Akagi was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. At Midway she was Nagumo's flagship and the flagship of the striking force.
She took part in the Attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Captain Kiichi Hasegawa, in command since 25 March 1941, launched her aircraft. Akagi came through that day without a hit.
Captain Taijiro Aoki took command on 25 April 1942. He was still in command when the carrier was lost on 5 June 1942.
On 4 June 1942, in the Battle of Midway, American carrier dive bombers set Nagumo's flagship on fire and wrecked her. The air attack is not credited to any one ship.
She was scuttled the next day, 5 June 1942, after that attack. The hull went down as a loss of the Midway fighting.