IJN Kaga

The IJN Kaga (aka. the IJN Kaku) was an Akagi class Aircraft Carrier built in the Imperial Japanese Navy or IJN and was named after the province of Kaga, Japan in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture. Originally intended to be one of the two Tosa class Battleships,

## IJN Kaga

The Kaga as seen in-game. (Table statistics do not reflect flag bonuses)\*

## Armaments

### Secondary Batteries

-= (x10) Class 1 =--Type 1-

Range: 760m > 926m

Damage: 8,010 > 9,764

Reload Time: 9s > 6s

### Anti-Aircraft Guns

-= (x2) Class 1 =--Type 1-

DPS: 168 > 212

-= (x7) Class 2 =-

-Type 1-

DPS: 272 > 333

-= (x15) Class 3 =-

-Type 1-

DPS: 300 > 368

### Aircraft Details

-Type 1-HP: 476 > 584

Torp. dmg: 19,152 > 21,929

Bomb dmg: 32,920 > 37,693

Reload Time: 13s > 10s

## Background history

Kaga (加賀, *Increased Joy*) was laid down originally as an *Tosa* class super dreadnought but was converted to a carrier due to the Washington Naval Treaty which forbid the building of new battleships. She was modernized in 1935 and got extensive upgrades to all aspects, improving her top speed, armor, and deck capacity for heavier aircraft. She was ultimately sunk during the battle of midway by fierce American attacks by bombers and to this day her wreck's location is still unknown. Perhaps it is best to leave such a ship alone and not disturb her after what it has gone through at Midway. The wreck of IJN Kaga has been located and identified under 17,000ft of water near Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

## Overview

Starting with Kaga, players start to get the feel of high tier carriers; High HP, quick aircraft reload, Large air groups (39 planes, 47 with flags) and strong secondary guns rivaling the firepower of many mid tier cruisers in damage.

## Tactics

Kaga, like Akagi, are the first taste of high tier carrier gameplay that players will get their hands on. With fast reloading planes, Powerful secondaries, and torpedoes that deal massive damage upon contact (20K+ dmg), she prioritized long range striking power over the close range prowess that the starter carriers tend to have.

### Playing Kaga

Considering her low speed, there is no rush to get to the front lines. Besides, your main armament aren't your bombs but torpedoes. One torpedo strike can deal 100k+ dmg, in other words, you can delete up to half of your targets HP well before they even get within gun range. Do keep in mind her planes are quite fragile so expect some losses if you miscalculate your drops and your planes get within AA range. When in close range, abuse the fast ready time of her next squadron to quickly drop 2 bomb runs on the enemy, should all of the bombs hit, it is a guaranteed kill if they have less than 200k HP.

### Playing against Kaga

While Kaga is a carrier, she has a substantial HP pool to rely upon which can give her just enough time to pound you to the seabed even when you get close to her. Her secondaries are also no joke, they are accurate and can deal up to 10k damage per broadside every 6 seconds when maxed. As such, destroyers are recommended to avoid ranges closer than 1km to Kaga and torp her from that range instead. Battleships will have to close the gap as soon as possible as Kaga's torps hurt and they will end you in only 2 or 3 torpedo runs if all of them hit. After closing the gap, keep a decent distance from Kaga, preferably 2-3km as she can still spam her AP bombers. Cruisers will fare better due to their highly effective AA at Kaga's matchmaking tier, but only if the effort has actually went to upgrading them was made. As for carrier counter play against Kaga, you are advised to drop your own torps on her. Avoid close range combat unless you are another high tier Carrier for you lack the Health to tank her bombs long enough to win.

## Advantages and Disadvantages

#### Advantages

* High torpedo and bomb damage for a low-tier carrier
* Powerful Secondaries
* Highest number of planes in low tier
* Powerful AA

#### Disadvantages

* Has low speeds
* Airplanes take a long recharge time of 11 seconds (55 seconds)

## Trivia

* Her association with Akagi despite them being ships of 2 different classes led to many people, historians included, to consider them sister ships.
* The Kaga previously had a lengthy funnel ducting which was removed in her massive reconstruction. The distinctive downturned starboard funnel was later built. This freed space due to the removal of the funnel ducting was divided into two decks and converted into living quarters for an expanded air group. This carrier's complement was increased to 1708 crewmembers.
* Your Planes are Probably Based on Nakajima\_Ki-27 Used by Imperial Japan.