The six were a class of six
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to th ...
s built for and operated by the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
. The ''Nagara''-class cruisers proved useful in combat operations ranging from the
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...
to the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
throughout World War II. Most served as
flagships for destroyer or submarine squadrons, and were deployed for transport or local defense missions. Towards the end of the war, the surviving vessels were increasingly obsolete and were retained as second-line units.
[Stille, ''Imperial Japanese Navy Light Cruisers 1941-45'', page 22]
The ''Nagara'' class was followed by the very similar .
Background
A final three 5,500 ton class light cruisers authorized under the
8-4 Fleet Program were ordered by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1920. Due to minor changes in design, primarily due to advances in torpedo technology, these three vessels were initially designated as "modified Kuma-class", or "5500-ton class Type II", before being re-designated after the lead vessel, . A second set of three vessels was authorized in late 1920.
[Stille, p. 20.] These final three vessels were initially to be named ''Suzuka'', ''Otonase'', and ''Minase'' until November 1921.
[
]
Design
The ''Nagara'' class was the second class of light cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy based on a standardized 5,500 ton displacement. In terms of dimensions and performance, it is almost identical to the previous s; however, it was the first class of cruisers to be equipped with the new Type 93 Long Lance Torpedoes, which required a larger launcher.[Gardner, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921''; page 238]
The ''Nagara'' class used the same hull, engine, and armaments layout as the ''Kuma'' class. The ''Nagara''-class hull design was based on a 5,500 ton nominal displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
* Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
, with a high freeboard and light bridge structure, behind which was a tripod mast with the fire control platform and two searchlights, the same as the ''Kuma'' class.[
The propulsion system for the ''Nagara'' class was based on four axial deceleration turbines with 12 boilers, providing . Ten boilers were designed to burn heavy oil, and the remaining two burned a mixture of ]coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
and oil. The ''Nagara''-class vessels were capable of , and a range of at .[
The main battery consisted of seven ]14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun
The 14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun was a Japanese low-angle weapon introduced during World War I.
History
It served as the secondary armament in a number of Japanese dreadnoughts and as the main armament in light cruisers and some auxiliar ...
s in individual gun turret
A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechani ...
s, (two fore, three after and one on either side of the bridge). The positioning meant that only six of the guns could be brought to bear in a broadside.[ As with the ''Kuma'' class, the ''Nagara'' class remained highly deficient in anti-aircraft protection, with only two 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval guns and two 6.5 mm machine guns. Provision was made for 48 ]naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...
s.[
A major difference from the ''Kuma'' class was in the configuration of the ]bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
, which incorporated an aircraft hangar. Initially, a platform was mounted above the No.2 turret, extending over the forward superstructure below the bridge. This was later replaced by an aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to allow aircraft to take off from a very limited amount of space, such as the deck of a vessel, but can also be installed on land-based runways in rare cases. It is now most commonly used on aircraft carrier ...
. Even so, the arrangement proved unwieldy, and the catapult was moved to the rear of each ship, between the No.5 and No.6 turrets during retrofits in 1929-1934. The silhouette of the bridges varied somewhat from ship to ship, as ''Abukuma'' has a rangefinder
A rangefinder (also rangefinding telemeter, depending on the context) is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography an ...
located on top of the bridge, whereas ''Nagara'' and ''Isuzu'' had instruments, ''Natori'' had a , and ''Yura'' and ''Kinu'' were equipped with instruments.[
]
In service modifications
Near the start of World War II, ''Abukuma'' and ''Kinu'' were scheduled to be fitted as flagships for destroyer squadrons, with the new Type 93 torpedoes. However, due to shortages, only ''Abukuma'' received the twin quadruple-mount launcher as planned, and her forward launchers were removed. After the start of the war, each of the vessels in the ''Nagara'' class was modified and upgraded, especially to enhance anti-aircraft capabilities, but no two vessels were modified in the same way.
To keep weight within design limits, the catapults were removed, and on almost all vessels, the No.5 and No.7 turrets were replaced by a twin-mount 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun and additional single and triple-mount Type 96 25 mm AA guns, wherever room permitted, supplemented by 13-mm machine guns.[Stille, p. 21.]
From 1943-1944, the five surviving ships in the class received radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...
.
''Isuzu'' was the only cruiser which underwent conversion into a dedicated anti-aircraft/anti-submarine cruiser. From May–September 1944, all of her main guns were removed and replaced by a total of three Type 89 twin-mounted anti-aircraft guns, with a Type 94 fire-control system added to the foremast. Her Type 96 25 mm AA guns were increased to a total of 11 triple-mounts and 17 single-mounts. Her torpedo launchers were replaced by two quadruple launchers mounted in the stern, along with two depth charge rails. She was given a complete set of the latest radar, hydrophone
A hydrophone ( grc, ὕδωρ + φωνή, , water + sound) is a microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening to underwater sound. Most hydrophones are based on a piezoelectric transducer that generates an electric potenti ...
s and sonar
Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...
.
Ships in class
Six vessels were built in the ''Nagara'' class. None survived the Pacific War.
; ()
: Built by the Sasebo Naval Arsenal and commissioned on 22 April 1922, ''Nagara'' served in the initial battles of the Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
, including the Battle of Shanghai
The Battle of Shanghai () was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) of the Empire of Japan
The also ...
and the Invasion of French Indochina
The was a short undeclared military confrontation between Japan and France in northern French Indochina. Fighting lasted from 22 to 26 September 1940; the same time as the Battle of South Guangxi in the Sino-Japanese War, which was the main ...
. After the attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...
, ''Nagara'' covered the landings of Japanese troops in Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. She accompanied Admiral Nagumo's Carrier Striking Force during the Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under ...
, at the end of which she took over from the destroyer as the flagship of Admiral Nagumo after the loss of his flagship . Afterwards, she participated in the battles of the Eastern Solomons, Santa Cruz , and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was t ...
(where she is credited with sinking the destroyer ). She was sunk by the submarine en route between Kagoshima
, abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...
and Sasebo
is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...
on 7 August 1944.
CombinedFleet.com: ''Nagara'' Tabular Record of Movement.
; ()
: Built by the Uraga Dock Company
was a major privately owned shipyard in Uraga, Japan, which built numerous warships for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
History
Uraga Dock Company was founded by Enomoto Takeaki in 1869. A shipyard had already existed in Uraga from the end of the ...
, and commissioned on 15 August 1923, ''Isuzu'' covered the landings of Japanese troops in China, and the seizure of Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
in early World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Afterwards assigned to the Dutch East Indies, during the Solomon Islands campaign she was active at the Battle of Santa Cruz and Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Suffering severe damage in air attacks in late 1943, she was forced to return to Japan, where she underwent an extensive conversion into an anti-aircraft/anti-submarine cruiser. She survived the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but was sunk by a wolfpack of four submarines (three American and one British) off Sumbawa
Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms the province of West Nusa Tenggara, but th ...
on 7 April 1945.
CombinedFleet.com: ''Isuzu'' Tabular Record of Movement.
; ()
:Completed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...
on 15 September 1922, ''Natori'' covered the landings of Japanese troops in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and the Dutch East Indies. During the Battle of Sunda Strait, she contributed to sinking the cruisers and . Subsequently assigned to patrols in the Dutch East Indies, she returned to Japan to repair damage from air attack in June 1943, and was only able to resume duties in April 1944. She was sunk off Samar
Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
by the submarine on 19 August 1944.
CombinedFleet.com: ''Natori'' Tabular Record of Movement.
; ()
: Commissioned at Sasebo Naval Arsenal on 20 March 1923, ''Yura'' was involved in the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, sinking of ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'', and covered the landings of Japanese troops in Malaya and Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
. Afterwards, she participated in the Indian Ocean raid
The Indian Ocean raid, also known as Operation C or Battle of Ceylon in Japanese, was a naval sortie carried out by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 31 March to 10 April 1942. Japanese aircraft carriers under Admiral Chūichi Nagumo ...
, the Battle of Midway, and the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. She was fatally damaged by United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
aircraft in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
and scuttled
Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being ...
on 25 October 1942.
CombinedFleet.com: ''Yura'' Tabular Record of Movement.
; ()
: Completed at Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation
is the shipbuilding subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. It produces primarily specialized commercial vessels, including LNG carriers, LPG carriers, container ships, bulk carriers, oil tankers, as well as high speed passenger jetfoils. In ...
in Kobe on 10 November 1922, ''Kinu'' was involved in the sinking of ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'', and covered the landings of Japanese troops in Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. She was involved in various operations in the Solomon Islands and the Philippines, but was sunk by U.S. Navy aircraft in the Visayan Sea
The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines surrounded by the islands of the Visayas. It is bounded by the islands Masbate to the north, Panay to the west, Leyte to the east, and Cebu and Negros to the south.
The sea is connected to several b ...
on 26 October 1944.
CombinedFleet.com: ''Kinu'' Tabular Record of Movement.
; ()
: Completed by the Uraga Dock Company on 26 May 1925, ''Abukuma'' took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was later involved in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, and remained active in northern waters under the IJN 5th Fleet until October 1944, However, when sent south to counter the American invasion of the Philippines, she was severely damaged by an American PT boat
A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the war ...
at the Battle of Surigao Strait
The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
on 25 October, and a subsequent attack by American land-based bombers fatally damaged her, causing her to be scuttled
Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being ...
on 26 October 1944.
CombinedFleet.com: ''Abukuma'' Tabular Record of Movement.
References
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagara Class Cruiser
Cruiser classes