(Nagato is a province of western Honshu)
A pre-war view of Nagato
Built between 1917 and 1920, the Japanese
battleship Nagato was the first battleship
in the world equiped with 16' guns, and was
at the time of her commissioning also one
of the fastest battleships in the world.
She was modified in 1924, and extensively
rebuilt in 1934-35. From 1941 she served
as the flagship of the Combined Fleet, and
was Admiral Yamamoto's headquarters for the
Pearl Harbor attack. Other operations in
WWII included the battles at Midway, the
Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf. The old battleship
was damaged by aircraft bombs off Samar,
was only temporarily repaired, and was inactive
for the rest of the war. At the time of the
Japanese surrender, she was at Yokosuka,
the last Japanese battleship still afloat.
Nagato in Tokyo Bay at the end of the war
Given to the Americans as a war prise, the
vessel was slatted for use as a target in
the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. A crew
of 180 Americans, with the assistance of
several Japanese officers, took the old battlewagon
for three short cruises around Tokyo Bay,
then set off on the 2400 mile trip to Bikini
in the company of the captured light cruiser
Sakawa. With only two of her four screws
in operation, Nagato managed only 10 knots.
The makeshift crew suffered through cold
seawater showers, as the freshwater condensers
were barely functional, and the poor repairs
to the hull soon began to leak. The punps
were unable to keep up, and soon 150 tons
of water leaked in forward, which in turn
had to be offset by 250 tons of counterflooding
aft. On the 8th day, about halfway to Bikini,
the battleship had to turn about and take
her companion in tow as the smaller vessel
developed propulsion trouble. Nagato soon
blew out a boiler herself, and the two vessels
drifted helplessly for two days until rescued
by US Navy tugs. The battleship, without
power, lights, or pumps, developed a 10-degree
list to port, and refused to be towed at
more than 4 knots. On the 18th day of what
was supposed to be a 10 day trip, the vessel
was finally towed into Enewetak, about 200
miles from her final destination. After three
weeks of repairs, the last Japanese battleship
sailed under her own power, at a brisk 13
knots, to her designated spot at Bikini.
Nagato survived the first, atmospheric, nuclear
blast with fairly minor damage, but sank
from massive hull damage five days after
the second, underwater blast.
Today, the Nagato rests upside down in 180
feet of water. The 708 foot long hull is
intact, and rests on the ship's massive superstructure.
This allows access to all four of her twin
16" turrets, which did not fall off
when the ship capsised, as is often the case.
The bridge snapped off when she settled,
and it laysnext to the rest of the wreck,
giving divers the oportunity to swim where
Yamamoto stood when he launched the Pearl
Harbor attack. The water is warm, with plenty
of ambient light. Nagato is, without a doubt,
the best battleship dive in the world.
