Wreck of HIJMS Kaga (加賀)

 Second World War 1939-1945, military, navy, shipwreck, aircraft carrier

Laid down in July 1920 as the second member of the Tosa Class of Battleships, the HIJMS Kaga saw her construction plan radically changed in 1922 as Japan adhered to the limits of the Washington Naval Treaty and ceased construction on all warships. Languishing in a shipyard for three years partially completed, the Imperial Japanese Navy elected to use the Kaga's hull for conversion to an Aircraft Carrier, a hull type not as heavily restricted by the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. After three years of conversion work the HIJMS Kaga formally commissioned into service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in November 1929 as the Flagship of Carrier Division 1.

Spending much of the early 1930's experimenting with her unusual hull and topside design and armament schemes, the Kaga obtained her final configuration in 1935 with a full-length flight deck and midship downward-facing funnel along with a modernized defensive armament. After taking part in the Second Sino Japanese War launching airstrikes in support of Japanese forces in Manchuria during 1937 and 1938, the Kaga returned to Japan for a full overhaul in November 1939 to prepare her for the upcoming war with America. Emerging from the yard in May 1941, the Kaga again assumed the role of Flagship of Carrier Division 1 and joined with her sister carrier HIJMS Akagi in intensive training for the planned attack on Pearl Harbor.

Standing out of Hittokapu Bay in the Kuriles on November 26th, 1941, the Kaga and her crew played their part in the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 by launching two strikes of torpedo and dive bombers which attacked the Battleships of the US Pacific Fleet while at anchor. Losing none of her aircraft in the surprise attack, the Kaga and her crew returned to Japan victorious on December 23rd. Following a brief rest, the Kaga steamed for Truk Atoll where she and the rest of the Japanese Fleet began to quickly press their almost uncontested dominance of the South Pacific, with the Kaga lending her airwing to strikes on Rabaul, Kavieng, Darwin and finally Java through March 1942 before damage received by running aground sent the Kaga back to Japan for repairs lasting two months. Returning to action in May 1942 the Kaga rejoined Carrier Division 1 and again began intensive training for a mission which would take place off the Hawaiian Islands Chain; the Invasion of Midway Atoll.

Standing out of Hashirajima on May 27th as part of an large Japanese Naval Armada consisting of three other Fleet Carriers, eleven Battleships, thirteen Cruisers, forty five Destroyers and other auxiliaries, the Kaga and the Carrier Striking Force reached their launch point and at dawn on June 4th, 1942 the Kaga sent her first strike aloft to attack Midway Atoll. As the first airstrike made its attack on Midway, the Kaga's crew received word that American defenses which were thought to be minimal and would be taken by surprise were in fact already alerted to danger and had been considerably upgraded since the Japanese recon of the island only months prior. No sooner had this news begun to spread around ship than word that none of the Kaga's first strike had survived the attack, all having been shot down by anti-aircraft gunners on Midway.

The news of the ineffectual first strike prompted Japanese Admiral Nagumo to fatefully order all remaining torpedo and dive bombers on his Carriers to change ammunition for another strike on Midway. Aboard Kaga, crewmen raced to offload torpedoes and reload bombs onto the planes spotted on deck and in her hangar, all of which were either fully fueled or being fueled for their missions. The frantic pace of the work meant no care was taken to properly store the considerable amount of weaponry now on deck, and the arrival of American B-17's and TBD Devastator's at 0830hrs only worsened the situation as the Kaga began making violent evasive maneuvers. American attacks continued in waves for over an hour, but highly experienced Japanese Pilots managed to shoot down most of the attacking aircraft, and battle tactics executed by Japanese Naval Officers saw none of the ships damaged by the high-altitude bombing. Shortly before 1000hrs, the last American torpedo bomber wave was swatted away with heavy losses and lookouts reported the skies were clear of enemy aircraft. Returning to her base course with the rest of the Carrier Strike Force, the Kaga swung her bow into the wind and prepared to send her second airstrike aloft.

As the first planes were spotted for takeoff and crews worked to clear the deck of ammunition, torpedoes and fuel lines, a flight of SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from the USS Enterprise (CV-6) came screaming out of the clouds directly above the Kaga with almost total surprise and released their bombloads onto the highly vulnerable Carrier's flight deck. At 1022hrs the Kaga was struck by a 500lb at the after end of the flight deck where it destroyed several aircraft topside before penetrating into the berthing compartment and detonated. Seconds later she was struck by a 500lb bomb in her foreword elevator and a third which impacted the Kaga squarely on her bridge, killing the majority of her officers including her Captain. The fourth and final hit came from a 1000lb bomb which punched through her flight deck and detonated in her hanger among dozens of fueled and armed aircraft, causing immense damage and flames. In the space of two minutes the Kaga was reduced to a ball of flame as fires fed by damaged aircraft and ruptured fuel lines quickly grew in size. Lacking a commanding officer to direct damage control, initial firefighting efforts were disorganized and hampered by severed fire mains which robbed crews foreword of water to fight the rapidly spreading fires. Inexperienced crew used water to fight the fuel fires on deck and aided in spreading the topside fire below, as the burning gasoline poured through shattered deck plating and into the hanger deck. Despite the carnage on deck and in her hangar, the Kaga remained under way for almost an hour after the attack until a large fuel/air explosion in her hangar set off several other detonations of torpedo warheads and bombs which collapsed bulkheads and blew out the Kaga's hangar walls. Forced to abandon their position due to the intense heat and smoke, the Kaga's engine room crew shut down her propulsion plant and the Kaga slowed to a halt at roughly 1200hrs.

With the situation aboard ship growing steadily worse and much of the Japanese Carrier force in similar straits, the acting CO of the Kaga ordered all non-essential crew to abandon ship at 1410hrs. As the crew were removed onto two Destroyers, the burning hulk of the Kaga was attacked by the USS Nautilus (SS-168), which hit the stricken carrier with a torpedo that failed to detonate. The presence of an American Submarine and the worsening fires aboard the Kaga prompted the order for the ship to be abandoned, and at 1700hrs her colors were struck and the Emperor's Portrait removed. With her last survivor confirmed off the ship, the Kaga was torpedoed twice by the Destroyer HIJMS Maikaze (舞風) and sank Stern-first at this location at 1925hrs on June 4th, 1942. 814 officers and crew were lost in her sinking.

www.combinedfleet.com/kaga.htm

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yMM72Qg6MY