IJN Nagato

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IJN Nagato had a long and illustrious career, spanning over 25 years. From Pearl Harbor to Leyte Gulf, she was present at some of the largest naval battles in the Pacific Theatre. Over her lifetime, she went through multiple reconstructions and renovations as technology advanced around her.

Pre WW2

Nagato was laid down on the 28th of August 1917, just a few months prior to the ending of World War 1. She was completed in November 1920 and was the lead ship of her class. Nagato spent the next decade on various training exercises, relief missions, and in and out of reserve. In 1934, she underwent her fast major modernization and had various small upgrades in the years preceding World War 2, and had her last refit in 1941 in preparation for combat. 

Pearl Harbor

Nagato was the flagship of the Combined Fleet and the flagship of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. On December 2nd, 1941, Admiral Yamamoto transmitted the phrase "Niitaka yama nobore" ( Climb Mount Niitaka) aboard her bridge to signal the 1st Air Fleet to go forward with their attack on Pearl Harbor. She escorted the carrier fleet back following the attack, and returned to port on the 14th. Nagato remained the flagship of the Combined Fleet until February of the following year, when Admiral Yamamoto designated the newly completed Yamato as his flagship. 

Midway

In June 1942, Nagato sailed with the Main Body of the 1st Fleet for the Battle of Midway, under the command of Captain Hideo Yano. The combat on the 4th of June saw the loss of all 4 of the Japanese carriers. Yamamoto tried to lure the American forces into a night engagement, but they withrew. Nagato saw no action during the battle. 

1942 - 1944

Following Midway, Nagato moved around the pacific but saw no action. In June 1944, during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Nagato claimed to have shot down two American torpedo bombers with her 41 cm anti-aircraft shrapnel shells. She was strafed by aircraft but had no damage or casualties. 

Leyte Gulf

On October 22nd, 1944, Nagato sailed for the Philippines with the rest of the main fleet for the planned defense of Leyte Gulf. During the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, Nagato was attacked by several American dive bombers. At 14:16, she was struck by two bombs, causing 52 casualties. The first bomb jammed one Type 89 gun mount, disabled five casemate guns, and caused damage to the air intake vent for the No. 1 Boiler, putting a propeller shaft out of operation for 24 minutes until the boiler could be repaired. 

On the 25th of October, the fleet moved through the San Bernardino Strait, en route to Leyte Gulf. Nagato engaged the American escort carriers and destroyers of escort group "Taffy 3" in the Battle off Samar. She fired on 3 carriers but reported no hits. This was the first time she had fired her main battery on an enemy ship. After maneuvering to avoid torpedos, Nagato engaged an escort cruiser. She claimed to have damaged the cruiser with fourty-five 410 mm shells ninety-two 14 cm shells. Shortly after noon she was again hit by two bombs, but the inflicted damage was minimal. 

The Japanese fleet retreated on the 26th of October, and the fleet came under continuous air attacks. Nagato claimed several aircraft over the course of the retreat. Throughout the last two days of the battle, Nagato fired ninety-nine 410 mm shells and six hundred fifty-three 14 cm shells. She lost 38 members of her crew, and had 105 wounded. 

End of the War

Nagato arrived at Yokosuka on the 25th of November for repairs. However, the shortage of fuels and materials made it so she could not be repaired and instead was converted into a stationary anti-aircraft battery. Her mainmast and funnel were removed in order to increase the anti-aircraft armaments range. Am onshore donkey boiler was used for heating, and a submarine chaser was moored alongside her to provide her with electricity. In June 1945, all of her secondary armament was moved onshore, and half of her anti-aircraft armament was removed and placed on land. 

On the 18th of July, Nagato was attacked by several aircraft including dive bombers and torpedo bombers. She was once again struck by 2 bombs. The first struck over her bridge, killing Otsuka (the commanding officer) and 12 of the bridge crew. The second struck aft of the mainmast, detonating on the No. 3 Barbette. It failed to damage the Barbette or turret, but penetrated the deck over the officer's lounge, killing 21 crewmembers. Her damage was not repaired and her ballast tanks were filled with water. This was done to keep her lower in the water and give the appearance the damage inflicted was critical and avoid any further attacks. 

Operation Crossroads

Nagato was secured by the Americans on August 30th. She was the only Japanese capital ship to survive the war. She was selected to be used as a test subject in Operation Crossroads, and so was moved to Bikini Atoll. She only managed 10 knots on her two remaining propellers. Her unrepaired damage led to many breakdowns and issues on the trip, eventually requiring her to be towed and repaired.

On July 1st, the first blast of Operation Crossroads was conducted. Blast Able was an aerial detonation, and Nagato was positioned 1500m away. She suffered light damage as a result of the blast. 

The second test, Test Baker, was an underwater detonation. Nagato was kept just over 850m from the blast location. While she managed to ride out the tsunami with minimal apparent damage, her hull was too radioactive for a proper damage assessment. She had a slight list of 2 degrees, but unable to be repaired, the list gradually increased. Five days later, over the night of the 29th of July, Nagato capsized and sank.