Japanese battleship Nagato

Japanese Battleship Nagato

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Japanese battleship Nagato

Nagato (Japanese

Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
: ??, named after Nagato province

Nagato Province

, often called , was a Provinces of Japan of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshu, in the area that is today Yamaguchi prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami Province and Suo Provinces....
) was a battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large, heavily armour warship with a main artillery battery consisting of the largest calibre of guns. Battleships were larger, better armed, and better armored than cruisers and destroyers....
of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The origins of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with nations on the Asia, beginning in the early history of Japan#Feudal Japan and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of cultural diffusion with European power during the Age of Discovery....
, the lead ship of her class

Nagato class battleship

The Nagato class battleships were two Battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The name Nagato comes from the Nagato province.They were the first battleships in the world to mount 16 inch class guns, and their armour protection and speed made them the most powerful capital ships at the time of their commissioning....
. She was the first battleship in the world to mount 16 inch class (actually 16.1 inch, or 410 mm) guns, and her armour

Armour

Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat....
protection and speed made her one of the most powerful capital ships at the time of her commissioning.

She was the flagship of Admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
Isoroku Yamamoto

Isoroku Yamamoto

Admiral of the Fleet was the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of the U.S....
during the attack on Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Empire of Japan Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States' naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, later resulting in the United States becoming militarily involved in World War II....
.

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Nagato (Japanese

Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
: ??, named after Nagato province

Nagato Province

Battleship

Imperial Japanese Navy

Nagato class battleship

Armour

Admiral

Isoroku Yamamoto

Attack on Pearl Harbor

Battle of Leyte Gulf

The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and also, by some criteria, the largest naval battle in history....
, due to the Japanese Navy's strategy of keeping major units in reserve for a decisive battle.

Construction

Nagato was laid down at the Kure

Kure, Hiroshima

is a cities of Japan located in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of the January 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 246,118 and a population density of 696 persons per km?....
Naval Arsenal on 28 August 1917, launched on 9 November 1919, and completed on 15 November 1920.

She underwent a major refit in 1936, removing her coal-burning boilers and upgrading her armour and anti-aircraft guns.

World War II

At the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, Nagato, under the command of Captain

Captain

Captain or The Captain may refer to:...
Yano Hideo, and her sister ship Mutsu

Japanese battleship Mutsu

Mutsu , named after Mutsu Province, was the Imperial Japanese Navy's second Nagato class battleship, laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 1 June 1918, launched on 31 May 1920, and completed on 24 October 1921....
formed Battle Division 1. Nagato was the flagship of the Combined Fleet, flying the flag of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. On 2 December 1941 Nagato sent the signal Niitakayama nobore 1208 "Climb Mount Niitaka

Jade Mountain

Yushan, also known as Jade Mountain or Yu Mountain, is a national park and central mountain range in Taiwan. The highest point of the range, Jade Mountain, is above sea level....
on 12/08 (Japanese Time)" that committed the Carrier Strike Force to the attack on Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor

Pacific War

The Pacific War was the part of World War II?and preceding conflicts?that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, between July 7, 1937 and August 14, 1945....
.

On 12 February 1942 Admiral Yamamoto transferred his flag to the new battleship Yamato

Japanese battleship Yamato

Yamato , named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, and flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet....
.

Nagato sailed with the Yamato,
Japanese battleship Yamato

Yamato , named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, and flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet....
Mutsu,
Japanese battleship Mutsu

Mutsu , named after Mutsu Province, was the Imperial Japanese Navy's second Nagato class battleship, laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 1 June 1918, launched on 31 May 1920, and completed on 24 October 1921....
Hosho,
Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho

Hosho became the first flat-deck aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1921, and was the first purpose-designed aircraft carrier in the world to be commissioned....
Sendai,
Japanese cruiser Sendai

was a Sendai class cruiser light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was named after the Sendai River in southern Kyushu....
nine destroyers and four auxiliary ships as Admiral Yamamoto's Main Body during the Battle of Midway

Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle, widely regarded as the most important of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II. It took place from 4 June to 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and exactly six months after Empire of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor....
in June 1942 but saw no action. She returned the survivors of Kaga

Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga

Kaga was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, originally intended as a Tosa class battleship fast battleship. She took part in the battle of Pearl Harbor and was sunk at the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942....
to Japan.

In 1943, under the command of Captain Hayakawa Mikio, Nagato was based at Truk in the Caroline Islands

Caroline Islands

The Caroline Islands form a large archipelago of widely scattered islands in the western Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end....
. After the evacuation of Truk in February 1944, she was based at Lingga

Lingga

Lingga also called ??in mandrin is a small town, in Sri Aman Division, Sarawak, east Malaysia. It is situated at the riverside and near to Sebuyau on the coast....
near Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
.

Leyte Gulf

In June 1944 she took part in Operation A-Go, an attack on Allied forces in the Mariana Islands

Mariana Islands

The Mariana Islands are an archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east....
. In the battle of the Philippine Sea

Battle of the Philippine Sea

The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II, and the largest aircraft carrier battle in history. It was fought between the navies of the United States and the Empire of Japan....
on 19 June 1944 she came under air attack but was not damaged.

In October 1944 she took part in Operation Sho-1, an attack on the Allied landings on Leyte

Battle of Leyte

The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific War of World War II was the invasion and conquest of Leyte in the Philippines by Military history of the United States during World War II and Military history of the Philippines during World War II guerrilla warfare forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japa...
. On 24 October 1944 in the battle of the Sibuyan Sea Nagato was attacked by several waves of American dive-bombers. At 14:16 she was hit by two bombs dropped by planes from Franklin

USS Franklin (CV-13)

The USS Franklin , nicknamed "Big Ben", was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She was the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name, the first four being named for Benjamin Franklin, while CV-13 perpetuated the name of the previous ships....
and Cabot

USS Cabot (CVL-28)

Cabot was an in the United States Navy, the second ship to carry the name. Cabot was commissioned in 1943 and served until 1947. She was recommissioned as a training carrier from 1948 to 1955....
. The first bomb disabled a number of guns and damaged the air intake to the No. 1 boiler room, stopping one shaft for 25 minutes until the air intake was cleared. The second bomb hit the canteen and forward radio room, killing 52 and wounding 106. On 25 October the Central Force passed the San Bernardino Strait

San Bernardino Strait

The San Bernardino Strait is a strait in the Philippines. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon island from the island of Samar in the south....
and headed for Leyte Gulf

Leyte Gulf

Leyte Gulf is the body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at ....
. In the battle off Samar

Battle off Samar

The Battle off Samar was the central action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which was one of the largest naval battle in history. As the only major action in the larger battle where the Americans were largely unprepared against the opposing forces, it has been cited by historians as one of the greatest military mismatches in naval history....
, Nagato engaged the escort carriers and destroyers of the US Task Group 77.4.3. At 06:01 she opened fire on St. Lo

USS St. Lo (CVE-63)

USS St. Lo was a of the United States Navy during World War II. On October 25, 1944 St. Lo became the first major warship to sink as the result of a kamikaze attack....
, the first time she fired her guns at an enemy ship, but missed. At 06:54 the destroyer Heermann

USS Heermann (DD-532)

USS Heermann was a World War II-era Fletcher class destroyer destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, named after Fleet Surgeon Lewis Heermann ....
fired a spread of torpedo

Torpedo

Note: Prior to 1900, in naval usage "torpedo" could also refer to what today is called a naval mine. For that usage, see naval mine.The modern torpedo is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity t...
es at Haruna

Japanese battleship Haruna

, named after Mount Haruna, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. She was the fourth and last ship of Kongo class battlecruiser....
; the torpedoes missed Haruna and headed for Yamato and Nagato on parallel courses. The two battleships were forced to turn away from the action to the north for 10 miles (16 km) until the torpedoes ran out of fuel. After returning to the action, Nagato continued to engage the American carriers, firing 45 16.1 inch (410 mm) shells and 92 5.5 inch (140 mm) shells.

At 09:10 Admiral Takeo Kurita

Takeo Kurita

Vice Admiral was a vice-admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II....
ordered the fleet to break off the engagement and head north. At 10:20 he ordered the fleet south again, but as the fleet came under increasingly severe air attack he ordered a retreat again at 12:36. At 12:43 Nagato was hit on her bow by two bombs but the damage was not severe.

As it retreated on 26 October the Japanese fleet came under continuous air attack. Nagato was attacked by dive-bombers from Hornet

USS Hornet (CV-8)

of the United States Navy was a of World War II, notable for launching the Doolittle Raid, as a participant in the Battle of Midway, and for action in the Solomon Islands before being irreparably damaged and sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands....
and hit by four bombs, suffering 38 killed and 105 wounded. In the course of the day she fired 99 16.1 inch (410 mm) shells and 653 5.5 inch (140 mm) shells.

On 25 November 1944 Nagato arrived at Yokosuka, Japan for repairs. Lack of fuel and materials meant that she could not be brought back into service, and in February 1945 she was reassigned as a coastal defence ship. In June 1945 her secondary and anti-aircraft armament were moved ashore. On 18 July 1945 she was attacked at Yokusuka by fighter bombers and torpedo bombers from Essex

USS Essex (CV-9)

USS Essex was an aircraft carrier, the lead ship of the 24-ship s built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name....
, Randolph

USS Randolph (CV-15)

USS Randolph was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the second US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for Peyton Randolph, president of the First Continental Congress....
, Bennington

USS Bennington (CV-20)

USS Bennington was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the second US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the American Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington....
, Shangri-La

USS Shangri-La (CV-38)

USS Shangri-La was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. Shangri-La was one of the "long-hulled" ships, considered by some authorities to be a separate class, the ....
and Belleau Wood

USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24)

USS Belleau Wood was a United States Navy active during World War II. The ship also served in the First Indochina War under Marine Nationale temporary service as Bois Belleau....
and hit by three bombs, one hitting the bridge and killing her commanding officer, Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain , and below that of a Vice Admiral. It is the lowest form of Admiral....
Otsuka Miki.

After the War

Bikini Atoll

On 30 August 1945, following the Japanese surrender, Nagato, the last surviving Japanese battleship, was boarded and secured by American sailors from the ship USS Horace A. Bass
Horace A. Bass

Horace A. Bass or Horace Bass may refer to:People*Ensign Horace A. Bass Jr. , a United States Navy officer and naval aviator who received the Navy Cross for his actions at the Battle of Midway...
(LPR-124).

In March 1946 she was taken to Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll is an atoll in one of the Micronesian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Marshall Islands. It consists of 36 islands surrounding a lagoon....
for Operation Crossroads

Operation Crossroads

Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States and nuclear weapons at Bikini Atoll in the summer of 1946....
, a series of atomic bomb tests. On this, her last voyage, she was commanded by Captain W. J. Whipple with a United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
crew of about 180 men. She was in such poor repair that on the way she had to be towed to Eniwetok Atoll for emergency repairs.

In the first test (ABLE, an airburst) on 1 July 1946 she was 1,640 yards from ground zero

Ground zero

The term Ground Zero may be used to describe the point on the earth's surface where an explosion occurs. In the case of an explosion above the ground, Ground Zero refers to the point on the ground directly below an explosion ....
and was not severely damaged. In the second test (BAKER, an underwater explosion

Underwater explosion

An underwater explosion, also known as an UNDEX, is an explosion beneath the surface of water. The type of explosion may be Explosive material or Nuclear explosive....
) on 25 July 1946 she was severely damaged, and eventually capsized and sank five days later.

Flag of Nagato

The Naval Ensign of Nagato was taken by a commander of US Navy. It was put on an antique appraisal show, Nandemo Kanteidan, by his daughter, and broadcasted on TV Tokyo

TV Tokyo

is a TV station with headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The network is also known as , a portmanteau of "terebi" and "Tokyo." It is the key station of TXN ....
in September 2005. The Ensign was evaluated at 10 million yen. After the show, the host of the show Kouji Ishizaka bought the Ensign at 10 million yen and donated to Battleship Yamato museum in Kure, Hiroshima

Kure, Hiroshima

Replica in Tora! Tora! Tora!

In Tora! Tora! Tora!
Tora! Tora! Tora!

Tora! Tora! Tora! is a 1970 United States-Japanese film that dramatizes the Empire of Japan attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production....
, a film depicting the attack on Pearl Harbor and the events that led to it, a large, accurate fullscale replica of Nagato was built, which is first seen in the opening credits of the film.

Commanding Officers

Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Nobutaro Iida - 20 November 1919 - 25 November 1920
Capt. Nobutaro Iida - 25 November 1920 - 1 December 1921
Capt. Kanari Kabayama - 1 December 1921 - 10 November 1922
Capt. Yoshio Takahashi - 10 November 1922 - 1 December 1923
Capt. Seizo Sakonji - 1 December 1923 - 1 December 1924
Capt. Susumu Nakajima - 1 December 1924 - 22 August 1925
Capt. Masaharu Osoekawa - 22 August 1925 - 1 December 1926
Capt. Kiyoshi Hasegawa - 1 December 1926 - 1 December 1927
Capt. Shigeru Matushita - 1 December 1927 - 10 December 1928
Capt. Tsugumatsu Inoue - 10 December 1928 - 30 November 1929
Capt. Kichijiro Hamada - 30 November 1929 - 1 December 1930
Capt. Kamezaburo Nakajima - 1 December 1930 - 10 October 1931
Capt. Keitaro Hara - 10 October 1931 - 1 December 1931
Capt. Teijiro Sugisaka - 1 December 1931 - 4 March 1932
Capt. Minoru Sonoda - 4 March 1932 - 1 December 1932
Capt. Sekizo Uno - 1 December 1932 - 15 November 1933
Capt. Kenichi Sada - 15 November 1933 - 15 November 1934
Capt. Katsumi Yukishita - 15 November 1934 - 15 July 1935
Capt. Jiro Saito - 15 July 1935 - 1 December 1936
Capt. Tomoshige Samejima - 1 December 1936 - 1 December 1937
Capt. Torahiko Nakajima - 1 December 1937 - 15 November 1938
Capt. Kakuji Kakuta
Kakuji Kakuta

, was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He is noted for his role in commanding Japanese naval aviation units in the Pacific War....
- 15 November 1938 - 15 December 1938
Capt. Shigeru Fukudome
Shigeru Fukudome

was an admiral and Chief of Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II....
- 15 December 1938 - 5 November 1939
Capt. Sakae Tokunaga - 5 November 1939 - 15 October 1940
Capt. Shinzo Onishi - 15 October 1940 - 11 August 1941
Capt. Hideo Yano - 11 August 1941 - 10 November 1942
Capt. Sojiro Hisamune - 10 November 1942 - 2 August 1943
Capt. / RADM Mikio Hayakawa - 2 August 1943 - 25 December 1943 (Promoted to Rear Admiral on 1 November 1943.)
Capt. / RADM Yuji Kobe - 25 December 1943 - 20 December 1944 (Promoted to Rear Admiral on 15 October 1944.)
Capt. Kiyomi Shibuya - 20 December 1944 - 27 April 1945
RADM / VADM* Miki Otsuka - 27 April 1945 - 18 July 1945 (KIA)
RADM Masamichi Ikeguchi - 18 July 1945 - 20 August 1945
Capt. Shuichi Sugino - 20 August 1945 - 2 September 1945

External links

from