The Amagi class battlecruiser was a planned class of warship for the Imperial Japanese Navy, as part of the so-called "Eight-eight fleet". The class was to have been composed of four ships: Amagi, Akagi, Atago, and Takao. The first three were named for mountains (Mount Amagi, Mount Akagi and Mount Atago), while the fourth was named for the town Takao, Formosa (present-day Kaohsiung, Taiwan). The Amagi design was essentially an enlarged version of the Tosa-class battleship, but with a thinner armored belt and deck and a modified secondary battery arrangement. Limitations imposed by the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty prevented the class from being completed as designed. However, the treaty had a limited allowance for hulls already under construction to be converted into aircraft carriers. Amagi and Akagi were both intended for conversion, but an earthquake damaged the hull of Amagi so extensively that the ship was scrapped. Akagi was refitted as an aircraft carrier and served with distinction during World War II as part of the Kido Butai before being sunk at the Battle of Midway.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amagi_class_battlecruiser> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1425: Pope Martin V issued a papal bull establishing what later became the Catholic University of Leuven , the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_University_of_Leuven> 1905: Legislation establishing state secularism in France was passed by the Chamber of Deputies of France, triggering civil disobedience by French Catholics. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1905_French_law_on_the_Separation_of_the_Churches_and_the_State> 1979: A World Health Organization commission of eminent scientists certified the global eradication of smallpox, making it the only human infectious disease to date to have been completely eradicated from nature. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/smallpox> 1990: Lech Wałęsa became the first President of Poland to be elected in a direct presidential election after the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lech_Wa%C5%82%C4%99sa> 2008: Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich was arrested for a number of corruption crimes, including attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat that was being vacated by then-U.S. President-elect Barack Obama. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Blagojevich_corruption_charges> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: comport (v): 1. To be in agreement (with); to be of an accord. 2. (reflexive) To behave (in a given manner) <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/comport> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: A ship in port is safe; but that is not what ships are built for. Sail out to sea and do new things. --Grace Hopper <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
