Japanese cruiser Naka
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2008) |
 Naka in 1925, at Yokohama prior to commissioning
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Naka |
| Namesake | Naka River |
| Ordered | 1920 Fiscal Year |
| Builder | Mitsubishi |
| Laid down | 10 June 1922 |
| Launched | 24 March 1925 |
| Commissioned | 30 November 1925[1] |
| Stricken | 31 March 1944 |
| Fate |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Sendai-class light cruiser |
| Displacement | 5,195 long tons (5,278 t) (standard) |
| Length | 152.4 m (500 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 14.2 m (46 ft 7 in) |
| Draft | 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power | 90,000 shp (67,000 kW) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 35.3 kn (65.4 km/h; 40.6 mph) |
| Range | 5,000 nmi (9,000 km; 6,000 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Complement | 452 |
| Armament |
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| Armor |
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| Aircraft carried | 1 × floatplane |
| Aviation facilities | 1 × catapult |
Naka (那珂) was a
Service career
Naka was completed at Mitsubishi Yokohama on 30 November 1925.
On 26 November 1941, Naka became
In January 1942, 4th Destroyer Flotilla was assigned to the invasion of the
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 Jintsū) and the cruisers Nachi and Haguro.[3] 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 Inazuma, Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze and Hatsukaze, Ushio, Sazanami, Yamakaze and Kawakaze engaged Dutch Rear Admiral Karel W. F. M. Doorman's Strike Force consisting of two heavy cruisers (HMS Exeter and USS Houston), three light cruisers (HNLMS De Ruyter (Doorman's flagship), HNLMS Java, HMAS Perth), and nine destroyers (HMS Electra, HMS Encounter, HMS Jupiter, HNLMS Kortenaer, HNLMS Witte de With, USS Alden, USS John D. Edwards, USS John D. Ford, and USS Paul Jones).[4]
At 1603, Naka and its destroyer squadron with
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 Nagara and Natori, 9th Destroyer Division's Minegumo and Natsugumo, 22nd Destroyer Division's Satsuki, Minazuki, Fumizuki and Nagatsuki, 16th Destroyer Division's Amatsukaze and Hatsukaze, oiler Akebono Maru and transports Kimishima Maru and Kumagawa Maru.[5] Landing operations progressed without opposition on 31 March 1942, however, the submarine USS Seawolf 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
From 17–18 February 1944, Naka assisted light cruiser
Naka was removed from the
Notes
- ^ Lacroix, Japanese Cruisers, p. 794
- ^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Tarakan Island, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
- ^ Klemen, L (1999–2000). "The conquest of Java Island, March 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
- ^ Walling, Bloodstained Sands: U.S. Amphibious Operations in World War II, p. 38
- ^ Klemen, L (1999–2000). "The Mystery of Christmas Island, March 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942.
References
- L, Klemen (2000). "Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942".
- Lacroix, Eric & ISBN 0-87021-311-3.
- Walling, Michael G. (2017). Bloodstained Sands: U.S. Amphibious Operations in World War II. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-47281-439-5.
External links
- Parshall, Jon; Bob Hackett; Sander Kingsepp; Allyn Nevitt. "Sendai-class Light Cruiser". Imperial Japanese Navy Page. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- Tabular record: CombinedFleet.com: Naka history
Further reading
- Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-914-X.
- D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X.
- Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
- Evans, David (1979). Kaigun : Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-192-7.
- Hara, Tameichi (1961). Japanese Destroyer Captain. New York & Toronto: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-27894-1.- First-hand account of the torpedoing of Naka at Christmas Island by the captain of the Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze
- Howarth, Stephen (1983). The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945. Atheneum. ISBN 0-689-11402-8.
- Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
- Whitley, M.J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-141-6.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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