Kaga, a 33,693-ton aircraft carrier, was built at Kobe and Yokosuka, Japan. Launched as a battleship, she was completed as Japan's first large aircraft carrier in March 1926. Kaga was thoroughly reconstructed in 1934-35, receiving a full-length flight deck capable of efficiently handling more modern aircraft. Active off China during the war that began in 1937, she later took part in the December 1941 Pearl Harbor attack and other operations of the opening months of World War II in the Pacific. On 4 June 1942, during the Battle of Midway, dive bombers from USS Enterprise (CV-6) inflicted fatal damage on Kaga. She sank later that day.
This page features all the views we have concerning the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: NH 73060 Kaga (Japanese Aircraft Carrier, 1921-1942) At sea following her 1934-36 modernization. Donation of Kazutoshi Hando, 1970. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Online Image: 114KB; 740 x 510 pixels |
![]() |
Photo #: NH 75483 Kaga (Japanese Aircraft Carrier, 1921-1942) Steams through heavy north Pacific seas, en route to attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, circa early December 1941. Carrier Zuikaku is at right. Frame from a motion picture film taken from the carrier Akagi. The original film was found on Kiska in 1943. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Online Image: 63KB; 740 x 615 pixels |
![]() |
Photo #: 80-G-701869 Battle of Midway, June 1942 Diorama by Norman Bel Geddes, depicting the attack by USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Yorktown (CV-5) dive bombers on the Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga and Soryu in the morning of 4 June 1942. The diorama was created during World War II on the basis of information then available. It is therefore somewhat inaccurate in scope and detail. This angle of view depicts Soryu (attacked by Yorktown aircraft) in the middle distance, with Kaga and Akagi (both attacked by Enterprise aircraft) as the closer two burning ships. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 73KB; 740 x 380 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
![]() |
Photo #: 80-G-701870 Battle of Midway, June 1942 Diorama by Norman Bel Geddes, depicting the attack by USS Yorktown (CV-5) and USS Enterprise (CV-6) dive bombers on the Japanese aircraft carriers Soryu, Akagi and Kaga in the morning of 4 June 1942. The diorama was created during World War II on the basis of information then available. It is therefore somewhat inaccurate in scope and detail. This angle of view is essentially the reciprocal of that shown in Photo # 80-G-701869. It depicts Soryu (attacked by Yorktown aircraft) in the center foreground, with Kaga and Akagi (both attacked by Enterprise aircraft) as the two most distant burning ships. The burning ship at far right is a light cruiser, which had been erroneously reported to have been hit. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 95KB; 740 x 445 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
![]() |
Photo #: NH 95557 Battle of Midway, June 1942 A Douglas SBD-3 "Dauntless" scout bomber (Bureau # 4542), of USS Enterprise's Bombing Squadron Six (VB-6), is parked on board USS Yorktown (CV-5) after landing at about 1140 hrs on 4 June 1942. This plane, damaged during the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga that morning, landed on Yorktown as it was low on fuel. It was later lost with the carrier. Its crew included Ensign George H. Goldsmith, pilot, and Radioman 1st Class James W. Patterson, Jr. Note damage to the horizontal tail and dual stripes painted on the fin. Courtesy of the U.S. Naval Institute, 1984. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Online Image: 79KB; 740 x 605 pixels |
![]() |
Photo #: NH 100740 Battle of Midway, June 1942 A Douglas SBD-3 "Dauntless" scout bomber (Bureau # 4542), of USS Enterprise's Bombing Squadron Six (VB-6), on USS Yorktown (CV-5) after landing at about 1140 hrs on 4 June 1942. This plane, damaged during the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga that morning, landed on Yorktown as it was low on fuel. It was later lost with the carrier. Its crew, Ensign George H. Goldsmith, pilot, and Radioman 1st Class James W. Patterson, Jr., are still in the cockpit. Note damage to the horizontal tail. Courtesy of Kent Walters and Robert J. Cressman. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Online Image: 70KB; 740 x 535 pixels |
![]() |
Photo #: 80-G-701871 Battle of Midway, June 1942 Diorama by Norman Bel Geddes, depicting the attack by USS Nautilus (SS-168) on a burning Japanese aircraft carrier during the early afternoon of 4 June 1942, as seen through the submarine's periscope. Nautilus thought she had attacked Soryu, and that her torpedoes had exploded when they hit the target. Most evidence, however, is that the ship attacked was Kaga, and that the torpedoes failed to detonate. The ship shown in this wartime diorama does not closely resemble either of those carriers. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 75KB; 740 x 605 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
![]() |
NOTES:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made circa March 1999
Coding updated 3 May 2009