Midway 1942 : Ships : Fleet Aircraft Carriers : Hiryū

: Aircraft Carriers
USN Lexington class
USN Yorktown class
HIJMS Akagi, HIJMS Kaga
HIJMS Sōryū, HIJMS Hiryū
IJN Shōkaku class
Comparison Table
Battleships
IJN Kongō class
Cruisers
USN Pensacola class
USN Northampton class
USN Portland class
USN New Orleans class
USN Atlanta class
IJN Mogami class
IJN Tone class
IJN Nagara class
Destroyers
USN Farragut class
USN Porter class
USN Gridley/Benham class
USN Sims class
IJN Asashio class
IJN Kagerō class
IJN Yūgumo class
Submarines
USN Narwhal class
IJN Kaidai VI class
: Carrier Fighters
Brewster F2A Buffalo
Grumman F4F Wildcat
Mitsubishi Type 0 A6M
Comparison Table
Carrier Dive Bombers
Vought SB2U Vindicator
Douglas SBD Dauntless
Aichi Type 99 D3A
Comparison Table
Carrier Torpedo Bombers
Douglas TBD Devastator
Grumman TBF Avenger
Nakajima Type 97 B5N
Comparison Table
Patrol and Recon Planes
Consolidated PBY Catalina
Curtiss SOC Seagull
Aichi Type 0 E13A
Nakajima Type 95 E8N
Land-based Bombers
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Martin B-26 Marauder
Aircraft Armament
Navy Aerial Bombs
Aerial Torpedoes
Aircraft Ammunition

	Hiryū, 飛龍	AIRCRAFT CARRIER, 航空母艦

Displacement:	20,250 t (17,300 t Std)		Machinery:	8 boilers, 4 shafts		Flight Deck:	711 ft 6 in 216.8 m	Armor:	1.8 in (46 mm) belt
Max Length:	745 ft 11 in	227.3 m	Max Power:	153,000 hp	114 092 kW	Fighters:	27× A6M2 Type 0	DP Guns:	6× 2× 5 in (127 mm)/40
Beam:	73 ft 3 in	22.3 m	Max Speed:	34.5 kts	63.89 km/h	Bombers:	18× D3A1 Type 99	AA Guns:	9× 3× 0.98 in (25 mm)
Draght:	25 ft 9 in	7.7 m	Range:	10,330 nm	19 131 km	Attack:	18× B5N2 Type 97	AA Guns:	3× 2× 0.98 in (25 mm)

* Aircraft as in the largest known Air Group ever carried (during the Pearl Harbor raid).

Hiryū, a slightly enlarged version of Sōryū was laid down on 8 July 1936 at Yokosuka Naval Dockyard, launched on 16 November 1937 and commissioned on 5 July 1939. The ship improved on her smaller sister in a number of respects, notably combat range, engines power, and protection. The most notable difference in appearance was an island superstructure on the port side of the ship. Despite a number of shortcomings, Hiryū was judged to be a highly useful design that was to be reincarnated in the late-war Unryū-class aircraft carriers.

Hiryū was active off China during the next few years. During the opening stages of the Pacific War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake, Palau Islands, Darwin, Indian Ocean raids, and the battle of Midway, where she was hit by four bombs at 1705, 4 June 1942. The hits caused massive fires on a forward part of the hangar decks. Ten hours after the attack the crew was ordered to abandon Hiryū. The ship was hit by a torpedo from her escort destroyer and sank at 0910, 5 June 1942, at position 31°27' N 178°23' W.