Japanese gunboat Akagi
Akagi was a steel-hulled steam gunboat of the early Imperial Japanese Navy and the last of the Maya-class ships. Named after Mount Akagi, she was built at Onohama Shipyards, laid down in 1886, launched in 1888, and commissioned in 1890. She displaced about 622 tons, was about 51 meters long, and used a two-screw steam engine with two boilers. Her early armament included a large Krupp gun and a 120 mm gun, plus two quadruple 1-inch Nordenfelt guns for defense. By 1894 she was rebuilt with a short forecastle and four 120 mm guns on her centerline, with six 47 mm guns for close defense, all protected by shields.
Akagi saw action in the First Sino-Japanese War, patrolling Korea and Chinese waters and fighting at the Battle of the Yalu River. She helped damage the Chinese cruiser Laiyuan but was damaged herself. In 1898 she was redesignated as a second-class gunboat and took on coastal survey and patrol duties. She also served in the Boxer Rebellion and in the Russo-Japanese War, aiding at Port Arthur, taking part in a blockade attempt in 1904, and providing fire support at the Battle of Nanshan. She collided with the gunboat Ōshima during patrol in 1904 and later participated in the Invasion of Sakhalin.
Akagi was struck from the navy list in 1911 and sold in 1912 to Kawasaki Kisen as Akagi Maru. She passed through other owners, sank in a 1945 typhoon, was raised and returned to service, and was finally scrapped in 1953.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:26 (CET).