The Agano was a Japanese light cruiser, the keel of which was laid in 1940, launched in October 1941, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in October 1942. The ship was 174.5 meters long, 15.2 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 8,500 tons. The cruiser Agano's top speed was 35 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 6 152 mm guns in three turrets, two guns each, and the additional armament included: 4 80 mm guns and two quadruple 610 mm torpedo tubes.
Agano was the first cruiser of the type to bear the same name - ie the Agano. This type of cruisers was created in connection with the need to expand the Japanese light forces, which occurred in the late 1930s. Agano type units were to serve as the so-called "Leaders" or units that lead the destroyer flotillas. This type of task led the Japanese designers to place an emphasis on powerful torpedo armament and high top speed in these cruisers. As a result, very successful ships were created, but less armored than their British or American counterparts. During World War II, the light cruiser Agano took an active part in the last phase of the fighting for Guadalcanal. Shortly thereafter, he participated in the Battle of Empress Augusta's Bay in November 1943. During this battle, and shortly thereafter, it was badly damaged, which forced it to undergo a long renovation at the base on the island of Truk. During her trip to Japan on February 17, 1944, Agano was sunk by the submarine USS Skate.
Musashi was a Japanese battleship laid under the keel in 1938, launched in October 1940, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in August 1942. The total length of the ship was 263 meters, width 36.9 meters, and a full displacement of 65,000 tons. The maximum speed of battleship Yamato was around 27-28 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 9 460 mm guns in three turrets of three guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 6 155 mm guns.
Musashi was the second Yamato-class battleship. The genesis of this type of battleships dates back to the early 1930s, when the command of the Japanese Navy, hoping for the Washington Treaty to expire soon (from 1922) and preparing for the war in the Pacific, decided to create the most powerful and best battleship in history, which would outclass their counterparts in the US Navy or Royal Navy, and keep its construction completely secret. As a result, when it entered service in 1942, Musashi - along with the twin Yamato - was a battleship with the most powerful armament (the 460 mm cannon had a shot range of 42,000 meters!) And was the best armored ship of this type in the world! Musashi became the flagship of the entire Japanese Navy in 1943, but took a limited part in combat operations during the year. At the beginning of 1944, it was torpedoed by an American submarine, which resulted in serious damage and the need for repair. In its course, the anti-aircraft armament of the battleship was also strengthened. Musashi took an active part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 1944), but did not enter into a firefight with American units. In October 1944, during the Battle of Leyte, it was sunk as a result of being hit by as many as 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs.
The Akashi was a Japanese repair and support vessel from the interwar period and World War II, launched in June 1938 and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1939. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 158.5 m, width 20.5 m, and displacement - approx. 9,000 tons. The maximum speed was 19-20 knots. At the time of launch, the unit was armed with 4 127 mm guns and 12 25 mm cannons.
The Akashi was a unique vessel in the Imperial Japanese Navy - the only ship in her class. From the beginning, it was also designed as a repair and overhaul unit, intended to somehow complement the old battleship Asahi rebuilt for this role in the fleet. The unit also received very modern equipment - largely imported from Germany. During the Pacific War (1941-1945), the unit operated primarily from the base in Truk. It carried out overhauls of such units as the aircraft carrier Shokaku in late 1942 and the battleship Yamato in 1943. In February 1944, the unit managed to escape from the base in Truk during the American Operation Hailstone, but was finally sunk on March 30, 1944 as a result of attacks by American air forces.
Very often, the date of birth of naval aviation in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN for short, Japanese Nippon Kaigun) is March 16, 1923, when Lieutenant Sunishi Kira landed in his plane on board the Hosho aircraft carrier, which, moreover, entered service a year earlier (1922). It should be added, however, that in the course of the 1920s, many Japanese naval officers saw aircraft carriers as supporters of battleships and battleships, bearing in mind the great success of Admiral Heihachiro Togo at Tsushima in 1905. The technical level of the then Japanese on-board aircraft was also not the highest. However, this state of affairs began to change in the 30s of the 20th century, among others, due to the later Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who perceived the main weapon in the naval war in aircraft carriers. He was a strong supporter of the development of Japanese on-board aviation, which translated into the construction or modernization of such ships as Kaga, Akagi, Hiryu, Soryu and Zuikaku. Also, Japanese aviation structures not only reached the world leaders, but began to set standards in them, including the famous Mitsubishi A6M Zeke fighter or the Nakajima B5N Kate torpedo plane. This intense development led to the fact that when the war in the Pacific broke out, the IJN had 10 aircraft carriers, on which over 500 on-board machines were based, with well-trained crews. The first months of struggle in the Pacific showed how dangerous this weapon was. It should be remembered, however, that already during that war, the IJN had considerable problems, for example, to replace the A6M Zeke plane on a mass scale or to introduce a successful B5N successor to the line, i.e. the B6N Tenzen torpedo plane. Also, the process of training sea pilots turned out to be flawed and was distanced by the solutions used in the US Navy.
Taiyo (Japanese Great Eagle) was a Japanese light aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1940, launched in September 1940, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1941. The length of the ship was 180.2 m, width 23 m, and a full displacement - 18,100 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Taiyo was only around 21 knots, and its main armament was 27 airplanes.
In 1940, with the planned war in the Pacific, the command of the Japanese Navy decided to expand its air force by rebuilding ocean passenger ships under construction or already launched. One of the aircraft carriers created in this way was Taiyo. Due to its low maximum speed and a small air group, it can be classified as an escort aircraft carrier. Taiyo during World War II took a very limited part in combat operations. It was used primarily for training pilots and as an aircraft carrier. Sometimes it provided air cover to selected important convoys. In 1944, it was sunk near the Philippines by the American submarine USS Rasher.