View source for Japanese battleship Nagato

{{short description|Super-dreadnought sunk by nuclear test in Bikini atoll }}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image   = Nagato01cropped.jpg
| Ship caption = ''Nagato'' on her [[sea trial]]s, 30 September 1920
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header         =
| Ship country        = [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]
| Ship flag           = {{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
| Ship name           = ''Nagato''
| Ship namesake       = [[Nagato Province]]
| Ship ordered        =
| Ship awarded        =
| Ship builder        = [[Kure Naval Arsenal]]
| Ship original cost  =
| Ship yard number    =
| Ship way number     =
| Ship laid down      = 28 August 1917
| Ship launched       = 9 November 1919
| Ship sponsor        = [[Admiral]] [[Katō Tomosaburō]]
| Ship christened     =
| Ship completed      = 15 November 1920
| Ship commissioned   = 25 November 1920
| Ship in service     =
| Ship out of service =
| Ship refit          =
| Ship struck         = 15 September 1945
| Ship motto          =
| Ship nickname       =
| Ship captured       =
| Ship fate           = Sunk as a target in [[Operation Crossroads]], 29/30 July 1946
| Ship notes          =
| Ship badge          =
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header       =
| Header caption    = (as built)
| Ship class        = {{sclass|Nagato|battleship}}
| Ship displacement = {{cvt|32720|t|LT|lk=on}} ([[Standard displacement#Standard displacement|standard]])
| Ship length       = {{convert|215.8|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam         = {{convert|29.02|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship draft        = {{convert|9.08|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship power        =*21 × [[water-tube boiler]]s
* {{cvt|80000|shp|lk=on}}
| Ship propulsion   =4 shafts; 4 × [[steam turbine]]s
| Ship speed        = {{convert|26.5|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship range        = {{convert|5500|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|16|kn}}
| Ship complement   = 1,333
| Ship armament     =*4 × twin [[41 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun|{{cvt|41|cm}} guns]]
* 20 × single [[14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun|{{cvt|14|cm}} guns]]
* 4 × single [[8&nbsp;cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun|{{cvt|76|mm|0}}]] [[AA gun]]s
* 8 × {{cvt|533|mm}} [[torpedo tube]]s
| Ship armor =*[[Belt armor|Waterline belt]]: {{convert|100|-|305|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|69|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} + {{convert|75|mm|in|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Gun turret]]s: {{convert|190|-|356|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
* [[Barbette]]s: {{convert|305|mm|in|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Conning tower]]: {{convert|369|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
| Ship notes =
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header       =
| Header caption    = (1944)
| Ship displacement = {{cvt|39130|t|LT}} ([[Standard displacement#Standard displacement|standard]])
| Ship length       = {{convert|224.94|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam         = {{convert|34.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship draft        = {{convert|9.49|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship power        =*{{convert|80000|shp|abbr=on}}
* 10 × water-tube boilers
| Ship speed        = {{convert|25|kn}}
| Ship range        = {{convert|8650|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|16|kn}}
| Ship complement   = 1,734
| Ship sensors      =*1 × [[List of Japanese World War II radar#Shipborne Radar|Type 21]] air search [[radar]]
* 2 × [[List of Japanese World War II radar#Shipborne Radar|Type 13]] [[early-warning radar]]s
* 2 × [[List of Japanese World War II radar#Shipborne Radar|Type 22]] surface-search radars
| Ship armament=*4 × twin 41&nbsp;cm guns
* 18 × single 14&nbsp;cm guns
* 4 × twin [[12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun|{{cvt|127|mm|in|0}}]] [[DP gun]]s
* 98 × [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|{{cvt|25|mm|in|0}}]] AA guns
| Ship armor =*Deck: {{cvt|69|mm|in|1}} + {{cvt|100|mm|in|1}} + {{cvt|38|mm|in|1}}
* Turrets: {{cvt|280|-|460|mm|in|1}}
* Barbettes: {{cvt|457|mm|in|1}}
| Ship aircraft            = 3 × [[floatplane]]s
| Ship aircraft facilities = 1 × [[aircraft catapult|catapult]]
| Ship notes               =
}}
|}
{{Nihongo|'''''Nagato'''''|長門|lead=yes||named after the ancient [[Nagato Province]]}} was a [[super-dreadnought]] [[battleship]] built for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] (IJN). Completed in 1920 as the [[lead ship]] of [[Nagato-class battleship|her class]], she carried supplies for the survivors of the [[1923 Great Kantō earthquake|Great Kantō earthquake]] in 1923. The ship was modernized in 1934–1936 with improvements to her armor and machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the [[pagoda mast]] style. ''Nagato'' briefly participated in the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] in 1937 and was the [[flagship]] of [[Admiral]] [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] during the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. She covered the withdrawal of the attacking ships and did not participate in the attack itself.

Other than participating in the [[Battle of Midway]] in June 1942, where she did not see combat, the ship spent most of the first two years of the [[Pacific War]] training in home waters. She was transferred to [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] in mid-1943, but did not see any combat until the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]] in mid-1944 when she was attacked by American aircraft. ''Nagato'' did not fire her main armament against enemy vessels until the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]] in October. She was lightly damaged during the battle and returned to Japan the following month. The IJN was running out of fuel by this time and decided not to fully repair her. ''Nagato'' was converted into a floating [[anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] platform and assigned to coastal defense duties. [[Attack on Yokosuka|She was attacked in July 1945]] as part of the American campaign to destroy the IJN's last remaining [[capital ship]]s, but was only slightly damaged and went on to be the only Japanese battleship to have survived [[World War II]]. In mid-1946, the ship was a target for [[nuclear weapon]] tests during [[Operation Crossroads]]. She survived the first test with little damage, but was sunk by the second.

==Description==
''Nagato'' had a length of {{convert|201.17|m|ft|0|sp=us}} [[Length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]] and {{convert|215.8|m|ft|0|sp=us}} [[length overall|overall]]. She had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|29.02|m|ftin|sp=us}} and a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|9.08|m|ftin|sp=us}}.<ref name=sk24>Skwiot 2008, p. 4</ref> The ship [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|32720|t|LT|sp=us|lk=on}} at [[Standard displacement#Standard displacement|standard load]] and {{convert|39116|t|LT|sp=us}} at [[Full-load displacement|full load]].<ref name=w0>Whitley, p. 200</ref> Her crew consisted of 1,333 officers and enlisted men as built and 1,368 in 1935.<ref name=j8>Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 28</ref> The crew totaled around 1,734 men in 1944.<ref name=s4>Stille, p. 34</ref>
[[File:IJN battleship Nagato and her all crewmembers.jpg|thumb|left|''Nagato'' and her crew in 1937 on the recently installed pagoda mast]]
In 1930,<ref>Skwiot 2007, p. 34</ref> ''Nagato''{{'}}s bow was remodeled to reduce the amount of spray produced when steaming into a [[head sea]]. This increased her overall length by {{convert|1.59|m|ftin|sp=us}} to {{convert|217.39|m|ftin|sp=us}}. During her 1934–1936 reconstruction, the ship's stern was lengthened by {{convert|7.55|m|ft|sp=us}} to improve her speed and her forward superstructure was rebuilt into a [[pagoda mast]]. She was given [[torpedo bulge]]s to improve her underwater protection and to compensate for the weight of the additional armor and equipment. These changes increased her overall length to {{convert|224.94|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, her beam to {{convert|34.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and her draft to {{convert|9.49|m|ftin|sp=us}}. Her displacement increased over {{convert|7000|t|LT|sp=us}} to {{convert|46690|t|LT|sp=us}} at deep load. The ship's [[metacentric height]] at deep load was {{convert|2.35|m|ftin|sp=us}}.<ref>Skwiot 2008, pp. 6, 9–10, 71</ref> In November 1944, the tops of ''Nagato''{{'}}s mainmast and funnel were removed to improve the effective arcs of fire for her anti-aircraft guns.<ref name=ha/>

===Propulsion===
[[File:Nagato05cropped.jpg|thumb|left|''Nagato'' at anchor in [[Yokosuka]], October 1927]]
''Nagato'' was equipped with four Gihon geared [[steam turbine]]s, each of which drove one propeller shaft. The turbines were designed to produce a total of {{convert|80000|shp|lk=on}}, using steam provided by 21 Kampon [[water-tube boiler]]s; 15 of these were oil-fired while the remaining half-dozen consumed a mixture of coal and oil. The ship could carry {{convert|1600|LT|t|abbr=on}} of coal and {{convert|3400|LT|t|abbr=on}} of [[fuel oil]],<ref name=w0/> giving her a range of {{convert|5500|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|16|kn|lk=in}}. The ship exceeded her designed speed of {{convert|26.5|knots}} during her [[sea trial]]s, reaching {{convert|26.7|kn}} at {{convert|85500|shp|abbr=on}}.<ref name=j8/>

[[Funnel (ship)|Funnel]] smoke would often choke and blind crewmen on the [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]] and in the [[fire-control system]]s so a "fingernail"-shaped deflector was installed on the fore funnel in 1922 to direct the exhaust away from them. It was less than effective and the fore funnel was rebuilt in a serpentine shape in an unsuccessful effort during a refit in 1924.<ref name=j8/> That funnel was eliminated during the ship's 1930s reconstruction when all of her boilers were replaced by ten oil-fired [[Kampon]] boilers, which had a working pressure of {{convert|22|kg/cm2|kPa psi|0|abbr=on|lk=on}} and temperature of {{convert|300|°C}}.<ref>Skwiot 2008, pp. 73, 76–77</ref> In addition her turbines were replaced by lighter, more modern, units.<ref name=s2/> When ''Nagato'' conducted her post-reconstruction trials, she reached a speed of {{convert|24.98|kn}} with {{convert|82300|shp|abbr=on}}.<ref name=s8>Skwiot 2008, p. 78</ref> Additional fuel oil was stored in the bottoms of the newly added torpedo bulges, which increased her capacity to {{convert|5560|LT|t}} and thus her range to {{convert|8560|nmi|abbr=on}} at 16 knots.<ref name=w0/>

===Armament===
[[File:NagatoFiring1936.jpg|thumb|left|''Nagato'' firing her main armament, 1936]]
''Nagato''{{'}}s eight 45-[[Caliber (artillery)#Barrel_length|caliber]] [[41 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun|41-centimeter]] (16 inch) guns were mounted in two pairs of twin-gun, [[superfire|superfiring]] turrets fore and aft. Numbered one through four from front to rear, the hydraulically powered turrets gave the guns an elevation range of −2 to +35 degrees. The rate of fire for the guns was around two rounds per minute. The turrets aboard the ''Nagato''-class ships were replaced in the mid-1930s with the turrets stored from the unfinished {{sclass|Tosa|battleship}}s. While in storage the turrets had been modified to increase their range of elevation to –3 to +43 degrees,<ref name=s19>Skwiot 2008, p. 19</ref> which increased the gun's maximum range from {{convert|30200|to|37900|m|yd|sp=us}}.<ref name=f9>Friedman, p. 269</ref>

The ship's secondary armament of twenty 50-caliber [[14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun|14-centimeter]] guns was mounted in casemates on the upper sides of the hull and in the superstructure. The manually operated guns had a maximum range of {{convert|20500|m|yd}} and fired at a rate of six to 10 rounds per minute.<ref>Skwiot 2008, p. 24</ref> Anti-aircraft defense was provided by four 40-caliber [[8&nbsp;cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun|3rd Year Type three-in]]ch{{refn|These guns were license-built British quick-firing guns (QF) [[QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun|12-pounder guns]]. While the Japanese designated them as 8&nbsp;cm, their actual caliber was 76.2&nbsp;mm.<ref name=c8/>|group=Note}} AA guns in single mounts. The {{convert|3|in|adj=on}} high-angle guns had a maximum elevation of +75 degrees, and had a rate of fire of 13 to 20 rounds per minute.<ref name=c8>Campbell, p. 198</ref> The ship was also fitted with eight {{convert|53.3|cm|in|adj=on|sp=us}} [[torpedo tube]]s, four on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]], two above water and two submerged.<ref>Skwiot 2008, p. 31</ref>

[[File:Nagato-class battleship.jpg|thumb|right|A twin 127&nbsp;mm gun mount aboard ''Nagato'']]
Around 1926, the four above-water torpedo tubes were removed and the ship received three additional 76&nbsp;mm AA guns that were situated around the base of the foremast.<ref name="Skwiot 2008 70">Skwiot 2008, p. 70</ref> They were replaced by eight 40-caliber [[12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun|12.7-centimeter Type 89 dual-purpose]] (DP) guns in 1932,<ref name=ha/> fitted on both sides of the fore and aft superstructures in four twin-gun mounts.<ref name=w2>Whitley, p. 202</ref> When firing at surface targets, the guns had a range of {{convert|14700|m|yd|sp=us}}; they had a maximum ceiling of {{convert|9440|m|ft|sp=us}} at their maximum elevation of +90 degrees. Their maximum rate of fire was 14 rounds a minute, but their sustained rate of fire was around eight rounds per minute.<ref>Campbell, pp. 192–193</ref> Two twin-gun mounts for license-built [[Vickers]] [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|two-pounder]] light AA guns were also added to the ship that same year.<ref name=ha/>{{refn|Skwiot says two single mounts in 1932–1934 and another pair, mounted near the aft funnel, were added in 1934.<ref>Skwiot 2008, pp. 26, 72</ref>|group=Note}} These guns had a maximum elevation of +80 degrees which gave them a ceiling of {{convert|4000|m|ft|sp=us}}.<ref>Skwiot 2008, pp. 26, 30</ref> They had a maximum rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute.<ref name="Campbell 200">Campbell, p. 200</ref>

[[File:Nagato, Japan LCCN2014713016.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Photograph shows the rear turret, between ca. 1920 and ca. 1925]]

When the ship was reconstructed in 1934–1936, the remaining torpedo tubes and the two forward 14&nbsp;cm ({{frac|5|1|2}}-inch) guns were removed from the hull. The remaining 14&nbsp;cm guns had their elevation increased to +35 degrees which increased their range to {{convert|20000|m|yd|sp=us}}. An unknown number of license-built [[Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun]] {{convert|13.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} in twin mounts were added. The maximum range of these guns was {{convert|6500|m|yd|sp=us}},<ref>Skwiot 2008, pp. 33, 72–73</ref> but the effective range against aircraft was {{convert|700|-|1500|m|yd|sp=us}}. The cyclic rate was adjustable between 425 and 475 rounds per minute, but the need to change 30-round [[magazine (firearms)|magazines]] reduced the effective rate to 250 rounds per minute.<ref>Campbell, p. 202</ref>

The unsatisfactory two-pounders were replaced in 1939 by twenty license-built Type 96 Hotchkiss [[Type 96 25&nbsp;mm AT/AA Gun|Type 96 {{convert|25|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] light AA guns in a mixture of twin-gun and single mounts.<ref name=ha/> This was the standard Japanese light [[AA gun]] during World War II, but it suffered from severe design shortcomings that rendered it a largely ineffective weapon. According to historian Mark Stille, the twin and triple mounts "lacked sufficient speed in train or elevation; the gun sights were unable to handle fast targets; the gun exhibited excessive vibration; the magazine was too small, and, finally, the gun produced excessive muzzle blast".<ref name=stille11>Stille, p. 11</ref> These 25&nbsp;mm guns had an effective range of {{convert|1500|-|3000|m|yd|sp=us}}, and an effective ceiling of {{convert|5500|m|ft|sp=us}} at an elevation of 85 degrees. The maximum effective rate of fire was only between 110 and 120 rounds per minute because of the frequent need to change the fifteen-round magazines.<ref name="Campbell 200"/> Additional Type 96 guns were installed during the war; on 10 July 1944, the ship was reported to have 98 guns on board. An additional 30 guns were added during a refit in Yokosuka in November. Two more twin 12.7&nbsp;cm (5 inch) gun mounts were added at the same time abreast the funnel<ref>Skwiot 2008, p. 80</ref> and her 14&nbsp;cm guns were removed as she was by then a floating anti-aircraft battery.<ref name=ha/>

===Armor===
The ship's [[waterline]] [[belt armor|armor belt]] was {{convert|305|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} thick and tapered to a thickness of {{convert|100|mm|in|abbr=on}} at its bottom edge; above it was a [[strake]] of {{convert|229|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} armor. The main [[deck (ship)|deck]] armor was {{convert|69|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} while the lower deck was {{convert|75|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} thick.<ref>Skwiot 2008, pp. 10–11</ref> The turrets were protected with an armor thickness of 305&nbsp;mm on the face, {{convert|230|-|190|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} on the sides, and {{convert|152|-|127|mm|in|abbr=on}} on the roof.<ref name=f9/> The [[barbette]]s of the turrets were protected by armor 305&nbsp;mm thick, while the casemates of the 1[[QF 2-pounder naval gun|{{convert|40|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}]] guns were protected by {{convert|25|mm|in|abbr=on}} armor plates. The sides of the [[conning tower]] were {{convert|369|mm|in|abbr=on}} thick.<ref name=w0>Whitley, p. 200</ref>

The new 41&nbsp;cm turrets installed during ''Nagato''{{'}}s reconstruction were more heavily armored than the original ones. Face armor was increased to {{convert|460|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}, the sides to {{convert|280|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}, and the roof to {{convert|250|-|230|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}.<ref>Campbell, p. 182</ref> The armor over the machinery and magazines was increased by 38&nbsp;mm on the upper deck and {{convert|25|mm|in|abbr=on}} on the upper armored deck.<ref name=s2/> These additions increased the weight of the ship's armor to {{convert|13032|t|LT|sp=us}},<ref name=s8/> 32.6 percent of her displacement.<ref name=s2>Stille, p. 32</ref> In early 1941, as a preparation for war,<ref name=ha/> ''Nagato''{{'}}s barbette armor was reinforced with {{convert|100|mm|abbr=on}} armor plates above the main deck and {{convert|215|mm|in|abbr=on}} plates below it.<ref>Chesneau, p. 172</ref>

[[File:16 26 090 WWII museum.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Binoculars from the ''Nagato'' on display at the [[National World War II Museum]]]]

===Fire control and sensors===
When completed in 1920, the ship was fitted with a {{convert|10|m|ftin|adj=on|sp=us}} rangefinder in the forward superstructure; {{convert|6|m|ftin|adj=on|sp=us|spell=in}} and {{convert|3|m|ftin|adj=on|sp=us|spell=in}} anti-aircraft rangefinders were added in May 1921 and 1923, respectively. The rangefinders in the second and third turrets were replaced by 10-meter units in 1932–1933.<ref>Skwiot 2008, pp. 34, 72</ref>

''Nagato'' was initially fitted with a Type 13 fire-control system derived from Vickers equipment received during World War I, but this was replaced by an improved Type 14 system around 1925. It controlled the main and secondary guns; no provision was made for anti-aircraft fire until the Type 31 [[fire-control director]] was introduced in 1932. A modified Type 14 fire-control system was tested aboard the ship in 1935 and later approved for service as the Type 34. A new anti-aircraft director called the Type 94 that was used to control the 127&nbsp;mm AA guns was introduced in 1937, although when ''Nagato'' received hers is unknown. The [[Type 96 25&nbsp;mm AT/AA Gun|Type 96 {{convert|25|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] AA guns were controlled by a Type 95 director that was also introduced in 1937.<ref>Skwiot 2008, pp. 33–37, 72</ref>

While in [[drydock]] in May 1943, a [[List of Japanese World War II radar#Shipborne Radar|Type 21]] air search [[radar]] was installed on the roof of the 10-meter rangefinder at the top of the pagoda mast. On 27 June 1944, two Type 22 surface search radars were installed on the pagoda mast and two Type 13 [[early warning radar]]s were fitted on her mainmast.<ref name=ha/>

===Aircraft===
''Nagato'' was fitted with an {{convert|18|m|ftin|sp=us|adj=on}}<ref>Skwiot 2008, p. 47</ref> aircraft [[Flight deck#Early|flying-off platform]] on Turret No. 2 in August 1925. [[Yokosuka Ro-go Ko-gata]] and [[Heinkel HD 25]] [[floatplane]]s were tested from it before it was removed early the following year.<ref name=ha/> An additional boom was added to the [[mainmast]] in 1926 to handle the [[Yokosuka E1Y]] now assigned to the ship.<ref name="Skwiot 2008 70"/> A [[Hansa-Brandenburg W.33]] floatplane was tested aboard ''Nagato'' that same year.<ref name=ha/> A [[aircraft catapult|catapult]] was fitted between the mainmast and Turret No. 3<ref>Skwiot 2008, p. 57</ref> in mid-1933,<ref name=ha>Hackett, Kingsepp, & Ahlberg</ref> a collapsible [[crane (machine)|crane]] was installed in a portside [[sponson]], and the ship was equipped to operate two or three floatplanes, although no [[hangar]] was provided. The ship now operated [[Nakajima E4N]]2 biplanes until they were replaced by [[Nakajima E8N]]2 biplanes in 1938. A more powerful catapult was installed in November 1938 to handle heavier aircraft, such as the one [[Kawanishi E7K]] that was added in 1939–1940. [[Mitsubishi F1M]] biplanes replaced the E8Ns on 11 February 1943.<ref>Skwiot 2008, pp. 54, 57</ref>

==Construction and career==

''Nagato'', named for [[Nagato Province]],<ref>Silverstone, p. 335</ref> was ordered on 12 May 1916<ref>Lengerer, footnote 3</ref> and [[Keel laying|laid down]] at the [[Kure Naval Arsenal]] on 28 August 1917 as the lead ship of her class. She was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 9 November 1919 by Admiral [[Katō Tomosaburō]], completed on 15 November 1920 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] 10 days later with [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[Nobutaro Iida]] in command. ''Nagato'' was assigned to the 1st Battleship Division and became the flagship of [[Rear Admiral]] [[Sōjirō Tochinai]]. On 13 February 1921, the ship was inspected by the [[Crown Prince]], [[Hirohito]]. Captain [[Kanari Kabayama]] relieved Iida on 1 December 1921. The ship hosted [[Marshal of France|Marshal]] [[Joseph Joffre]] on 18 February 1922 and [[Edward VIII|Edward]], [[Prince of Wales]], and his [[aide-de-camp]] [[Lieutenant (naval)|Lieutenant]] [[Louis Mountbatten]] on 12 April during the prince's visit to Japan.<ref name=ha/>

[[File:Yasukuni Maru and Nagato, October 1941.jpg|thumb|''Nagato'' and [[Yasukuni Maru (1930)|''Yasukuni Maru'']] at sea, October 1941]]

After the [[1923 Great Kantō earthquake]], ''Nagato'' loaded supplies from [[Kyushu]] for the victims on 4 September. Together with her [[sister ship]] {{ship|Japanese battleship|Mutsu||2}}, she sank the [[hulk (ship)|hulk]] of the obsolete battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Satsuma||2}} on 7 September 1924 during gunnery practice in [[Tokyo Bay]] in accordance with the [[Washington Naval Treaty]]. The ship was transferred to the [[reserve fleet|reserve]] of the 1st Division on 1 December<ref>Skwiot 2007, pp. 33–34</ref> and became a gunnery training ship. In August 1925, aircraft handling and take-off tests were conducted aboard ''Nagato''. She was reassigned as the flagship of the Combined Fleet on 1 December, flying the flag of Admiral [[Keisuke Okada]]. Captain [[Kiyoshi Hasegawa (admiral)|Kiyoshi Hasegawa]] assumed command of the ship on 1 December 1926.

''Nagato'' was again placed in reserve on 1 December 1931 and her anti-aircraft armament was upgraded the following year. In August 1933 the ship participated in fleet maneuvers north of the [[Marshall Islands]] and she began her first modernization on 1 April 1934. This was completed on 31 January 1936 and ''Nagato'' was assigned to the 1st Battleship Division of the [[1st Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|1st Fleet]]. During the attempted [[coup d'état]] on 26 February by [[February 26 Incident|disgruntled Army officers]], the ship was deployed in Tokyo Bay and some of her sailors were landed in support of the government. In August, she transported 1,749 men of the [[43rd Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army)|43rd Infantry Regiment]] of the [[11th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|11th Infantry Division]] from [[Shikoku]] to [[Shanghai]] during the Second Sino-Japanese War.<ref name=ha/> Her floatplanes bombed targets in Shanghai on 24 August before she returned to [[Sasebo Naval Base|Sasebo]] the following day.<ref>Skwiot 2007, p. 36</ref> ''Nagato'' became a training ship on 1 December until she again became the flagship of the Combined Fleet on 15 December 1938. The ship participated in an Imperial Fleet Review on 11 October 1940. She was refitted in early 1941 in preparation for war.<ref name=ha/>

===World War II===
[[File:Nagato09cropped.jpg|thumb|left|Rear oblique view of ''Nagato'' at anchor in Kure, August 1942]]
Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] issued the code phrase "''Niitaka yama nobore''" (Climb [[Mount Niitaka]]) on 2 December 1941 from ''Nagato'' at anchor at [[Hashirajima]] to signal the [[1st Air Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)#Kido Butai|1st Air Fleet]] (''Kido Butai'') in the North Pacific to proceed with its attack on [[Pearl Harbor]]. When the war started for Japan on 8 December,<ref group=Note>[[Japan Standard Time]] is 19 hours ahead of [[Hawaiian Standard Time]], so in Japan, the attack on Pearl Harbor happened on 8 December.</ref> she [[sortie]]d for the [[Bonin Islands]], along with ''Mutsu'', the battleships {{ship|Japanese battleship|Hyūga||2}}, {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamashiro||2}}, {{ship|Japanese battleship|Fusō||2}}, {{ship|Japanese battleship|Ise||2}} of Battleship Division 2, and the light carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hōshō||2}} as distant cover for the withdrawal of the fleet attacking Pearl Harbor, and returned six days later. Yamamoto transferred his flag to the new battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}} on 12 February 1942. ''Nagato'' was briefly refitted 15 March – 9 April at Kure Naval Arsenal.<ref name=ha/>

In June 1942 ''Nagato'', commanded by Captain [[Hideo Yano]], was assigned to the Main Body of the 1st Fleet during the Battle of Midway, together with ''Yamato'', ''Mutsu'', ''Hosho'', the [[light cruiser]] {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Sendai||2}}, nine destroyers and four auxiliary ships.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 168–169</ref><ref>Parshall & Tully, p. 453</ref> Following the loss of all four carriers of the 1st Air Fleet on 4 June, Yamamoto attempted to lure the American forces west to within range of the Japanese air groups at [[Wake Island]], and into a night engagement with his surface forces, but the American forces withdrew and ''Nagato'' saw no action. After rendezvousing with the remnants of the 1st Air Fleet on 6 June, survivors from the aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Kaga||2}} were transferred to ''Nagato''.<ref>Parshall & Tully, pp. 382–383</ref> On 14 July, the ship was transferred to Battleship Division 2 and she became the flagship of the 1st Fleet. Yano was promoted to rear admiral on 1 November and he was replaced by Captain Yonejiro Hisamune nine days later. ''Nagato'' remained in Japanese waters training until August 1943. On 2 August Captain [[Mikio Hayakawa]] assumed command of the ship.<ref name=ha/>

That month, ''Nagato'', ''Yamato'', ''Fusō'' and the [[escort carrier]] {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Taiyō||2}}, escorted by two heavy cruisers and five destroyers transferred to Truk in the [[Caroline Islands]]. In response to the carrier raid on [[Tarawa]] on 18 September, ''Nagato'' and much of the fleet sortied for [[Eniwetok]] to search for the American forces before they returned to Truk on 23 September, having failed to locate them. The Japanese had intercepted some American radio traffic that suggested an attack on Wake Island, and on 17 October, ''Nagato'' and the bulk of the 1st Fleet sailed for Eniwetok to be in a position to intercept any such attack. The fleet arrived on 19 October, departed four days later, and arrived back at Truk on 26 October. Hayakawa was promoted to rear admiral on 1 November and he was relieved on 25 December by Captain [[Yuji Kobe]].<ref name=ha/>

[[File:Japanese Battleship Nagato 1944.jpg|thumb|right|''Nagato'' at anchor in Brunei Bay, October 1944, shortly before the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]]]]
On 1 February 1944, ''Nagato'' departed Truk with ''Fusō'' to avoid an American air raid, and arrived at [[Palau]] on 4 February. They departed on 16 February to escape another air raid. The ships arrived on 21 February at [[Lingga Island]], near [[Singapore]], and the ship became the flagship of Vice Admiral [[Matome Ugaki]], commander of Battleship Division 1, on 25 February, until he transferred his flag to ''Yamato'' on 5 May. Aside from a brief refit at Singapore, the ship remained at Lingga training until 11 May when she was transferred to [[Tawi-Tawi]] on 12 May. The division was now assigned to the [[1st Mobile Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|1st Mobile Fleet]], under the command of Vice Admiral [[Jisaburō Ozawa]].<ref name=ha/>

On 10 June, Battleship Division 1 departed Tawi-Tawi for [[Batjan]] in preparation for [[Operation Kon]], a planned counterattack against the American [[Battle of Biak|invasion of Biak]]. Three days later, when Admiral [[Soemu Toyoda]], commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, was notified of American attacks on [[Saipan]], Operation Kon was canceled and Ugaki's force was diverted to the [[Mariana Islands]]. The battleships rendezvoused with Ozawa's main force on 16 June. During the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]], ''Nagato'' escorted the aircraft carriers {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Jun'yō||2}}, {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiyō||2}} and the light carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Ryūhō||2}}. She fired 41&nbsp;cm Type 3 ''Sankaidan''  incendiary anti-aircraft [[shrapnel shell]]s at aircraft from the light carrier {{USS|Belleau Wood|CVL-24|2}} that were attacking ''Jun'yō'' and claimed to have shot down two [[Grumman TBF Avenger]] [[torpedo bomber]]s. The ship was [[strafe]]d by American aircraft during the battle, but was not damaged and suffered no casualties.<ref name=ha/> During the battle ''Nagato'' rescued survivors from ''Hiyō'' that were transferred to the carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuikaku||2}} once the ship reached Okinawa on 22 June. She continued on to Kure where she was refitted with additional radars and light AA guns. Undocked on 8 July, ''Nagato'' loaded a [[regiment]] of the [[28th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|28th Infantry Division]] the following day and delivered them to Okinawa on 11 July. She arrived at Lingga via [[Manila]] on 20 July.<ref>Skwiot 2007, p. 46</ref>

====Battle of Leyte Gulf====
{{Main|Battle of Leyte Gulf}}
[[File:Japanese Center Force ships leave Brunei Bay, Borneo, on 22 October 1944 (NH 63435).jpg|thumb|left|Center Force sorties from Brunei Bay, Borneo: six heavy cruisers head to sea, followed by ''Yamato'', {{ship|Japanese battleship|Musashi||2}} and ''Nagato'']]
Kobe was promoted to rear admiral on 15 October. Three days later, ''Nagato'' sailed for [[Brunei Bay]], [[Borneo]], to join the main Japanese fleet in preparation for "Operation ''Sho''-1", the counterattack planned against the American landings at Leyte. The Japanese plan called for Ozawa's carrier forces to lure the American carrier fleets north of Leyte so that Vice Admiral [[Takeo Kurita]]'s 1st Diversion Force (also known as the Center Force) could enter [[Leyte Gulf]] and destroy American forces landing on the island. ''Nagato'', together with the rest of Kurita's force, departed Brunei for the Philippines on 22 October.<ref>Polmar & Genda, pp. 420–422</ref>

In the [[Battle of the Sibuyan Sea]] on 24 October, ''Nagato'' was attacked by multiple waves of American [[dive bombers]] and [[fighter aircraft|fighters]]. At 14:16{{refn|All times in this article are Japan Standard Time, one hour behind the times quoted in most American books on the Battle of Leyte Gulf.|group=Note}} she was hit by two bombs dropped by planes from the [[fleet carrier]] {{USS|Franklin|CV-13|2}} and the light carrier {{USS|Cabot|CVL-28|2}}. The first bomb disabled five of her casemate guns, jammed one of her Type 89 gun mounts, and damaged the air intake to No. 1 boiler room, immobilizing one propeller shaft for 24&nbsp;minutes until the boiler was put back online.<ref name=ha/> Damage from the second bomb is unknown. The two bombs killed 52 men between them; the number of wounded is not known.<ref>Skwiot 2007, p. 51</ref>

[[File:Nagato1944.png|thumb|right|Drawing of ''Nagato'' as she appeared in 1944]]
On the morning of 25 October, the 1st Diversion Force passed through the [[San Bernardino Strait]] and headed for Leyte Gulf to attack the American forces supporting the invasion. In the [[Battle off Samar]], ''Nagato'' engaged the escort carriers and destroyers of [[Task Group]] 77.4.3, codenamed "Taffy 3". At 06:01 she opened fire on three escort carriers, the first time she had ever fired her guns at an enemy ship, but missed. At 06:54 the destroyer {{USS|Heermann|DD-532|6}} fired a spread of torpedoes at the [[fast battleship]] {{ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}}; the torpedoes missed ''Haruna'' and headed for ''Yamato'' and ''Nagato'' which were on a parallel course. The two battleships were forced 10&nbsp;miles (16&nbsp;km) away from the engagement before the torpedoes ran out of fuel. Turning back, ''Nagato'' engaged the American escort carriers and their screening ships, claiming to have damaged one [[cruiser]]{{refn|No cruisers were present, only destroyers and [[destroyer escort]]s.<ref name=ha/> In the Battle off Samar, Japanese observers misidentified Taffy 3's escort carriers, destroyers and destroyer escorts as larger light carriers, cruisers and destroyers.|group=Note}} with forty-five 410&nbsp;mm and ninety-two 14&nbsp;cm shells. The ineffectiveness of her shooting was the result of the poor visibility caused by numerous rain [[squall]]s and by [[smoke screen]]s laid by the defending escorts. At 09:10 Kurita ordered his ships to break off the engagement and head north. At 10:20 he ordered the fleet south once more, but as they came under increasingly severe air attack he ordered a retreat again at 12:36. At 12:43 ''Nagato'' was hit in the bow by two bombs, but the damage was not severe. Four [[gunner (artillery)|gunners]] were washed overboard at 16:56 as the ship made a sharp turn to avoid dive-bomber attacks; a destroyer was detached to rescue them, but they could not be found. As it retreated back to Brunei on 26 October, the Japanese fleet came under repeated air attacks. ''Nagato'' and ''Yamato'' used ''Sankaidan'' shells against them and claimed to have shot down several bombers. Over the course of the last two days she fired ninety-nine 410&nbsp;mm and six hundred fifty-three 14&nbsp;cm shells, suffering 38 crewmen killed and 105 wounded during the same time.<ref name=ha/>

====Final days of the war====
On 15 November the ship was assigned to Battleship Division 3 of the [[2nd Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|2nd Fleet]]. After an aerial attack at Brunei on 16 November, ''Nagato'', ''Yamato'', and the fast battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Kongō||2}} left the following day, bound for Kure. En route, ''Kongō'' and one of the escorting destroyers were sunk by {{USS|Sealion|SS-315|6}} on 21 November. On 25 November, she arrived at [[Yokosuka (city)|Yokosuka]], Japan, for repairs. Lack of fuel and materials meant that she could not be brought back into service and she was turned into a [[floating battery|floating anti-aircraft battery]]. Her funnel and mainmast were removed to improve the arcs of fire of her AA guns, which were increased by two Type 89 mounts and nine triple Type 96 gun mounts. Her forward secondary guns were removed in compensation. Captain Kiyomi Shibuya relieved Kobe in command of ''Nagato'' on 25 November. Battleship Division 3 was disbanded on 1 January 1945 and the ship was reassigned to Battleship Division 1. That formation was disbanded on 10 February and she was assigned to the [[Yokosuka Naval District]] as a [[coastal defense ship]].<ref name=ha/> [[wikt:moor|Moored]] alongside a [[pier]], a coal-burning [[donkey boiler]] was installed on the pier for heating and cooking purposes and a converted [[submarine chaser]] was positioned alongside to provide steam and electricity;<ref name=tu>Tully</ref> her anti-aircraft guns lacked full power and were only partially operational. On 20 April, ''Nagato'' was reduced to reserve and retired Rear Admiral [[Miki Otsuka]] assumed command a week later.<ref name=ha/>

[[File:Japanese battleship Nagato at Yokosuka 1945.jpeg|thumb|right|An Avenger flies past ''Nagato'' as she lies at anchor in Yokosuka, probably after the surrender.  c. August, 1945]]

In June 1945, all of her secondary guns and about half of her anti-aircraft armament was moved ashore, together with her rangefinders and [[searchlight]]s. Her crew was accordingly reduced to less than 1,000 officers and enlisted men. On 18 July 1945, the heavily camouflaged ship [[Attack on Yokosuka|was attacked]] by fighter bombers and torpedo bombers from five American carriers as part of Admiral [[William Halsey Jr.]]'s campaign to destroy the IJN's last surviving [[capital ship]]s. ''Nagato'' was hit by two bombs, the first {{convert|500|lb|adj=on}} bomb struck the bridge and killed Otsuka, the [[executive officer]], and twelve sailors when it detonated upon hitting the roof of the conning tower. The second 500-pound bomb struck the deck aft of the mainmast and detonated when it hit No. 3 barbette. It failed to damage the barbette or the turret above it, but blew a hole nearly {{convert|12|ft|m|1}} in diameter in the deck above the officer's lounge, killing 21 men and damaging four Type 96 guns on the deck above. A [[dud]] [[rocket]] of uncertain size hit the ship's fantail, but failed to do any significant damage. To convince the Americans that ''Nagato'' had been badly damaged by the attack, her damage was left unrepaired and some of her [[ballast tank]]s were pumped full of seawater to make her sit deeper in the water as if she had sunk to the harbor bottom.<ref name=ha/><ref name=tu/>

[[File:Japanese battleship Nagato at anchor off the Yokosuka Naval Base, circa in September 1945.jpg|thumb|''Nagato'' at Yokosuka, September 1945]]
Captain Shuichi Sugino was appointed as ''Nagato''{{'}}s new captain on 24 July, but he was unable to take up his appointment until 20 August. Retired Rear Admiral [[Masamichi Ikeguchi]] was assigned as the ship's interim captain until Sugino arrived. The Yokosuka Naval District received an alarm on the night of 1/2 August that a large convoy was approaching [[Sagami Bay]] and ''Nagato'' was ordered to attack immediately. The ship was totally unprepared for any attack, but Ikeguchi began the necessary preparations. The water in the ballast compartments was pumped out and her crew began reloading the propellant charges for her 16-inch guns. The ship received more fuel from a barge later that morning, but no order to attack ever came as it had been a false alarm. Sailors from the battleship {{USS|Iowa|BB-61|6}}, [[Underwater Demolition Team]] 18,<ref name=tu/> and the high-speed transport {{ship|USS|Horace A. Bass|APD-124|6}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h8/horace_a_bass.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040329053458/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h8/horace_a_bass.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 March 2004|title=''Horace A. Bass''|website=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships|publisher=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] (NH&HC)|access-date=25 May 2013}}</ref> secured the battleship on 30 August after the [[Japanese surrender|occupation began]] and Captain Thomas J  Flynn, executive officer of the ''Iowa'', assumed command. By the time the war ended, ''Nagato'' was the only Japanese battleship still afloat.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Farley|first1=Robert|title=Imperial Japan's Last Floating Battleship|url=https://thediplomat.com/2015/08/imperial-japans-last-floating-battleship/|website=The Diplomat|access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref> She was stricken from the [[Navy List]] on 15 September.<ref name=tu/>

==After the war==
[[File:Crossroads Baker Base Surge.jpg|thumb|''Nagato'' in foreground (left) at the beginning of the blast surge during the second atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll|alt=]]
The ship was selected to participate as a target ship in [[Operation Crossroads]], a series of nuclear weapon tests held at [[Bikini Atoll]] in mid-1946. In mid-March, ''Nagato'' departed Yokosuka for Eniwetok under the command of Captain W. J. Whipple, with an American crew of about 180 men supplementing her Japanese crew.<ref>Skwiot 2007, p. 63</ref> The ship was only capable of a speed of {{convert|10|kn}} from her two operating [[propeller shaft]]s. Her hull had not been repaired from the underwater damage sustained during the attack on 18 July 1945, and she leaked enough that her pumps could not keep up. Her consort, the light cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Sakawa||2}}, broke down on 28 March and ''Nagato'' attempted to take her in tow, but one of her boilers malfunctioned and the ship ran out of fuel in bad weather. The ship had a [[list (watercraft)|list]] of seven degrees to port by the time [[tugboat]]s from Eniwetok arrived on 30 March. Towed at a speed of {{convert|1|kn}}, the ship reached Eniwetok on 4 April where she received temporary repairs. On her trip to Bikini in May, ''Nagato'' reached {{convert|13|kn}}.<ref name=ha/>

[[File:NagatoPainting.jpg|thumb|Painting of ''Nagato'' at Bikini Atoll after the Test Able explosion]]
Operation Crossroads began with the first blast (Test Able), an [[air burst]] on 1 July; she was {{convert|1640|yd|m|order=flip|sp=us}} from [[ground zero]] and was only lightly damaged. A [[skeleton crew]] boarded ''Nagato'' to assess the damage and prepare her for the next test on 25 July. As a test, they operated one of her boilers for 36 hours without any problems. For Test Baker, an [[underwater explosion]], the ship was positioned {{convert|950|yd|m|order=flip|sp=us}} from ground zero. ''Nagato'' rode out the [[tsunami]] from the explosion with little apparent damage; she had a slight starboard list of two degrees after the tsunami dissipated. A more thorough assessment could not be made because she was dangerously [[radioactive]]. Her list gradually increased over the next five days and she capsized and sank during the night of 29/30 July.<ref name=tu/>

The wreck is upside down and her most prominent features are her four propellers, at a depth of {{convert|110|ft|m|1|order=flip|sp=us}} below the surface.<ref name=bikini/> She has become a [[scuba diving]] destination in recent years and ''[[The Times]]'' named ''Nagato'' as one of the top ten [[wreck diving]] sites in the world in 2007.<ref name=bikini>{{cite web|url=http://www.bikiniatoll.com/divetour.html|title=Bikini Atoll Dive Tourism Information|publisher=Bikini Atoll Divers|access-date=8 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/winter_sports/article1461444.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924120359/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/winter_sports/article1461444.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2011|title=World's Best Wreck Diving|work=The Times|date=3 March 2007|access-date=11 September 2009 | location=London | first=Tim | last=Ecott}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John|title=Naval Weapons of World War II|year=1985|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-0-87021-459-2}}
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1980|isbn=978-0-85177-146-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations; An Illustrated Directory|publisher= Seaforth Publishing |location=Barnsley, UK |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-84832-100-7 |author-link=Norman Friedman}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/nagatrom.htm|title=IJN Nagato: Tabular Record of Movement|last1=Hackett|first1=Bob|last2=Kingsepp|first2=Sander|last3=Ahlberg|first3=Lars|year=2009|publisher=Combinedfleet.com|access-date=15 March 2013|name-list-style=amp}}
*{{cite book|last=Jentschura|first=Hansgeorg|first2=Dieter|last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel |year=1977|title=Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher= United States Naval Institute| location= Annapolis, Maryland| isbn= 0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite journal
| last1         = Lengerer
| first1        = Hans
| editor1-last  = Ahlberg
| editor1-first = Lars
| title         = Battleships of the ''Kaga'' Class and the so-called ''Tosa'' Experiments
| date          = June 2010
| journal       = Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships
| issue         = Special Paper I}}
* {{cite book |last1=Parshall |first1=Jonathan |last2=Tully |first2=Anthony |title=Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway |publisher=Potomac Books |location=Washington, D.C. |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-57488-924-6 |name-list-style=amp |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/shatteredswordun0000pars }}
* {{cite book|last1=Polmar|first1=Norman|last2=Genda |first2=Minoru |author-link2=Minoru Genda|title=Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events|publisher=Potomac Books|location=Washington, D.C.|year=2006|volume=1, 1909–1945|isbn=978-1-57488-663-4|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book |author=Rohwer, Jurgen |title=Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-59114-119-8 }}
*  {{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0-88254-979-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Skwiot|first=Miroslaw|title=Nagato Mutsu, Part I|series=Encyklopedua Okretów Wojennych|volume=51|year=2007|publisher=AJ-Press|location=Gdansk, Poland|isbn=978-83-7237-184-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Skwiot|first=Miroslaw|title=Nagato Mutsu, Part II|series=Encyklopedia Okretów Wojennych|volume=52|year=2008|publisher=AJ-Press|location=Gdansk, Poland|isbn=978-83-7237-202-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Stille |first=Mark |title=Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941–45| series =New Vanguard|volume=146 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Botley, Oxford, UK |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84603-280-6 }}
* {{cite web|last=Tully|first=A.P.|title=Nagato's Last Year: July 1945 – July 1946|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/picposts/Nagatostory.html|website=Mysteries/Untold Sagas of the Imperial Japanese Navy|publisher=Combinedfleet.com|access-date=26 May 2013|year=2003}}
* {{Cite book |last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Battleships of World War II|year=1998|location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=978-1-55750-184-4}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last1=Lengerer|first1=Hans|first2=Lars|last2=Ahlberg|year=2018|chapter=The Battleship ''Nagato'' (1919)|editor-first=Bruce|editor-last=Taylor|title=The World of the Battleship: The Lives and Careers of Twenty-One Capital Ships of the World's Navies, 1880–1990|location=Barnsley|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|isbn=978-0870219061}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nagato (ship, 1920)|''Nagato''}}
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/japan/battleships/nagato_page_1.htm Maritimequest.com: ''Nagato'' photo gallery]

{{Nagato class battleship}}
{{1946 shipwrecks}}
{{Recreational dive sites|wresit}}
{{featured article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagato}}
[[Category:Nagato-class battleships]]
[[Category:Ships built by Kure Naval Arsenal]]
[[Category:1919 ships]]
[[Category:Second Sino-Japanese War naval ships of Japan]]
[[Category:World War II battleships of Japan]]
[[Category:Ships involved in Operation Crossroads]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1946]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Artificial reefs]]