Watch Long-Lost Japanese Aircraft Carrier from WWII Finally Filmed

A famous Japanese aircraft carrier sunk during World War II has finally been captured on film. The Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi, lost at the Battle of Midway, has once again been brought into the spotlight. The mighty ship, which played a role in early naval battles of WW II including Pearl Harbor, was severely damaged by American dive bombers before being purposefully sunk in the deep ocean. Although discovered in 2019, the ship has only now been thoroughly viewed by a team of underwater explorers.

Hidden for 77 Years

The wreck of the Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Akagi was uncovered in 2019 by a team from Vulcan Inc. They were using the research vessel R/V Petrel during a mapping mission. This vessel has found multiple warship relics, such as the cruiser USS Indianapolis and the aircraft carriers USS Hornet and USS Wasp. It even discovered the deepest warship wreck ever found, the destroyer USS Johnston.

The Akagi was located 17,322 feet deep underwater, which is about 3.2 miles down. The ship was identified using sonar, and its identity was confirmed after matching sonar measurements with the lost aircraft carrier. The site is within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, part of the Hawaiian Islands chain. This area is part of the United States’ exclusive economic zone, which means the U.S. government has sole authority over its economic activities.

First Glimpse of the Akagi

A visual survey of the Akagi was done by a team from the NOAA-funded Ocean Exploration Trust aboard the vessel E/V Nautilus. This took place during a 27-day research trip in the isolated, northwestern region of the PMNM. The team looked at other famous WWII wrecks in the area including the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga and the USS Yorktown.

The wreck of the Akagi looks crumpled and shows signs of extreme damage. Spending 81 years in salt water has not helped, with much of the ship corroded. The wreck sits too deep for most sea life, but sea anemones cover the outside of the hull and the superstructure. Researchers identified a marking on the bow of the ship, which was a chrysanthemum symbol representing the Japanese imperial throne.

Akagi The Red Castle

The aircraft carrier Akagi, which means “red castle,” was a powerful warship of its time. Construction began in 1923 as a battlecruiser, but after the Washington Naval Treaty, which limited the fleets of major world powers, Japan had to finish the hull as something different. Instead, it was completed as an aircraft carrier, and Akagi entered service in 1927.

The Akagi was 855 feet long with a width of 103 feet. It had a full-length flight deck and a small island superstructure to manage flight operations. In 1938, it was rebuilt with three elevators between the flight deck and hangar, along with two large hangars. The carrier could reach a top speed of 31 knots, had a crew of 2,000, and could carry 91 aircraft, which included fighters, scout planes, torpedo bombers, and dive bombers.

The Akagi was part of the Kido Butai, a six-carrier strike force of the Japanese Navy’s First Air Fleet. Unlike American carriers that often acted as scouts for battleships, the Kido Butai operated as an independent force capable of large-scale air attacks. One notable attack was the raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, where Akagi and five other carriers participated.

After Pearl Harbor, Akagi took part in other actions including the invasion of Rabaul, which became a significant Japanese base in New Guinea. It then participated in an air raid on Darwin, the invasion of Java, and an air raid on Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

The Battle of Midway

After seven months of successful operations across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Akagi met its end around 250 nautical miles northwest of the American island of Midway. U.S. naval intelligence had figured out that Midway was Japan’s next target, and the U.S. Pacific Fleet was alerted. Three American carriers attacked the four carriers of the Kido Butai’s 1st Carrier Striking Force, whose planes were armed with the wrong weapons for a sea battle.

The combined air assaults from the American carriers led to severe losses for the Japanese, sinking the carriers Sōryū and Kaga directly. The Hiryū, heavily damaged, sank the next day. Akagi was attacked by VB-6, a dive bomber squadron from the USS Enterprise. Twenty-eight Dauntless dive bombers attacked Akagi, hitting it four times. Badly damaged and judged unsalvageable, she was intentionally sunk by firing torpedoes into her burning hull, sending her to the bottom of the ocean.

Watch the discovery below: