"Nagato" - Battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. "Nagato" - Battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy Nagato battleship

On December 7, 1941, an order was received from this battleship: “Begin climbing Mount Niitaka.” Thus began the Second World War on Pacific Ocean.

Battleship Nagato was one of the few ships designed and built based on the experience of the First World War. Most of these projects and laid down ships were subject to post-war treaties and were never completed. However, several new ships that were finally completed were so different from the battleships of the previous generation that they almost immediately became the subject of national pride in their countries. The battleships Nagato and Mutsu became symbols of Japan's naval power during the interwar period. They took turns serving as the flagships of the fleet and regularly underwent modernization. Unable to build new battleships under the terms of the treaties, the Japanese, like the Italians, squeezed out of their ships all the reserves laid down during construction. The deck armor was strengthened, the propulsion system was completely replaced, anti-torpedo bulges were added and the hull was lengthened. And of course, the architecture of the add-ons changed.
If at the beginning of its career the ship resembled English battleships in architecture and layout, then by the beginning of the war the Japanese added so much national flavor to it that the silhouettes of Nagato and Mutsu became unique and easily recognizable. The huge “Pagoda” superstructure, built around a seven-legged mast, was only at first glance a chaotic jumble of bridges. In fact, all the posts were arranged very thoughtfully and ergonomically - one platform for the admiral and helmsmen, another for navigators, a third for gunners, etc.
But the extravagant architecture was just a wrapper for this extraordinary fighting machine. The Japanese, like the British on Hood, managed to combine powerful armor, the crushing power of the largest main battery guns at the time of construction, and high speed in one hull. By these parameters, Nagato looked very worthy even against the background of the new American battleships that entered service at the beginning of the war.

Performance characteristics of the battleship

Standard displacement 39,120 - 39,250 tons, full displacement 46,356 tons.
Length 221.1/224.9 m
Width 33 m
Draft 9.5 m
Reservations: main belt— 305—102 mm; upper belt - 203 mm; traverses 330-254 mm; deck - 127+70; towers - up to 457 mm; barbettes - up to 457 mm; cutting - 370; casemates - 25 mm.
Power plant 4 TZA Kampon
Power 82,300 l. With.
Speed ​​25 knots (26.7 knots before modernization.)
Cruising range 8,560 miles at 16 knots.
Crew 1480 people
Armament... Artillery 4x2 - 410 mm/45, 18x1 - 140/50
Anti-aircraft weapons 4x2 - 127 mm/40, 10x2 - 25 mm/60
Aviation 1 catapult, 3 seaplanes.

Model

The “pipe-floodlight overpass-air defense platforms” complex was assembled and painted separately, element by element.

First I glued all the etching, then put it together - to make sure it fits correctly. Then I took them apart and painted them individually.
In order to properly paint the black visor of the pipe, I cut off the tops of the pipes that fell into the “black” zone in advance. The top of the pipe was then painted black, masked with tape and FUM tape, after which the rest of the pipe was painted black. grey colour. The tops of the pipes were painted separately and glued to the finished “complex” using superglue.

To detail this element, etching from Hasegawa was mainly used - it turned out to be more technologically advanced. From VEM I took the “grill” grille for the pipe, the grated flooring of the passages to the onboard control towers, cross braces for the air defense platforms, elevated positions for the searchlights and the ends of the searchlight overpasses.
The most spectacular part of the ship, the “pagoda,” was assembled and painted separately, in tiers:

I replaced the glass parts from the set with etched bindings from BEM (there are no such parts in FTD sets from other manufacturers.
I installed linoleum flooring on some of the platforms. The instructions suggest painting everything gray, but in my opinion this is not correct. Superillustration also gives a linoleum coating here and there. In general, on some levels I glued etched strips and painted the floor the color of linoleum.
I assembled the main battery turrets using Hasegawa etching - it is more beautiful, stronger and more replicable. The Japanese also screwed up with the development of the frame-stands for the rigging, but the instructions showed what and how to cut so that the part fits correctly. If you skip this stage, then these frames will be noticeably “filled up” towards the embrasures.

I took the trunks from C-Master. Platforms for training shooting, mounted on barrels - WEM. I replaced the 127mm anti-aircraft guns with Voyager products. This kit allows you to make four rigs using photo-etched parts. The barrels are turned, the knurlings are made of resin.

Everything fits together well, the main thing is to correctly roll out the bend radii. For the deck I would like to say again many thanks to my colleague Warship. On his advice, I marked out the indentations between the boards on the painted and varnished deck with a mechanical pencil and then rubbed them with earwigs dipped in a soapy solution. I think it turned out beautiful and neat.

I assembled the boats and boats according to the instructions. Mostly Hasegawa parts were used, but for the outboard boats I used etched cans from WEM.

Floodlights... For the large floodlights I used Hasegawa parts from the QG35 kit - handwheels and glazing cover. The inside of the spotlights is painted Titanium Silver, the outside is Kure Gray. I completed the simulator for artillerymen - added a loading bridge.

I assembled 25mm machine guns from the LionRoar kit. I painted the barrels separately in black, the frame and carriage separately in Kure gray.
All painted parts were varnished with futura after drying for a day -

The battleships Nagato and Mutsu can be called completely Japanese ships. The author of the project, engineer-captain 1st rank Hiraga, designed them without regard to Western prototypes.

Only the linearly elevated arrangement of the four main caliber towers (two each in the bow and stern) was common with the “Europeans” and the “Americans”.

Everything else was completely original. In particular, it was these super-dreadnoughts that first acquired the silhouette that later became characteristic of Japanese battleships and heavy cruisers.

We are talking, first of all, about the massive front superstructure masts, which, due to the abundance of bridges, deckhouses and passages, received the nickname “pagodas”. Hira-ga decided to create a structure that could not be knocked down even by the largest projectile. If the British were content with tripod masts, the Japanese installed a massive seven-legged one, the central trunk of which was an elevator shaft that rose from the upper deck to the central artillery post at the top of the mast. Such a structure actually turned out to be “indestructible,” but the war showed that three “legs” were quite enough to preserve the mast in the event of a direct hit. The Japanese overdid it, wasting precious weight in vain. Another characteristic feature Curved chimneys have an “Asian” silhouette.

The armor of the Nagato and Mutsu followed the American all-or-nothing scheme: the auxiliary artillery casemates had only anti-fragmentation armor.

In tests, 406-mm guns showed a maximum firing range of 216 cables (40 km).

The speed of the battleships was quite good. During sea trials in 1920, Nagato easily reached 26.7 knots (49.45 km/h). decent even for a battlecruiser. In essence, these two “Japanese” became the world’s first “new type” battleships. They had a speed close to that of battlecruisers, but retained the armament and armor of battleships. British super-dreadnoughts of the Queen Elizabeth type were inferior to the Japanese in speed by 2-2.5 knots, having artillery an inch smaller in caliber.

It is curious that the Japanese managed to hide this high speed. All reference books indicated that Nagato and Mutsu reach a speed of no more than 23 knots. The true characteristics became known only after 1945.

These battleships entered service in 1920-21, when the world economy, exhausted by the recent war, demanded not an arms race, but a reduction in arms. They almost became victims of the disarmament process in 1922. Later, the ships underwent a number of re-equipment and upgrades.

The first of them occurred already in 1924. Their front pipes were bent back - thus reducing the smoke from the fire control posts. At the same time, seaplanes and catapults appeared on battleships. The massive seven-legged foremast began to acquire additional bridges and platforms.

In 1934-36. “Nagato” and “Mutsu” underwent a new restructuring - four 140 mm guns were removed from them, and 8-127 mm anti-aircraft guns and 20-25 mm machine guns were installed instead. At the same time, the ships lost their torpedo tubes, which were absolutely useless in the new era, and the beautifully curved front pipe - the chimneys from the new, smaller boilers were installed in one second pipe.

The horizontal armor was strengthened, reaching a total of 206 mm (63-69-75 mm) instead of the previous 119 mm (25-44-50 mm), the elevation angle of the main battery guns was increased, new fire control systems were installed, as well as boules that increased the width of the hull .

As a result, the displacement increased by 8.5 thousand tons. Therefore, despite complete replacement turbines and boilers, as well as lengthening the hull by 9 meters, the speed decreased to 25 knots. But the cruising range has increased significantly (by 3150 miles).

"Mutsu" sank near Kure from a cellar explosion on June 8, 1943. 1,222 people died. In 1947-48 American divers partially lifted and partially blew up the sunken ship.

Nagato, captured by the Americans after Japan's surrender, was the target of two nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946. She survived both explosions (July 1 and 25), but gradually filled with water and sank on July 29, 1946.

Standard displacement 38,800 tons, full displacement 43,000 tons. Maximum length 224.5 m, beam 34.6 m, draft 9.5 m. Four-shaft turbine power 82,000 hp, speed 25 knots.
Reservations: main belt 330-229 mm, at the ends - 102 mm, upper belt 203 mm, auxiliary artillery casemate 152 mm, towers and barbettes 305 mm, armored decks with a total thickness of up to 205 mm, wheelhouse 305 mm.
Armament: eight 410 mm and eighteen 140 mm guns, eight 127 mm anti-aircraft guns, ninety-eight 25 mm machine guns.

This type of battleship can be called completely Japanese ships. Having retained the traditional “European” arrangement of the main artillery in four towers, two each in the bow and stern, the new super-dreadnoughts received a silhouette that over the years began to be associated specifically with Japanese ships. The characteristic features were the beautifully curved bow and the massive front mast-superstructure that appeared for the first time, which was called a “pagoda” due to the abundance of bridges, deckhouses and passages. Indeed, the engineers decided to create a structure that cannot be “knocked down” by a large-caliber projectile. If the English teachers were content with tripod masts, then their diligent students installed a massive seven-legged one, the central trunk of which was an elevator shaft that ran up and down - from the deck to the central artillery post at the top of the mast. Of course, such a structure turned out to be completely “indestructible,” but English experts and historians to this day never cease to remind that their three “legs” turned out to be quite enough to preserve the masts even in the event of direct hits. The Japanese, like the Americans with their “Shukhov towers,” somewhat overdid it, wasting precious weight on a rather useless task.

Otherwise, this type turned out to be unique; it seemed to mix purely American and English features. Thus, the armor corresponded to the “all or nothing” scheme: above the 12-inch belt, the side and casemates of the auxiliary artillery remained unarmored. But the speed of the battleships would make even such a big fan of this tactical element as Lord John Fisher envious. When testing vehicles in 1920, one of the Nagato ships easily showed 26.7 knots - a speed decent even for a battle cruiser. In essence, these ships became the first representatives of the class of new modern battleships, having a speed close to the speed of the former battlecruisers, but retained the armament and armor of the battleships. Even the English Queen Elizabeths - the high-speed wing of the Grand Fleet - were inferior to the Japanese in speed by at least 2 knots.

The most interesting thing was that for the first time it was possible to hide this high speed. In all reference books until the Second World War, it was believed that the Nagato had a “high” speed of 23 knots. The true characteristics became known to specialists only after 1945.
Since 1937, Nagato took part in the war in China. On August 20-25, the battleship delivered 2,000 soldiers of the 11th Division to Shanghai.
The ship met the war as part of the United Fleet. Until mid-1942, the linear forces of the Japanese fleet, including Nagato, practically did not take part in hostilities, defending themselves in Hashirojima. For this, all Japanese battleships received, most likely from the sailors from the aircraft carriers, the semi-contemptuous nickname of the “Hashira Fleet.”
The first operation involving Nagato and Mutsu was Midway. Both ships, as well as the Yamato, were part of Admiral Yamamoto's Main Force. The main forces, being 300 miles from Nagumo's aircraft carriers, did not show themselves in any way, and in fact were only a potential threat to the Americans.
At the turn of 1943-1944. "Nagato" was repeatedly involved in transporting troops. So, on October 17-26, 1943, he transported army units from Truk to Brown Atoll, on February 1-4, 1944 to Palau, on January 16-February 21, 1944 in Linga Roads.
"Nagato" took part in two biggest battles 1944 in the Pacific Ocean - the battle of the Mariana Islands and the battle of Leyte Gulf.
On June 19, 1944, Nagato was part of Force B with the aircraft carriers Zunyo, Hiyo and Ryuho. During the battle, the battleship did not receive damage. Already on July 2-10, 1944 he delivered army units to Okinawa.
During the Battle of the Philippines (Leyte), Nagato was part of Force A of the First Strike Force (Yamato, Musashi, Nagato) of Admiral Takeo Kurita. October 24, 1944 during the attacks American aviation, known as the Battle of the Shibuyan Sea, Nagato suffered the first damage of the entire war. It was hit by three bombs, one of which did not explode. One of the main caliber towers failed, and the ship's telephone communications were damaged. After a false retreat, the Japanese formation continued to move towards Leyte Gulf, where the targets were located - transports with landing forces. On October 25, in a battle off the island of Samar, the Japanese were unable to defeat a group of American escort aircraft carriers. At the height of the battle, Kurita ordered a retreat. There is still debate about the reasons for the Japanese failure in this clash. Nagato received two more bombs here, which did not significantly reduce its combat effectiveness.
Since November 1944 Nagato was in Kure and Yokosuka. It was used as an anti-aircraft floating battery, standing at the pier... never went to sea again, disarmed... On August 30, the American crew boarded.
Used by the Americans during testing nuclear weapons off Bikini Atoll as a target ship. On July 29, 1946, it sank during the second test.

Now about the model.

We used:
Hasegawa model at 350m. scale for 1941
Lion Roar IJN kit for the Battle of Leyte Gulf 1944
Parts from the WEM kit to the Hasegawa kit.
Putty, Tamia primer.
Paints, putty, varnishes Vallejo.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with the Lion Roar model and kit. The model itself is excellent: very reliable, the casting quality is beyond praise, wonderful detailing. Using the Lion Roar kit brings the level of detail closer to ideal. There are not many improvements and alterations, but there are still some.

Made from two halves and one and a half dozen frames. After assembling and installing the deck, I applied a small amount of putty to the bow and the joints of the deck and sides. I didn’t like the lining of the bottom, it was too deep, the ship looked like it was covered with tiles... I dealt with this in the following way: I covered the hull with thinly diluted putty, after it was completely dry, I sanded it. The side above the waterline was covered with tape and the bottom was covered with Tamiya primer from a can (it gives a thicker layer), after drying it was sanded with water. As a result, the bottom of the ship became more similar to the original.

I cut off the plastic screw shafts, made them from steel wire, and plan to install them with screws on the finished model.

From the platform for seaplanes, I cut off an eraser imitation of rails and corrugated strips imitating the joints of linoleum. I made the stripes from the remnants of photo-etched handrails and simply glued them on with superglue. The rails will be installed photo-etched after painting. I glued a corrugated photo-etched coating, ladders, handrails... in general, little things that can be installed immediately and not be broken or damaged while working with the model.

I screwed the stands from the kit to the body using self-tapping screws. I removed it just before painting, then screwed it back on. The model always stands level on the table; you can hold it by the stands, which helps to prevent the body from getting caught.

Artillery:

All details are made very carefully, worked out right down to the rivets. The towers only need to be assembled, the joints processed and photo-etched parts installed - fencing and a platform for the MZA. I assembled the guns with masks from the Lion Roar kit. I liked the masks, they were very “expressive”. It is possible to make the guns in two positions.
140mm guns – resin mantlets and turned barrels were supplied from the Lion Roar kit.
I am assembling the barrels with masks and turrets and will paint them separately.

All superstructures, watercraft, etc. were collected, painted, and “washed off” separately. Final assembly The ship was done in parallel with the installation of rigging.

The main battery towers did not fit into place well at first. This is easy to fix - you need to shorten the rubber couplings for attaching the towers by 1mm.

The final touches are to place a whole “swarm” of MZA on Nagato - 1, 2 and 3-barrel installations and plant flags. I transferred the flags from decals to foil.

I would like to note the very high quality Hasegawa decals, they are provided in abundance, attach well, and are very durable.

I screw the completed model to the base of the case and cover it with matte varnish.

Admiral.

The set includes, as a bonus, a tin figurine of Admiral Yamomoto. Having never worked with figures before, I decided to give it a try. I assembled the figurine using superglue and sanded the seams with a file and sandpaper. Primed with Tamiya putty for metal. I painted it with Vallejo acrylics and darkened the folds of the clothes with black Akan pigment. I highlighted a little with a “dry brush”, a lighter color than the uniform, bulges, etc.

The finished model was ceremoniously placed in a plexiglass box. The "reception" took place among family and friends during the evening Japanese cuisine. They didn’t splash champagne on Nagato, but they drank sake with pleasure.

"Nagato" - battleship of the Japanese Imperial Navy, the lead ship of the class of ships of the same name. Named after the historical province of the island of Honshu. The battleship was the first completely Japanese ship and was armed with the most powerful main battery guns at the time of construction.

Design

After approval of the drawings of class battleships « » , The Marine Technical Department began work on a modified project called "Nagato". The project received the index “A-102”; according to the project, 410 mm guns were to be installed on the ships. The need to switch to a new caliber was motivated by the appearance of 381-mm guns in the English fleet, as well as rumors about work in the USA on even heavier artillery systems.

When designing "Nagato", the concept of a fast battleship was taken as a basis. By the time the A-102 project was implemented, English battleships of the class "Queen Elizabeth", which predetermined some similarity between these ships.

Construction of a battleship "Nagato" was approved on February 24, 1916, and after the approval of the “8-4” program, in 1917 the construction of another battleship of the same type was approved « » . Construction order "Nagato" issued on May 12, 1916, and « » - July 21, 1917

Design

Compared to its predecessor, the ship's hull has become longer and wider. The abandonment of the main caliber towers located in the middle part of the ship made it possible to place a more powerful power plant, which increased the speed.

Changes have been made to the battleship's reservation system. The main armor belt became narrower and thinner along the lower edge. The main armored deck was significantly strengthened. A middle armored deck was added. The armor of the main caliber turrets was noticeably strengthened, while the armor of the barbettes remained at the same level. Underwater protection was added, including a torpedo bulkhead.

The main caliber armament now consisted of 410 mm guns. These guns were the first heavy artillery system designed in Japan, but retained a number of features of the English 356 mm gun, which served as their prototype. Mine artillery was similar, but the placement of the guns was changed. The number of torpedo tubes has also increased.

As mentioned above, power plant was significantly more powerful than that installed on class battleships « » .

The total length of the ship was 215.8 m, the width was 29.02 m, and the draft was 9.08 m. The displacement at standard load was 32,720 tons, and at full load - 38,500 tons. The ship's crew consisted of 1,333 officers and sailors.

Engines

Power plant of class battleships "Nagato" consisted of four turbo units of the “Gihon” system with a total power of 80,000 hp. and drove four propeller shafts into rotation. The installed turbines were entirely designed in Japan. Twenty-one steam boilers of the Kampon system produced steam for the turbines. Fifteen boilers operated exclusively on oil, and the remaining six had mixed heating.

The fuel supply was 1,600 tons of coal and 3,400 tons of oil, which provided a cruising range of 5,500 miles at a speed of 16 knots. Battleships could reach speeds of up to 26 knots.

Armament

The main caliber armament consisted of eight 410 mm 45 caliber guns mounted in four two-gun turrets. The main caliber towers were installed linearly and elevated and placed in the center plane. The elevation angles of the guns ranged from -2 to 35 degrees, with a maximum firing range of 30,200 m. The guns could be loaded at an elevation angle of up to 20 degrees. The rate of fire was about two rounds per minute. It is not known for certain what types of shells these guns fired before the Second World War. During the war they used 1,020-kg. armor-piercing shells(Type 91), 936-kg were also used. high explosive shells.

The armament of the mine artillery consisted of twenty 140-mm 50-caliber guns. Fourteen of the guns were placed in casemates on the main deck, and the rest were located higher up near the superstructure. The elevation angle was 20 degrees, which made it possible to fire at a distance of up to 15,800 m. Each gun fired 38 kg. high explosive shells, with a rate of fire of up to ten rounds per minute. Anti-aircraft armament consisted of four 76-mm 40-caliber anti-aircraft guns (3rd Year Type 8-centimetre) and were mounted on the superstructure. The maximum vertical aiming angles were 75 degrees, and the gun's rate of fire was 13-20 rounds per minute. They fired 6 kg. shells with a maximum firing range of 7,500 meters. In addition, the ships were armed with eight 533-mm torpedo tubes, four on each side. Four torpedo tubes were surface-mounted and located on the main deck on the sides of the second smokestack. The remaining four were underwater and were located in pairs fore and aft from the end barbettes.

Booking

The main armor belt ran from the barbette of the main caliber turret No. 1 to the turret No. 4 and had a maximum thickness of 305 mm. The length of the belt was 134 m, and the height was 3.5 m. Along the lower edge it thinned to 76 mm. At the ends it was completed with traverses with a thickness of 254 mm. Towards the bow and stern of the traverses, the thickness of the belt decreased first to 203 mm, and closer to the stems - to 102 mm. On top of the main one there was a 203-mm belt 110 m long, rising to the main armor of the deck. In the area of ​​the barbettes of the main caliber towers No. 2 and No. 3, it went deep into the hull and adjoined the end barbettes. The mine artillery casemates were protected by a 25-mm armor belt.

The main armor deck had 70 mm armor and was adjacent to the upper edge of the 203 mm belt. Below was the middle armored deck with bevels and in the horizontal part it had a thickness of 51 mm, and on the bevels - 76 mm. The forecastle deck had armor over mine artillery casemates with a thickness of 25 mm to 38 mm.

The thickness of the frontal plate of the main caliber towers was 356 mm and was installed at an angle of 30 degrees, the side walls - 280 mm and the roof - 127 mm. Barbettes had armor 305 mm thick. Wall thickness main cabin was 350 mm, and the auxiliary one was 102 mm.

Underwater protection included an anti-torpedo bulkhead with a thickness of 51 mm to 76 mm, descending from the break of the lower armored deck to the double bottom flooring.

Modernization

In 1922, on class battleships "Nagato" installed visors on the bow pipe to remove gases. This did not bring the desired effect and in 1923 the bow pipe was bent towards the stern.

In 1925, four surface torpedo tubes were removed from the battleships, and three additional 76-mm anti-aircraft guns were installed instead.

In 1932-1933 two 40-mm anti-aircraft guns were installed on the battleships. The rate of fire of the machine guns was 200 rounds per minute. 76 mm anti-aircraft guns were dismantled, and instead they were installed with four 127-mm double-barreled 40-caliber universal guns. They were installed on both sides fore and aft of the superstructure. When firing at ground targets maximum range The firing range was 14,700 m with a rate of fire of fourteen rounds per minute. True, the steady rate of fire was eight rounds per minute.

From August 1933 to January 1936, the battleship Nagato underwent extensive modernization at Kure. During which the ship received onboard anti-torpedo bulges, which increased the width of the hull to 33 m. In order to maintain the propulsive coefficient at the same level, the length of the hull had to be increased by 9.1 m due to the aft superstructure. The power plant was completely changed, four turbo units of the “Kampon” system and ten “Kampon” steam boilers of pure oil heating were installed. Modernization of the power plant of class battleships or « » was accompanied by an increase in the power and speed of ships. After replacing the power plant of class battleships "Nagato" the power did not increase significantly, and the speed decreased to 25 knots. The bow chimney was dismantled, since the new power plant took up less space. New rangefinders and fire control posts were installed.

The elevation angles of the main caliber guns were increased, the maximum firing range was 37,900 m at an elevation angle of 43 degrees. The elevation angle of anti-mine caliber guns was also increased, now the maximum range was 20,000 m at an elevation angle of 35 degrees. The two front 140 mm guns located in casemates were removed. Remaining torpedo tubes were also dismantled. A catapult for seaplanes was installed on the poop.

The armor of the forecastle deck above the casemates was increased to 51 mm, and the middle deck armor was increased to 127 mm. The protection of the barbettes of the main caliber guns was strengthened by installing additional armor plates 127 mm thick. In the same way, the frontal armor of the towers was strengthened, bringing it to 457 mm. After modernization, the standard displacement of battleships was almost 39,000 tons.

In 1939, instead of 40-mm anti-aircraft guns, twenty 25-mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft guns (Type 96) were installed. They were mounted in single and double-barreled anti-aircraft guns. The effective firing range of these machine guns ranged from 1,500 to 3,000 m, with a maximum effective firing rate of up to 120 rounds per minute. This is due to the fact that it was necessary to frequently change magazines with a capacity of 50 rounds.

Before her death in 1943, the battleship « » was no longer subject to any modernization.

June 10, 1944 battleship "Nagato" underwent repairs, during which a new radar station (Type 21) was installed on the ship and a 25-mm double-barreled anti-aircraft gun was installed. However, this radar was considered unsuccessful and new radars (Type 22 and Type 13) were installed already in July. The battleship's anti-aircraft armament was increased to 96 barrels of 25-mm machine guns. Twenty-eight were single-barreled, ten were double-barrel and sixteen were three-barreled. To compensate for the weight, two 140-mm anti-mine guns had to be dismantled.

In November 1944, an additional thirty 25-mm anti-aircraft guns were installed. They were mounted in ten three-barrel anti-aircraft guns. At the same time, two more 127-mm double-barreled universal mounts were installed on the battleship. Due to the increased weight, four more 140 mm guns had to be removed.

In June 1945, all 140 mm and 127 mm guns were removed from the battleship.

Service

On December 20, 1920, the battleship was assigned to the 1st division of battleships, becoming the flagship. On February 13, 1921, the heir to the throne, Prince Hirohito, visited the battleship. On February 18, 1922, Marshal Joseph Joffre visited the ship, and on April 12, the Prince of Wales, during his visit to Japan. During the first four years of service, the battleship conducted combat exercises, taking part in fleet exercises.

On September 4, after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, along with the battleship « » delivered supplies to victims from Kyushu.

September 7, 1924 during training firing together with the battleship « » sank the target "Satsuma"; a former dreadnought battleship converted under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 into a target ship. On December 1, she was put into reserve, becoming a training ship.

December 1, 1926 "Nagato" was withdrawn from the reserve and included in the United Fleet, becoming the flagship. On December 1, 1931 he was again transferred to the reserve. In August 1933, he took part in naval maneuvers in the northern Marshall Islands. After a radical modernization, on January 31, 1936, the battleship was assigned to the 1st Division of Battleships of the 1st Fleet. In August 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he transported infantry units from Shikoku to Shanghai. On August 24, before leaving for Sasebo, the battleship's seaplanes struck targets in Shanghai. On December 1, Nagato again became a training ship until December 15, 1938, when she again became the flagship of the Combined Fleet. As Japan prepared for the Pacific War, the battleship was refitted in early 1941.

On December 2, 1941, Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto transmitted the code phrase “ Niitaka yama nobore” to launch the 1st Air Fleet’s attack on Pearl Harbor from a battleship "Nagato". When the Pacific War began for Japan, December 8 "Nagato" along with battleships: « » , « » , "Yamashiro", « » , « » and an aircraft carrier "Hōshō" were in the area of ​​the Bonin Islands to provide remote support to the retreating fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor; six days later the formation returned. On February 12, 1942, a new battleship became the flagship of the United Fleet Yamato. In June 1942, the battleship was assigned to the main force of the 1st Fleet during the Battle of Midway, the deployment plan for Operation MI, along with the battleships Yamato, « » , aircraft carrier "Hōshō", light cruiser " Sendai", nine destroyers and four auxiliary ships. After the loss of all four aircraft carriers of the 1st Air Fleet, Yamamoto wanted to lure Western American forces within the range of the Japanese air force in the area of ​​Wake Island and, under cover of darkness, engage in battle with his ground forces, however American troops retreated and "Nagato" took no action.

After combining with the remnants of the 1st Air Fleet, the surviving aircraft carrier "Kaga" was given "Nagato". On July 14, the battleship was transferred to the 2nd Battleship Division, becoming the flagship of the 1st Fleet. The battleship remained in Japanese waters, conducting exercises until August 1943.

In August battleships "Nagato", Yamato, « » and aircraft carrier " Taiyō", accompanied by two heavy cruisers and five destroyers, were relocated to Truk in the Caroline Islands. In response to the air raid on Tarawa Atoll on September 18, "Nagato" And most of The fleet redeployed to the Eniwetak Atoll area to search for an American connection. The search lasted until September 23, when Nagato and the rest of the forces returned to Truk. The American connection was never discovered. However, during the search, an American radiogram was intercepted, which spoke of a possible attack on Wake Island, and on October 17, Nagato, along with most of the 1st Fleet, went to Enewetak Atoll to take up an advantageous position to intercept any attacks in the direction of the island. The fleet arrived at its destination on October 19 and departed four days later, arriving in Truk on October 26.

February 1, 1944 "Nagato" together with « » went to Truk to avoid an American air raid, they arrived in Palau on February 4. They left on February 16 to avoid another air raid. On February 21, the battleships arrived at the Lingga Islands, which are not far from Singapore. "Nagato" was included in the 1st Battleship Division and became the flagship. In addition to quick repairs in Singapore, the battleship conducted exercises in the Lingga Islands area until 11 May. On May 12, the 1st Division, together with "Nagato" moved to Tawitawi and was incorporated into the 1st Mobile Fleet.

In preparation for Operation Kon, the 1st Battleship Division sailed from Tawitawi to Bachan. The plan for the operation was to counterattack the American forces that had invaded Biak. Three days later it was reported that American forces had attacked Saipen and Operation Kon was cancelled. "Nagato" As part of the 1st Division, they were sent to the Mariana Islands area. On June 16, the division merged with Ozawa's main forces. During the Battle of the Marianas "Nagato" accompanied the aircraft carriers " Jun"yō», « Hiyō" And " Ryūhō" The battleship opened fire using shrapnel shells (Type 3) from its main caliber guns. American planes took off from an aircraft carrier " Belleau Wood" and attacked " Jun"yō"and claimed to have shot down two Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers." The battleship was also attacked by American aircraft, but was not damaged. During the battle he rescued survivors from the aircraft carrier " Hiyō"and handed them over to the aircraft carrier "Zuikaku" when he reached Okinawa on June 22. After which the battleship arrived in Kure, where additional anti-aircraft installations and radar systems were installed on the ship. July 9 "Nagato" took on board the 28th infantry division and delivered her to Okinawa on July 11th. On July 20, the battleship arrived at the Lingga Islands, passing through Manila.

October 18, 1944 battleship "Nagato" went to Brunei Bay in Borneo to join the main forces participating in Operation Sho-1; according to the operation plans, they were supposed to counterattack the American forces landing in Leyte. According to the plan, Ozawa's carrier force was supposed to divert the main forces of the American strike force under the command of William Halsey to the north. Actually 3rd Air Fleet should have died, diverting enemy aircraft carriers to himself. After which the 2nd Fleet, under the command of Kurita, will enter Leyte Gulf and destroy the American forces that landed on the island. "Nagato" Along with the rest of Kurita's forces, he arrived in Brunei on October 22.

During the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea on October 24, the battleship was attacked by multiple waves of American dive bombers and fighters. At 14:16 "Nagato" received two direct hits aircraft bombs from aircraft taking off from aircraft carriers "Franklin" And "Cabot". The first bomb disabled five 140-mm guns installed in casemates, one 127-mm universal gun and damaged boiler room No. 1, which is why one propeller shaft did not work for 24 minutes until the boiler was started. The damage caused by the second bomb is unknown. The explosions on the ship killed 52 people.

On the morning of October 25, the 2nd Fleet passed through the San Bernardino Strait and headed for Leyte Gulf to attack American forces support for the invasion. In the Battle of Samar Island "Nagato" engaged the supporting aircraft carriers and destroyers of the American Task Force 77.4.3, codenamed "Taffy 3". At 06:01, the battleship opened fire on the aircraft carriers of the group, during the entire war "Nagato" for the first time opened fire on the ship with onboard artillery, but missed. At 06:54 the destroyer "USS Heermann" fired torpedoes at the battleship " Haruna", the torpedoes did not hit the target, they went in the direction Yamato And "Nagato", which were on a parallel course. The battleships were 10 miles from the destroyer and the torpedoes did not reach them, since they had exhausted their entire fuel supply even earlier. Returning "Nagato" attacked the aircraft carrier and escort ships, he later claimed that he hit the cruiser, firing 45 410 mm and 92 140 mm shells at it. The shooting was ineffective due to poor visibility caused by heavy rain and a smoke screen covering the defending escort. At 09:10 the 2nd Fleet retreated north. At 10:20 Kurita ordered the fleet to turn south, but the fleet came under heavy air attack and ordered a retreat at 12:36. At 12:43 "Nagato" received two hits from aerial bombs, but the damage was not severe. Four sailors were washed overboard at 16:56 after the battleship maneuvered to avoid dive bombers. The destroyer hurried to the scene to board the sailors, but did not find them. After retreating to Brunei on October 26, the fleet was subjected to massive attacks by aircraft and battleships Yamato And "Nagato" used shrapnel shells and later claimed to have shot down several bombers. Following courses over the past two days, they spent 99 410 mm and 653 140 mm shells. During this time, 38 sailors were killed and 105 were injured of varying severity.

On November 15, the battleship was included in the 3rd Division of the 2nd Fleet. After the air attack on Brunei on November 16, "Nagato", Yamato And "Kongo" the next day we left for Kure. On November 21, during the passage, the battleship Kongo and the accompanying destroyer were sunk by a submarine "USS Sealion". On November 25 they arrived in Yokosuka for repairs. Due to a lack of fuel and materials, the battleship was turned into a floating battery. The chimney and mainmast were dismantled in order to increase the sectors of fire for anti-aircraft weapons, which were strengthened during the repair. After the disbandment of the 3rd Division, the battleship was assigned to the 1st Battleship Division. After the disbandment of the 1st Division on February 10, the battleship became subordinate to the coastal defense.

In June 1945, all 140-mm guns and part of the anti-aircraft weapons were removed from the battleship, and searchlights and rangefinders were also dismantled. The ship's crew was reduced to 1,000 sailors and officers. On July 18, 1945, the heavily camouflaged ship was attacked by dive bombers and torpedo bombers from Admiral William Halsey's five aircraft carriers. The battleship was hit by two 230 kg bombs. The first bomb hit the ship's bridge and killed twenty sailors and several officers. The second bomb exploded on the aft deck near the mainmast and barbettes of the main caliber turret No. 3. The explosion did not damage the tower, but created a hole and killed twenty-one sailors. Four 25 mm guns were also damaged. anti-aircraft installations located one deck above. To convince Americans that "Nagato" received critical damage after the attack, it was not specially repaired and even some of the compartments were deliberately flooded. From the air, the battleship must have looked like a ship sunken in the bay.

On August 1-2, a large convoy was discovered approaching the Gulf of Sagama and "Nagato" ordered to immediately go out to intercept. The battleship was completely unprepared for interception, but immediately began preparations. The flooded compartments were blown out with compressed air and the ammunition for the main caliber guns was replenished. The next morning, fuel supplies were replenished, but the order to move never came, because the signal about the detection of the convoy was false. September 15th "Nagato" was removed from the fleet lists and transferred to the United States as reparations.

July 1, 1946 "Nagato" was used as a target ship in Operation Crossroads on Bikini Atoll. The ship was located 1,500 m from point zero and after the explosion of a nuclear charge it was not significantly damaged. After decontamination and damage assessment of the ship, it was prepared for the next test. On July 25, one of the boilers was launched for testing; it worked for 36 hours without interruption. For the test codenamed "Baker", underwater nuclear explosion, the battleship was located at a distance of 870 m from the point of explosion. After the explosion, a tsunami was formed, which raised "Nagato". The damage to the battleship was also not significant, but they could not examine the ship in detail, since it was highly radioactive. Over the next five days, the list on the starboard side increased greatly, and on the night of July 29–30, the battleship capsized and sank at a depth of 33.5 meters.

Hopes to save the ships were in vain; crews could not board to investigate the damage and prevent the internal compartments from flooding. Unable to somehow compete for the survivability of the Saratoga, the Americans watched powerlessly as the aircraft carrier slowly slid to the bottom, standing on an even keel. "Nagato" too, silently looked at the bow of the "Saratoga" with the number "3" last time flashed over the water.

After the impossibility of further studying Nagato due to radiation became obvious, the Americans quickly lost interest in it. Although proposals were made to tow the battleship to deep water and scuttle it, the pollution made such attempts highly unsafe. Moreover, the list to starboard gradually increased very slowly; after three days it was 8 degrees. This was so unusual that many observers began to suspect that the Nagato would be able to survive, and even more worried the Americans, now they needed to somehow get rid of the “radioactive battleship”!
But on the morning of July 29, the situation changed dramatically. "Nagato" was still afloat, but had already sank very much, so that the waters of Bikini Atoll could easily overflow onto the deck from the starboard side and flood the compartments under the main superstructure. The list reached 10 degrees, but from the outside it seemed that the ship could remain in this state for quite a long time - apparently, the flooding gradually leveled the Nagato, which continued to rise above the waves next to the Nevada...
Night slowly fell on the atoll, illuminating the damaged fleet with moonlight. It was under the cover of darkness that the Nagato sank to the bottom, as if it was not fitting for the pride of the Japanese fleet to sink under the gaze of curious Americans, it chose its time. Early morning On July 30, the list suddenly increased, the bow of the ship lifted, and the battleship capsized, settling on the seabed. No one knows the exact time, no one was an eyewitness - this should be the death of a true samurai overflowing with dignity.
At dawn, the perplexed Americans were greeted by the smooth surface of the ocean in the place where the Nagato stood - after 4 days of observation, they were already doubting whether the battleship would sink or not, but its death noticeably simplified the situation. Later, underwater exploration revealed that the Nagato lies on seabed on the starboard side at an angle of 120 degrees upside down, the stern is broken, because sank to the bottom first, but, curiously, the “Yamomoto bridge” turned out to be intact - the superstructure came off and one side was buried in the mud...
Traditional THANKS to everyone who finished reading this sad story to end. And see you again on the pages of our club!!!