Japanese cruiser Naka

was a light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), named after the Naka River in the Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures of eastern Japan. ''Naka'' was the third (and final) vessel completed in the ''Sendai'' class of light cruisers, and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla.

Service career

''Naka'' was completed at Mitsubishi Yokohama on 30 November 1925.

On 26 November 1941, ''Naka'' became flagship of 4th Destroyer Flotilla under Rear Admiral Shōji Nishimura. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, ''Naka'' was engaged in the invasion of the southern Philippines as part of Vice Admiral Ibo Takahashi's Third Fleet escorting transports with components of the IJA 48th Infantry Division. ''Naka'' was slightly damaged by strafing by five Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and Seversky P-35 Guardsman and Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighters of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Far East Air Force.

In January 1942, 4th Destroyer Flotilla was assigned to the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies, escorting a convoy carrying the Kure No. 2 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) and Sakaguchi Brigade to Tarakan and Balikpapan, Borneo. On 24 January 1942 while landing troops at Balikpapan, the Royal Netherlands Navy submarine , operating on the surface due to poor weather, fired four torpedoes at ''Naka'', but missed. While Admiral Nishimura ordered ''Naka'' and her destroyers in an unsuccessful pursuit of the submarine, USN Task Force 5 comprising the destroyers , , and attacked the now unprotected Japanese convoy, sinking several transports.

In late February 1942, 4th Destroyer Flotilla escorted transports with the 48th Infantry Division to Makassar, Celebes and eastern Java. Ahead of the convoy were 2nd Destroyer Flotilla (flagship light cruiser ) and the cruisers and . ''Naka'' was thus in a central position for the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 February 1942.

At 1547, the Japanese cruisers ''Haguro'', ''Nachi'' and ''Jintsū'' with destroyers , , , and , , , and engaged Dutch Rear Admiral Karel W. F. M. Doorman's Strike Force consisting of two heavy cruisers ( and ), three light cruisers ( (Doorman's flagship), , ), and nine destroyers (, , , , , , , USS ''John D. Ford'', and USS ''Paul Jones'').

At 1603, ''Naka'' and its destroyer squadron with , , , , and launched 43 Type 93 Long Lance torpedoes at the Allied force from about ; sinking ''Kortenaer''. The destroyers launched 56 torpedoes in addition to 8 torpedoes from ''Naka'', but amazingly failed to hit anything. ''Asagumo'' closed with the ''Electra'', sinking it in a gun battle. ''Jupiter'' hit a Dutch mine and sank. Towards midnight, ''De Ruyter'' and ''Java'' were hit by torpedoes and exploded. This engagement was followed by the Battle of Sunda Strait, the next day on 28 February 1942, at which ''Naka'' was not present.

In March, ''Naka'' was assigned patrol duties between Java and the Celebes. However, on 14 March 1942, ''Naka'' received orders to become flagship for the Christmas Island invasion force. The force consisted of ''Naka'', 16th Cruiser Division's and , 9th Destroyer Division's ''Minegumo'' and , 22nd Destroyer Division's , , and , 16th Destroyer Division's ''Amatsukaze'' and ''Hatsukaze'', oiler ''Akebono Maru'' and transports ''Kimishima Maru'' and ''Kumagawa Maru''. Landing operations progressed without opposition on 31 March 1942, however, the submarine fired four torpedoes at ''Naka'', but all missed. ''Seawolf'' tried again with two more torpedoes the following day, 1 April 1942, and this time one hit to starboard near her No. 1 boiler. ''Natori'' towed the badly damaged ''Naka'' to Bantam Bay, Java for temporary repairs, and ''Naka'' then proceeded to Singapore under her own power. The damage was sufficient to justify a return to Japan for further repairs in June. ''Naka'' remained in Japan in reserve until April 1943.

On 1 April 1943, ''Naka'' was assigned to the new 14th Cruiser Division under Rear Admiral Kenzo Ito with , arriving at Truk on 30 April 1943. For the next several months, ''Naka'' was assigned to make troop transport runs around the Marshall Islands and Nauru. On 21 October 1943, ''Naka'' and ''Isuzu'' embarked Army troops at Shanghai. The convoy was intercepted by the submarine in the East China Sea on 23 October 1943, which fired 10 torpedoes, failing to damage either cruiser. On 3 November 1943, convoy was attacked north of Kavieng by 13th Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers. ''Naka'' suffered a near-miss, and arrived at Rabaul on 5 November 1943, the same day as the Carrier Raid on Rabaul. ''Naka'' was slightly damaged by near-misses from dive bombers from the aircraft carriers and . On 23 November 1943, ''Naka'' departed Ponape with troop reinforcements for Tarawa

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