Thursday, December 26, 2019

Carrier Akagi in World War II

The aircraft carrier Akagi entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1927 and took part in the opening campaigns of World War II. Originally intended to be a battlecruiser, Akagis hull was converted to an aircraft carrier during construction in compliance with the Washington Naval Treaty. In this new role, it helped pioneer carrier operations within the Imperial Japanese Navy and took part in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Akagi aided in the rapid Japanese advance across through Pacific until be sunk by American dive bombers at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Design and Construction Ordered in 1920, Akagi (Red Castle) initially was designed as an Amagi-class battlecruiser mounting ten 16-inch guns. Laid down at Kure Naval Arsenal on December 6, 1920, work progressed on the hull over the next two years. This came to an abrupt halt in 1922 when Japan signed the Washington Naval Treaty which limited warship construction and placed constraints on tonnage. Under the terms of the treaty, signatories were permitted to convert two battleship or battlecruiser hulls into aircraft carriers so long as the new ships did not exceed 34,000 tons. Assessing the ships then under construction, the Imperial Japanese Navy selected the incomplete hulls of Amagi and Akagi for conversion. Work resumed on Akagi on November 19, 1923. After a further two years of work, the carrier entered the water on April 22, 1925. In converting Akagi, designers finished the carrier with three superimposed flight decks. An unusual arrangement, it was intended to allow the ship to launch as many aircraft as possible in a short period of time. Akagi at Kure Naval Arsenal in 1925 shortly after its launch. Public Domain   In actual operation, the middle flight deck proved too short for most aircraft. Capable of 32.5 knots, Akagi was powered by four sets of Gihon geared steam turbines. As carriers were still envisioned as support units within the fleet, Akagi was armed with ten 20 cm guns for fending off enemy cruisers and destroyers. Commissioned on March 25, 1927, the carrier conducted shakedown cruises and training before joining the Combined Fleet in August. Early Career Joining the First Carrier Division in April 1928, Akagi served as Rear Admiral Sankichi Takahashis flagship. Conducting training for most of the year, command of the carrier passed to Captain Isoroku Yamamoto in December. Withdrawn from frontline service in 1931, Akagi underwent several minor refits before returning to active duty two years later. Carrier Akagi undergoing sea trials in 1927. Public Domain Sailing with the Second Carrier Division, it took part in fleet maneuvers and helped pioneer Japanese naval aviation doctrine. This ultimately called for carriers to operate in front of the battle fleet with the goal of using massed air attacks to disable the enemy before ship-to-ship fighting commenced. After two years of operations, Akagi was again withdrawn and placed in reserve status prior to a major overhaul. Japanese Carrier Akagi Nation:  JapanType:  Aircraft CarrierShipyard:  Kure Naval ArsenalLaid Down:  December 6, 1920Launched:  April 22, 1925Commissioned:  March 25, 1927Fate:  Sunk June 4, 1942SpecificationsDisplacement:  37,100 tonsLength:  855 ft., 3 in.Beam:  102 ft., 9 in.Draft:  28 ft., 7 in.Propulsion:  4 Kampon geared steam turbines, 19 Kampon water-tube boilers, 4 Ãâ€" shaftsSpeed:  31.5 knotsRange:  12,000 nautical miles at 16 knotsComplement:  1,630 menArmament6 Ãâ€" 1 20 cm guns6 Ãâ€" 2 120 mm (4.7 in) AA guns14 Ãâ€" 2 25 mm (1 in) AA gun Reconstruction Modernization As naval aircraft increased in size and weight, Akagis flight decks proved too short for their operation. Taken to Sasebo Naval Arsenal in 1935, work began on a massive modernization of the carrier. This saw the elimination of the lower two flight decks and their conversion into fully-enclosed hangar decks. The topmost flight deck was extended the length of the ship giving Akagi a more traditional carrier look. In addition to engineering upgrades, the carrier also received a new island superstructure. Counter to the standard design, this was placed on the port side of the flight deck in an effort to move it away from the ships exhaust outlets. Designers also enhanced Akagis anti-aircraft batteries which were placed amidships and low on the hull. This led to them having a limited arc of fire and being relatively ineffective against dive bombers. Return to Service Work on Akagi came to an end in August 1938 and the ship soon rejoined the First Carrier Division. Moving into southern Chinese waters, the carrier supported Japanese ground operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War. After striking targets around Guilin and Liuzhou, Akagi steamed back to Japan. Aircraft prepare to launch from the Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Akagi for the second wave of attacks on Pearl Harbor, December 7 ,1941.   Public Domain The carrier returned to the Chinese coast the following spring and later underwent a brief overhaul in late 1940. In April 1941, the Combined Fleet concentrated its carriers into the First Air Fleet (Kido Butai). Serving in the First Carrier Division of this new formation with the carrier Kaga, Akagi spent the later part of the year preparing for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Departing northern Japan on November 26, the carrier served as flagship for Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumos Striking Force. World War II Begins Sailing in company with five other carriers, Akagi began launching two waves of aircraft early on the morning of December 7, 1941. Descending on Pearl Harbor, the carriers torpedo planes targeted the battleships USS Oklahoma, USS West Virginia, and USS California. The dive bombers of the second wave attacked USS Maryland and USS Pennsylvania. Withdrawing after the attack, Akagi, Kaga, and the carriers of the Fifth Carrier Division (Shokaku and Zuikaku) moved south and supported the Japanese invasion of New Britain and the Bismarck Islands. After this operation, Akagi and Kaga fruitlessly searched for American forces in the Marshall Islands before launching raids on Darwin, Australia on February 19. In March, Akagi helped cover the invasion of Java and the carriers aircraft proved successful in hunting Allied shipping. Ordered to Staring Bay, Celebes for a brief period of rest, the carrier sortied on March 26 with the rest of the First Air Fleet for a raid into the Indian Ocean. Attacking Colombo, Ceylon on April 5, Akagis aircraft assisted in sinking the heavy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire. Four days later, it mounted a raid against Trincomalee, Ceylon and aided in the destruction of the carrier HMS Hermes. That afternoon, Akagi came under attack from British Bristol Blenheim bombers but did not sustain any damage. With the completion of the raid, Nagumo withdrew his carriers east and steamed for Japan. Aircraft carrier Akagi shortly after leaving Port Stirling, Celebes Island, for the Indian Ocean. Her island and forward flight deck (with parked B5N Kate torpedo bombers), March 26, 1942.   Public Domain Battle of Midway On April 19, while passing Formosa (Taiwan), Akagi and the carriers Soryu and Hiryu were detached and ordered east to locate USS Hornet (CV-8) and USS Enterprise (CV-6) which had just launched the Doolittle Raid. Failing to locate the Americans, they broke off the pursuit and returned to Japan on April 22. A month and three days later, Akagi sailed in company with Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu to support the invasion of Midway. Arriving at a point approximately 290 miles from the island on June 4, the Japanese carriers opened the Battle of Midway by launching a 108-plane strike. As the morning progressed, the Japanese carriers evaded several attacked by Midway-based American bombers. Recovering the Midway strike force just before 9:00 AM, Akagi began spotting aircraft for an attack on the recently discovered American carrier forces. As this work progressed, American TBD Devastator torpedo bombers commenced an assault on the Japanese carriers. This was repulsed with heavy losses by the fleets combat air patrol. Though the American torpedo planes had been defeated, their attack pulled the Japanese fighters out of position. This allowed arriving American SBD Dauntless dive bombers to strike with minimal aerial resistance. At 10:26 AM, three SBDs from USS Enterprise dove on Akagi and scored a hit and two near misses. The 1,000 lb. bomb that struck penetrated to the hangar deck and exploded among several fully fueled and armed B5N Kate torpedo planes causing massive fires to erupt. Sinking Ship With his ship badly stricken, Captain Taijiro Aoki ordered the carriers magazines to be flooded. Though the forward magazine flooded on command, the aft did not due to damage sustained in the attack. Plagued by pump problems, damage control parties were not able to bring the fires under control. Akagis plight worsened at 10:40 AM when its rudder jammed during evasive maneuvers. With fires breaking through the flight deck, Nagumo transferred his flag to the cruiser Nagara. At 1:50 PM, Akagi came to a stop as it engines failed. Ordering the crew to evacuate, Aoki stayed aboard with the damage control teams in an effort to save the ship. These efforts continued through the night but to no avail. In the early morning hours of June 5, Aoki was forcibly evacuated and Japanese destroyers fired torpedoes to sink the burning hulk. At 5:20 AM, Akagi slipped bow first beneath the waves. The carrier was one four lost by the Japanese during the battle.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Analysis Of The Poem The Night - 984 Words

Gemma awoke, with a huge yawn, on a rainy spring morning. She climbed out of bed and went to her bedroom window to peek out as the rain went tap-tap on her window. Gemma heard the clatter of pans in the kitchen so she went out to see what her mommy was cooking for breakfast. What a wonderful surprise! her mommy had made her fishy shaped pancakes to fit with the rainy day. Gemma s mommy smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the head as she said good morning my beautiful Gemma with a great big smile. Gemma helped her mommy put the pots and pans away after eating her breakfast. Her mommy told her that she would have to play inside today, just until the sun started to shine. Gemma was a bit heartbroken, but decided she would play with†¦show more content†¦Gemma could not believe how humongus the ocean was as Willy swam around showing her just how many amazing sea creatures there were for her to see. Willy the Whale swam to the surface and out came an enormous gush of water which made Gemma giggle. Willy said I shall take you to meet one of my friends, and they dove back down into the water to meet his friend. Hi shouted Sammy the seahorse to Willy the whale as Gemma and Willy arrived at Sammy s home. This is my new friend Gemma, and she is on a great ocean adventure. Would you like to go exploring with her today said Willy to Sammy?. I would love to he replied as Willy the whale waved goodbye and swam away. Sammy the seahorse lived inside the coral reef that was every imaginable color of the rainbow. Would you like to see my home Gemma? Oh yes please I would so very much love to see your home. Let s get going, there is so much for you to see and explore. Hop on and hold tight said Sammy, and I shall show you my home among the beautiful coral reef. Gemma was absolutely amazed as she shouted out to Sammy, this is just like the rainbows we have in the sky after the rain has stopped and the sun has come out as they swam past Sammy s home. Sammy the seahorse said to Gemma, would you like to meet my old friend Chip the fish for the next part of your adventure? How absolutely wonderful replied Gemma and off they swam to meet Chip the fish. Chip the fish was swimming in a school of

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Factors Influencing Strategic Making Process-Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Factors Influencing Strategic Making Process? Answer: Introducation Decision-making is an important function of the management in nearly every business. With the rapid changes experienced in the market, businesses are striving to adjust to the new economic order and information technology needs. The businesses are also struggling to adjust to the dynamics associated with increased population, limited scarce resources, social consumption, and inflation.[1] Studies have reported that many managers have to make many decisions relating to unfamiliar issues too fast thus introduce new elements into management.[2] Given this unpredictable business environment requiring more decisions made faster, the management has to understand the context. This has made strategic decisions critical in advancing the interests of investors. Strategic decisions (SDs) are inherently risky, complex, long-term, and unstructured thus bearing a significant impact on the firm. These decisions are unique and require large organizational resources.[3]The executives make decisions based on the features of SDMP. The SD-specific characteristics are stimuli perceptions. The SD features motive, uncertainty, decision matter, time pressure, and importance.[4] For instance, the decision matter depends on the political and complexity of the situation thus determines the SDMP. [5] Depending on the complexity and politicality level, the decision matter could be familiar, tractable, or vortex.[6] The SD uncertainty also promotes problem-solving dissension, politicization, and formalization because any action taken by the firm requires decision-making. The external environment also has a direct impact on the SDMP. Hostile environments expose the organization to challenges because the executives find it difficult to collect and analyze the information.[7] Without detecting the environmental hostility effects, strategic decision-making would be impossible. Unstable, dynamic, and high-velocity environments are caused by competition, inaccurate information, or obsolete thus affecting the SDMP.[8] The external environment also presents a direct effect on the outcomes of SDMP. The environmental dynamism compels the management to seek solace in insignificant SD. Therefore, hostility and dynamism in the environment leave the CEOs the least opportunity to make erratic SDs.[9] The management needs to focus on customers, competitors, and technology to improve the SDMP outcomes. The characteristics affect the SDMP characteristics and outcomes depending on the contextual variables. The performance of an organization has resulted in profits and return on assets thus influencing the characteristics of SDMPs. Importantly, centralizing power in an organization triggers political behavior.[10] The structure of a firm would determine the aspects of rationality and influence the participants in the decision-making process. Large companies use comprehensive SDMP. The executives must consider the firms characteristics and the environment when making strategic decisions based on the SDMP. References Elbanna, Said, and Yasir Fadol. The Role of Context in Intuitive Decision-Making. Journal of Management Organization 22, no. 5 (2016): 652-661. Nooraie, Mahmood. Factors Influencing Strategic Decision-Making Processes. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 2, no. 7 (July 2012): 405-429. Papulova, Zuzana, and Andrea Gazova. Role of Strategic Analysis in Strategic Decision-Making. Procedia Economics and Finance 39, (2016): 571-579. Rosenzweig, Phil. What Makes Strategic Decisions Difference. Harvard Business Review, November 2013. Accessed 16 September 2017. https://hbr.org/2013/11/what-makes-strategic-decisions-different. Shepherd, Neil Garth, and John Mynard Rudd. The Influence of Context on the Strategic Decision-Making Process: A Review of Literature. International Journal of Management Reviews 16, (2014): 340-364 [1]Neil Garth Shepherd and John Mynard Rudd, The Influence of Context on the Strategic Decision-Making Process: A Review of Literature, International Journal of Management Reviews 16, (2014): 345. [2]Ibid. 351. [3]Phil Rosenzweig, What Makes Strategic Decisions Difference. Harvard Business Review, November 2013, accessed September 16, 2017, https://hbr.org/2013/11/what-makes-strategic-decisions-different. [4] Shepherd and Rudd, 347. [5]Mahmood Nooraie, Factors Influencing Strategic Decision-Making Processes, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 2, no. 7 (July 2012): 415. [6] Shepherd and Rudd, 346. [7] Shepherd and Rudd, 352. [8]Said Elbanna and Yasir Fadol, The Role of Context in Intuitive Decision-Making, Journal of Management Organization 22, no. 5 (2016): 656. [9] Shepherd and Rudd, 355. [10]Said Elbanna and Yasir Fadol, The Role of Context in Intuitive Decision-Making, Journal of Management Organization 22, no. 5 (2016): 656.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Kentucky Derby Essays (1117 words) - Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is the most famous and prestigous horse race in the world. It is the first leg of the United States Triple Crown of horse racing. The race became the most famous horse race shortly after it started in 1875. The Kentucky Derby is said to be "The most exciting two minutes in sports." Besides the race itself, there are many Derby activities in the previous two weeks, known as the Kentucky Derby Festival. The month of May and the Kentucky Derby is one of my favorite times of the year. Churchill Downs was started by a group headed by a man named M. Lewis Clark in 1874. The group built the track on land owned by the Churchill family of Louisville, Kentucky. The track officially opened on May 17, 1875 and that was the day of the first Kentucky Derby won by Aristides. The first races from 1875-1895 were modeled after the English Derby and were 1 and a half miles long. In 1896 they changed the length of the Kentucky Derby which would prove to be a good decision because from there on it became the most popular race in the world. The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the United States Triple Crown of horse racing. It is held annually on the first Saturday of May on the world famous Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Kentucky. The race itself is run on a 1 and one-fourth mile dirt track. The race is for the best 3-year-old horses in the world. Most of the recorded times for the race are just over 2 minutes. Only one horse, Secretariat, in 1973 has run the Derby in under 2 minutes. The Kentucky Derby usually has attendences of over 120,000 fans, but millions of viewers watch at home on television. The Triple Crown is the biggest three races in the world. Only eleven Kentucky Derby winners have went on to win the next races, the Preakness and the Belmont Steaks. Some of the most notable Triple Crown winners are Sir Barton in 1919, the first Triple Crown winner, War Admiral in 1937, Whirlaway in 1941, Citation in 1948, Secretariat in 1973, Seatlle Slew in 1977, and Affirmed in 1978. These Triple Crown winners are some of the most famous horses in the history of the sport of horse racing. The fastest Kentucky Derby time was run by Secretariat in 1973, who finished in 1 minute and 59.4 seconds. The slowest Derby winner ever was Kingman in 1891, who ran the Derby in 2 minutes and 52.25 seconds, when the race was still 1 and a half mile. The biggest longshot to win the Derby and the highest paid winner of the Derby was Donnerail in 1913, who paid $184.20 at 91-1 odds. There have been 36 fillies, or female horse who have run in the derby, and 3 of them have won. Fourty-eight favorite horse have won the Derby in 126 runnings, the last favorite to win was this years winner, Fusaichi Pegases. The largest purse for any winning horse was in 1987 when Alysheba won $618,600 for winning the race. The largest crowd for the Derby was in 1975, the 100th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby. Besides the race itself, the two week period before that known as the Kentucky Derby Festival is a favorite time for people in Louisville. For the past several years the Festival has been kicked off 2 weeks before the Derby with Thunder Over Louisville. Thunder Over Louisville is one of the biggest displays of fireworks in North America. Once Thunder Over Louisville has started, the Derby activities begin. There are too many to list, but here are some of the most notable events. The Balloon Glow happens on the next Friday after Thunder, where the balloon are blown up and displayed for families to see. The next morning is the Great Balloon Race if the weather permits it. There are many famous hot air balloons which trail the winner of the event from the previous year and try to hit a target placed somewhere different every year. In the week before the Derby, there is one of the 5 top 13.1 mile races in the United States, the Mini-Marathon. A few famous runners from all over the world race and usually a famous runner wins, but a lot of amatuer runners from Louisville run the Mini for fun. The Great Steamboat Race is another big event. The Belle of Louisville and The Delta