 Japanese light cruiserNagara | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Nagara |
| Ordered | 1919 Fiscal Year |
| Builder | Sasebo Naval Arsenal |
| Laid down | 9 September 1920 |
| Launched | 25 April 1921 |
| Commissioned | 21 April 1922 |
| Stricken | 10 October 1944 |
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk, 7 August 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Nagara-classlight cruiser |
| Displacement | 5,570long tons (5,659 t) |
| Length | 162.1 m (531 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 14.2 m (46 ft 7 in) |
| Draft | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 4 shafts; gearedsteam turbines |
| Speed | 36knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) |
| Range | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 450 |
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1 ×floatplane |
| Aviation facilities | 1 aircraftcatapult |
Nagara (長良) was thelead ship ofher class oflight cruiser in theImperial Japanese Navy.[1] She was named after theNagara River in theChūbu region ofJapan.
Nagara, as with the other vessels of her class, was intended for use as theflagship of adestroyer flotilla, and it was in that role that she participated in the invasions of thePhilippines and theDutch East Indies after theattack on Pearl Harbor.
TheNagara-class vessels were essentially identical to the earlierKuma-class cruisers, using the same hull design, powerplant and layout of armament. The main differences were in the design of thebridge, which was raised to allow for an aircraft hangar and launch platform above the No.2 gun in front of the bridge. Another change was the installation of the new, largerType 93 torpedoes, which required an extension of the maindeck.
All vessels in the class were modified extensively during their operational lives, with no two vessels modified in the same way.[2]
Nagara waslaid down on 9 September 1920,launched on 25 April 1921 and completed atSasebo Naval Arsenal, andcommissioned on 21 April 1922.[3] Soon after commissioning,Nagara was assigned to the Japanese naval base atPort Arthur, from where she patrolled the China coast toQingdao. She was commanded by CaptainTakeo Takagi from November 1933 to November 1934 and by CaptainSadamichi Kajioka from November 1935 to December 1936.
As theSecond Sino-Japanese War continued to escalate,Nagara was assigned to provide cover for Japanese transports during theBattle of Shanghai,[4] and remained on station patrolling the China coast and theYangtze River through 1939. With the heavy cruisersMyōkō andNachi,Nagara participated in theHainan Island Operation in February 1939 under Vice AdmiralNobutake Kondō. From 30 January 1941 to 8 April 1941,Nagara assisted in theInvasion of French Indochina. From 10 June 1941 to 9 September 1941,Nagara provided coverage for the landings of Japanese troops in southern China.
On 10 September 1941.Nagara was assigned toVice AdmiralIbō Takahashi's 16th Cruiser Division of theIJN 3rd Fleet, together with the heavy cruiserAshigara,light cruisersKuma andNatori and the 5th Destroyer Flotilla.[4] On 26 November 1941, as flagship ofRear AdmiralKyuji Kubo's Fourth Surprise Attack Unit,[5]Nagara was based atPalau at the time of theattack on Pearl Harbor.[4]
From 11–12 December 1941,Nagara covered the landings of troops atLegaspi,Luzon,Philippines, returning again from 24–30 December 1941 to cover additional landings at several points on southeast Luzon.[4]
In January 1942,Nagara was tasked with escorting the convoy landing the Sasebo No. 1Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) atMenado andKendari in theCelebes.[4] On 25 January 1942, while at Kendari, the destroyerHatsuharu collided withNagara, damaging the cruiser'shull. Rear Admiral Kubo transferred his flag to the destroyerHatsushimo, andNagara withdrew toDavao for repairs.[4] Returning to the Celebes on 4 February 1942, Rear Admiral Kubō transferred his flag back toNagara, which then covered the invasion ofMakassar. In the middle of the night of 6 February 1942, the invasion force was sighted by thesubmarineUSS Sculpin, which mistookNagara for aTenryū-class cruiser and fired twoMark 14 torpedoes; one missed and the other prematurely exploded.[4] On 17 February 1942,Nagara provided escort for transports with theImperial Japanese Army's48th Infantry Division for the invasion ofBali andJava. During the operation, theRoyal Navy submarineHMS Truant fired six torpedoes atNagara, but all missed.[4]
On 10 March 1942, the Third Fleet was replaced by the Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet under Vice Admiral Takahashi.Nagara remained in Rear AdmiralKenzaburō Hara's[6] 16th Cruiser Division with the light cruisersKinu andNatori.[4] On 29 March 1942,Nagara was part of the force sent tocapture Christmas Island.[7] During the operation, the submarineUSS Seawolf fired three torpedoes atNagara, but all missed.[4]
Nagara departed for Japan on 2 April 1942, where she was in drydock atMaizuru Naval Arsenal from 12 to 24 April 1942.[4]
Nagara was assigned as flagship of Rear AdmiralSusumu Kimura's 10th Destroyer Flotilla with the destroyersNowaki,Arashi,Hagikaze,Maikaze,Makigumo,Kazagumo,Yūgumo,Urakaze,Isokaze,Hamakaze, andTanikaze under AdmiralChuichi Nagumo'sIJN 1st Fleet.[4]
In theBattle of MidwayNagara accompanied Admiral Nagumo's Carrier Striking Force, with theaircraft carriersAkagi,Kaga,Sōryū,Hiryū,battleshipsHaruna andKirishima and cruisersTone andChikuma. On 4 June 1942Nagara unsuccessfully counter-attacked the submarineUSS Nautilus after the latter attempted to torpedoKirishima. AfterAkagi was hit and set afire bydive bombers fromUSS Enterprise, Vice-Admiral Nagumo transferred his flag toNowaki and then toNagara.[4]
Nagara returned safely to Japan on 13 June 1942. She brought about 500 wounded toHashirajima, where they were transferred to thehospital shipHikawa Maru on 15 June.[8]
On 14 July 1942, the 10th Destroyer Flotilla withNagara was reassigned to the Third Fleet, which departed forTruk,Caroline Islands on 16 August 1942. The fleet included the aircraft carriersShōkaku,Zuikaku,Ryūjō, battleshipsHiei andKirishima, cruisersTone andChikuma, and destroyersAkigumo,Makigumo,Kazagumo,Yūgumo,Akizuki,Hatsukaze,Nowaki,Amatsukaze,Maikaze,Tanikaze andTokitsukaze.[4]
On 25 August 1942,Nagara participated in theBattle of the Eastern Solomons, which it survived without damage, arriving at Truk on 5 September 1942. From Truk,Nagara made a number of sorties towards theSolomon Islands in September. On 25–26 October 1942,Nagara participated in theBattle of Santa Cruz, and again returned to Truk undamaged.[4]
On 9 November 1942, Rear Admiral Kimura and theNagara squadron was assigned to screenHiei andKirishima during a reinforcement plan to land 14,500 men, heavy weapons and supplies onGuadalcanal. The landing was preceded by a bombardment ofHenderson Field by the battleships. This action became theFirst Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942. During the engagement,Akatsuki andYūdachi were sunk, whileAmatsukaze,Murasame andIkazuchi were damaged. Most notably,Hiei had been struck by two 8-inch (203 mm) shells from the heavy cruiserUSS San Francisco which jammed her rudder in a hard turn, unable to maneuver.[9]
For her part,Nagara combined fire with the destroyerYukikaze to sink the destroyerUSS Cushing, but in exchange she was straddled by shells fromSan Francisco and took a direct hit by one 5-inch (127 mm) shell which killed six crewmen, but which caused only minor hull damage.Nagara retired westward aroundSavo Island escortingKirishima withHiei in tow, butHiei was later scuttled following attacks by planes fromHenderson Field, USSEnterprise andB-17 Flying Fortress bombers fromEspiritu Santo.[4][10]
Vice AdmiralGunichi Mikawa sortied from theShortland Islands for Guadalcanal inChōkai with theKinugasa, light cruiserIsuzu, and destroyersArashio andAsashio to carry out Kondō's original plan and bombard Henderson Field with his cruisers where Abe failed with his battleships. The cruisersMaya,Suzuya,Tenryū and destroyersKazagumo,Makigumo,Michishio andYūgumo accompanied, whileKirishima,Atago,Takao,Nagara and six destroyers formed a screening unit.[4]
This led to the2nd Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 15 November 1942.Nagara and her destroyers engaged the Americans with gunfire andType 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes, taking part in the initial successful action against US destroyers.Nagara sank the destroyerUSS Preston with gunfire, particularly a hit which detonatedPreston's 5-inch (127 mm) gunmagazines, causing a massive explosion. Meanwhile, the destroyerAyanami torpedoed and sank the destroyerUSS Walke, while the destroyerUranami sank the destroyerUSS Benham with a torpedo, before bothAyanami andUranami combined fire to cripple the destroyerUSS Gwin. During the action, more than 30 torpedoes were launched at the battleshipUSS South Dakota, but all missed. On the Japanese side, the battleshipUSS Washington surprise attackedKirishima at mere point blank range, crippling the ship with seventeen 5-inch shells and twenty 16-inch (406 mm) shells, and crippledAyanami butNagara was undamaged, and returned to Truk on 18 November 1942.[4]Kirishima succumbed to her damage and sank the next morning after the battle, whileAyanami was promptlyscuttled byUranami.[11]
On 20 November 1942,Nagara became flagship of Rear Admiral Takama's 4th Destroyer Flotilla. The newly commissionedAgano replacedNagara as flagship of 10th Destroyer Flotilla. The 4th Destroyer Flotilla consisted of three divisions of nine destroyers: 2nd Destroyer Division with three destroyers, 9th Destroyer Division with two and 27th Destroyer Division with four.
After returning to Maizuru for refit at the end of 1942,Nagara's No. 5 140 mm gun was removed. During gunnery exercises offSaipan,Nagara sustained minor superstructure damage after an accidental shell explosion.Nagara returned to Truk on 25 January 1943.
In early February,Nagara participated in theevacuation of Guadalcanal, recovering 11,700 surviving Imperial Japanese Army troops.
In June 1943,Nagara transported the Yokosuka No. 2 Special Naval Landing Force for theoccupation of Nauru.
In July 1943,Nagara was involved in escorting the aircraft carrierJun'yō while ferrying aircraft toKavieng,New Guinea. While mooring,Nagara detonated amine laid at night by AustralianPBY Catalinaflying boats. The mine slightly damaged her bottom under the stern, and she was able to operate.[4]
On 20 July 1943, the 4th Destroyer Flotilla was deactivated andNagara replaced theJintsū as flagship of Rear AdmiralShunji Isaki's 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of theIJN 2nd Fleet, consisting of Destroyer Divisions 24, 27, 31, plus three attached destroyers.Nagara was relieved as flagship of 2nd Destroyer Flotilla by the newly commissioned cruiserNoshiro on 20 August 1943, and was reassigned to theIJN 8th Fleet under Vice Admiral,BaronTomoshige Samejima.Nagara also returned to Maizuru for refit with a Type 21 air-searchradar and four twin-mountType 96 25 mm AA guns.
On 1 November 1943,Nagara relievedKashima as flagship of the Fourth Fleet under Vice AdmiralMasami Kobayashi. On 14 November 1943, she assisted in towing the light cruiserAgano back to Truk after the cruiser had been torpedoed by the submarineUSS Skate.[4]
On 22 November 1943,Nagara sortied from Truk in response to the Americaninvasion of Tarawa and theGilbert Islands, arriving atKwajalein on 26 November 1943. It was attacked byGrumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers andDouglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Task Group 50.3's aircraft carriersUSS Enterprise andEssex and damaged enough to justify a return to Japan in January 1944.
At Maizuru Naval Arsenal from 26 January 1944,Nagara was again modified. The No. 7 140 mm gun mount was removed and replaced by a 127 mm unshielded HA gun mount. The fore and aft twin torpedo tubes were removed and replaced by two quadruple mounts aft. The aircraftcatapult was removed and replaced by two triple-mount Type 96 25 mm AA gun mounts bringing theNagara's 25 mm total to 22 barrels (2x3, 6x2, 4x1).Depth charge rails were installed in the stern and a Type 93hydrophone set was fitted in the bow.[4]
On 15 May 1944,Nagara replaced the cruiserTatsuta as flagship of 11th Destroyer Flotilla, directly under the Combined Fleet. She remained in Japanese home waters training with new destroyers and escorting a convoy to theOgasawara Islands in June and toOkinawa in July. In another refit at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 2 July 1944, ten single-mount Type 96 25 mm AA guns were installed, bringingNagara's 25 mm total to 32 barrels (2X3, 6x2, 14x1). A Type 22 surface-searchradar was fitted.[4]
On 7 August 1944, en route fromKagoshima toSasebo,Nagara was spotted by the submarineUSS Croaker on her first war patrol.Croaker closed to 1,300 yards (1,200 m) and fired a salvo of four stern torpedoes, with one hittingNagara starboard aft.Nagara sank by the stern off theAmakusa Islands at32°09′N129°53′E / 32.150°N 129.883°E /32.150; 129.883.[3] The captain and 348 crewmen went down with the ship, but 235 crewmen were rescued.Nagara was removed from theNavy List on 10 October 1944.
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