Hiryu Country: Japan Type: Aircraft carrier Service: 1939 - 1942 Laid down: 8 July 1936 Launched: 16 November 1937 Commissioned: 5 July 1939 Struck: 25 September 1942 Fate: Sunk 5 June 1942

The Hiryu class aircraft carrier was a modified Soryu class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy; Hiryu was the only ship of its class. She was one of the carriers that participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After being heavily damaged by air attacks 4 June 1942 at the Battle of Midway, Hiryu sank on 5 June 1942.

The ship was built within the specifications of the Washington Naval Treaty that was in place at the time, which placed limits on its tonnage and armament. As a result, the Hiryu was relatively small compared to its contemporaries during World War II, carrying around 70 aircraft. Compared to Soryu, Hiryu was almost four feet greater of beam, 2,000 tons heavier, and had her island superstructure placed on the port side and farther aft on her flight deck.

The port side island was an unusual arrangement; the only other carrier to share this feature was a contemporary, the Akagi. The Akagi and the Hiryu were intended to work in a tactical formation with starboard-sided aircraft carriers, in order to improve the flight pattern around the formation, but the experiment was not continued beyond those two carriers.