IJN Nagato

IJN Nagato Story

The First World War (1914-1918) prompted many countries to develop their naval power, including Imperial Japan. A major shipbuilding program that followed was aimed at giving the fleet a powerful warship and cruiser type for the next decade. The battleship dreadnought was born from the British service of the battleship Dreadnought in 1906, and this standard applies to future new Japanese battleships. However, Japan's plans were somewhat derailed after the war in 1918, when the Washington Naval Treaty was signed in 1922 to help limit a potential new arms race by limiting warship design. As one of the co-signatories, Japan joins the United States, the United Kingdom and France among others.

This ultimately means that only two of the proposed new ships will be completed - they become the Nagato-class duo IJN Nagato and IJN Mutsu.

The IJN Nagato was laid by the Wu Naval Arsenal on 15 November 1920 and launched on 9 November 1919 - her namesake is Nagato province in southwestern Japan. The ship officially entered service on November 25, 1920, beginning a career that would last until the end of World War II (1939-1945), although her sister would meet her fate in June 1943.

When completed, the long gate has a displacement of 32,720 tons (standard), a length of 708 feet, a beam of 95.2 feet, and a draft of 29.8 feet. Her machine consisted of 21 water tube boilers with 4 steam turbines driving 4 shafts rated at 80,000 hp. Top speed is 26.5 knots and range is up to 6,300 miles. Two pipes form her silhouette, as do the front and rear mast structures.

The thickness of the armor varies from 305mm on the belt to 369mm on the conning tower. Her standard crew consists of 1,333 personnel. Carry a launch catapult to support up to three seaplanes for reconnaissance work and limited aerial bombardment.

Armament consists of 8 x 16 in (410 mm) guns mounted on four main turrets - one at the front and two at the rear. The 16-inch guns mounted on this warship (and her sister ships) are the largest guns ever mounted on a capital ship. The secondary armament is formed by 20 x 140 mm Dual Purpose (DP) guns mounted as single gun turrets.

The 4 x 76 mm guns are mounted on a single gun mount and constitute an anti-aircraft (AA) weapon. Like most surface ships of the era, Nagato carried torpedo weapons via 8 x 533 mm (21 in) tubes.

All in all, Nagato - and her sister ship, the Mutsu - outperformed all other ships of the time when officially commissioned in the early 1920s, making it one of the most powerful naval assets available to any nation one. They have the perfect combination of speed, armor and firepower to make an instant impact on the world stage. Her first assignment was as flagship of the 1st Battleship Division and in a humanitarian role after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. In the middle of the decade, some of her designs were modernized to make warships viable tools of war in changing times (Japanese engineering also made great strides in this particular period). In the early 1930s her air defense network was better improved, and from 1934 to 1936 the ship received more attention: her hull was widened to ensure better seaworthiness, she The front chimney was lost, while the fore mast was replaced with an integrated new pagoda-like bridge arrangement.

In addition to the noticeable change in her appearance, she also gained additional armor protection, albeit at the expense of speed. The speed loss was partly mitigated by the installation of a new boiler unit, although her turbines remained unchanged from the original fittings.

All of the changes resulted in an increase in the ship's displacement -- despite little compliance with, let alone enforcement of, the Washington Naval Treaty during World War II.

Once the work was completed, Nagato formed the 1st Battleship Division as part of the 1st Fleet and supported government forces in Tokyo Bay in a limited army-led coup in February 1936. She then supported the Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War of Resistance (1937-1945), which was before a period of shooting training.

She was promoted to flagship of the Combined Fleet in December 1938 and participated in the 2600th anniversary celebration in October 1940. Anniversary of Emperor Shenmu's ascension (711 BC - 585 BC).

Japanese Admiral Gosoku Yamamoto (1884-1943) used Nagato as his flagship during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (7 December 1941) in December 1941. The attack was to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet and create a freer range for the Japanese throughout the Pacific.

Despite the great success of the attack, the operation failed because the US aircraft carrier was not in port at the time. The Japanese Navy claimed to have several enemy warships, support ships, aircraft and warehouses in the attack, but nothing more.

IJN Nagato returned to Wu Naval Shipyard in March-April 1942 and carried out the necessary overhaul. Her next call to action was during the Battle of Midway (June 1942), serving with the legendary IJN Yamato as part of the battleship 1st Division. The battle was disastrous for the Japanese, with four aircraft carriers sunk by the enemy and 248 planes sunk by 150 of the Americans. The battle claimed the lives of 3,057 Japanese and Americans out of a total of 307. Nagato was then transferred to the 2nd Battleship Division and served as the flagship of the First Fleet.

Nagato supported the Solomon Islands campaign in August 1942, followed by a period of training until 1943.

Most of their service in 1943 was in the Southwest Pacific with little to no action. She arrived near Singapore in February 1944 and served as flagship again until May. Around this time, she underwent an overhaul and was sent to Tawi Tawi on 12 May as part of the 1st Motor Fleet.

Her next call to action was as an escort during the naval battle in the Philippine Sea (June 1944). The results again ran counter to Japan's hopes, as the Americans once again achieved a decisive victory. The aerial portion of the battle was known as the "Great Mariana Turkey Shooting", and about 550-645 Japanese planes were shot down.

Three other Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk, and nearly 3,000 people were killed in the battle.

Nagato heads to Wu, where she is equipped with a new radar and upgraded air defenses. In July, she led an infantry division in support of Okinawa and served with Admiral Takeo Kurita's strike force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf to repel American amphibious landings in the Philippines campaign.

Their engagement ended in October.

On October 24, Nagato was shot by American dive bombers, seriously injuring her. Temporary repairs began to allow her to see operations beyond Samar (25 October 1945), where she again served with the IJN Yamato. The battle was another victory for the United States.

IJN Nagato unfortunately received more American bombs, which caused only minor damage to her, but forced her to retreat with other Japanese naval units. On 15 November, she became part of the 3rd Battleship Division, 2nd Fleet, and departed for Wu shortly thereafter. She arrived in Yokosuka on November 25 for much-needed repairs. However, due to the scarcity of materials, the ship was reserved as a floating air defense platform in response to the increasing threat of American aircraft over the Japanese mainland. She has had a major overhaul for her new role, removing many obstacles and adding more anti-aircraft guns.

She entered reserve status on April 20, 1945.

Her last notable action in the conflict came in June, when she was attacked by American fighter jets. Although damaged, she survived and sat where she was attacked until the war ended on 15 August. The ship was claimed by the Allies a few weeks later, and her name was removed from the Naval Register on September 15 ending her official service with the Japanese Navy.

The warship fell into American hands during a nuclear weapons test (Operation Crossroads) at Bikini Atoll in 1946. She was sunk on July 25, 1946.

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