Battleship Nagato | World War II Database

Nagato

Country	Japan
Ship Class	Nagato-class Battleship
Builder	Kure Naval Arsenal
Laid Down	28 August 1917
Launched	9 November 1919
Commissioned	15 November 1920
Displacement	42850 tons standard
Length	725 feet
Beam	114 feet
Draft	31 feet
Machinery	Geared turbines with four screws
Power Output	80000 SHP
Speed	27 knots
Range	5,500nm at 16 knots
Crew	1368
Armament	8x410mm guns, 20x40mm guns (later 18x), 8x100mm anti-aircraft, up to 98x25mm anti-aircraft
Aircraft	3

Nagato was the lead ship of her class of battleships. She was the first battleship to mount 16in (410mm guns). She underwent modernization in 1936, replacing her coal boilers with steam turbines, and adding anti-aircraft guns. At the onset of the Pacific War, she was the flagship of the Combined Fleet, aboard which Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto oversaw the Pearl Harbor attack. She sailed with the First Fleet for Midway; she did not see combat action, though she transported carrier Kaga's survivors back to Japan. After the Battle of Midway, she saw little action as she was based out of southern and central Pacific bases. Her next combat mission came in Jun 1944 as a member of Operation A-Go against the Allied assault on the Marianas; during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, she was targeted by American airmen but was not damaged. During Operation Sho-Go, she sailed for the Philippines in Combined Fleet's last ditch effort to achieve a decisive naval victory. On 24 Oct 1944, during the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, she was attacked by an overwhelming amount of American dive bombers, and was hit by two bombs, disabling her guns and killing 52 crewmen. On the next day, however, Nagato was among those ships that were given an opportunity to seek revenge at the Battle off Samar. Although dealing damage on the American task force, the Japanese fleet broke off before they could destroy the landing transports. During the withdrawal, she was attacked by dive bombers over the next two days; damage was not severe, but suffered 38 killed. She arrived at Yokosuka for repairs on 25 Nov 1944 where she would remain for the rest of the war due to lack of fuel. In Feb 1945, she was assigned a coastal defense ship. In Jun 1945, her anti-aircraft guns were removed for placement ashore. On 18 Jul 1945, she was attacked by bombers from American carriers and was hit by three bombs, killing her skipper Admiral Otsuka Miki; that was the last time she saw action. She was secured by American forces on 30 Aug 1945 after the Japanese surrender, and was destroyed during Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests in Jul 1946.

Source: Wikipedia.

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