shot up hundreds of meters.
Aayoki made the hardest decision of his life.
>> All crew not necessary for keeping the ship afloat prepared to abandon ship.
The orders spread like a wave of pain.
Many [music] men wept openly.
Abandon Akagi, the ship that once dominated the Pacific.
But orders were orders.
Lifeboats were lowered.
Destroyers Arashi and Noaki moved alongside to receive survivors.
Groups were evacuated one by one.
By 5:00 in the afternoon, most of the crew had been evacuated.
Captain Aoki made a final inspection, checking compartments that could still be accessed, ensuring no living soul remained behind.
He was the last to leave Akagi, departing around 5:15 in the afternoon after ensuring all survivors had been rescued.
As his boat pulled away from the hull, Aoki turned back to look at Akagi one last time.
The ship still floated, but the entire midsection burned fiercely.
Black smoke obscured half the sky.
“Sanara Akagi,” he whispered.
“Night of June 4th, 1942.
” Akagi still floated like a burning ghost ship.
Fires blazed throughout the hull.
Occasionally, an explosion tore through the darkness.
The ship listed to starboard, but stubbornly remained afloat.
Four destroyers, Arashi, Noaki, Hagakazi, and Mikazi circled around Akagi like mourners at a funeral.
They had to remain to protect the ship, guarding against further American attacks.
But they also awaited final orders from Admiral Yamamoto.
Yamamoto was hundreds of kilometers away on battleship Yamato.
He received reports about [music] Akagi.
The ship could not be saved.
Fire still raged uncontrolled, but the carrier also could not be left to fall into enemy hands or become a hazard to navigation.
A decision had to be made, and it was one of the most painful decisions an admiral could make.
Dawn of June [music] 5th, an encrypted message reached the fleet.
Scuttle Akagi.
On destroyer Arashi, the squadron commander received the order.
He stood still, hands trembling, holding the paper.
Around him, officers were silent.
Some wept openly.
Fire.
>> “We must follow orders,” he finally said, voice breaking.
“Prepare torpedoes.
” 5:00 in the morning, four destroyers lined up about 1,500 m from a kagi.
>> On each ship, torpedo tubes were turned toward the carrier.
Sailors performed their duty with tear streaked faces, hands shaking as they loaded the weapons.
No one wanted to do this, but these were orders.
This was the final duty they could perform for a kagi, an honorable death by friendly hands rather than letting the ship fall into enemy hands or sink alone.
Fire.
Four Type 93 torpedoes, the world’s best torpedoes at that time, launched from their tubes.
They left white foam trails on the water, racing at 50 knots toward Akagi.
On the destroyers, everyone stood at attention, watching.
Many raised hands in final salute.
Tears flowed freely down weathered faces.
The first torpedo struck a Kagi’s starboard side near the bow.
A massive column of water erupted.
The ship shuddered violently.
The second torpedo hit a midship.
The explosion was tremendous.
Akagi began listing more severely to starboard.
The third and fourth torpedoes struck the stern section close together.
Two nearly simultaneous explosions cracked the hull structure.
Seawater rushed in through four massive holes.
The damage control system had long been destroyed.
There was nothing to stop the flooding.
Akagi began her final descent.
5:05 in the morning, the list increased dramatically.
Water flooded the hangar deck, finally extinguishing the fires that had burned for over 18 hours.
510 in the morning.
A cogi listed 30°.
The bow dipped lower.
The stern began to rise.
5:15 in the morning, the massive carrier rolled onto her side.
For a moment, she seemed to hesitate as if reluctant to leave the world she had once dominated.
520 in the morning, June 5th, 1942.
I JN Akagi slipped beneath the waves.
The bow went first, followed by the bridge and island structure.
The flight deck, once crowded with aircraft preparing to conquer the Pacific, disappeared under the water.
Finally, the stern with its massive propellers rose high, then slowly, majestically, slid beneath the surface.
Within moments, only ripples remained where Akagi had been.
A few pieces of debris floated on the oil sllicked water.
The red dragon was gone.
On the four destroyers, every man stood at attention in absolute silence.
Many openly wept.
They had just witnessed the end of an era, the death of Japanese naval supremacy in the Pacific.
The ship sank to a depth of 5,400 m where it would rest undisturbed for 77 years.
Midway was the turning point of the Pacific War.
Japan lost four carriers in one day.
Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu.
Along with them went over 300 experienced pilots who could never be replaced.
From that day forward, Japan would never regain the initiative.
Akagi’s story is one of glory and tragedy.
From the height of power at Pearl Harbor to destruction at Midway took only 6 months.
The ship that had seemed invincible was destroyed not just by American bombs, but by Japanese overconfidence, by a fatal delay in rearming aircraft, by the chaos of split-second decisions in battle.
The final toll, approximately 267 men died with a kagi.
Hundreds more were wounded.
These were experienced sailors and officers who represented years of training and irreplaceable combat experience.
In October 2019, 77 years after the battle, the research vessel Petrol discovered a Kagi’s wreck resting upside down on the ocean floor at 5,400 m depth.
The ship that once ruled the Pacific skies now lies in eternal darkness.
A steel tomb for those who went down with her.
Rest in peace, I JN Akagi and all who sailed in her.
