JAPANESE IMPERIAL NAVY LIGHT CRUISER

Description

Naka was a Sendai-class light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy, named after the Naka River in the Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures of eastern Japan. Naka was the third (and final) vessel completed in the Sendai-class of light cruisers, and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla. Naka was completed at Mitsubishi Yokohama on 30 November 1925. On 26 November 1941, Naka became flagship of 4th Destroyer Flotilla under Rear Admiral Shōji Nishimura. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Naka was engaged in the invasion of the southern Philippines as part of Vice Admiral Ibo Takahashi’s Third Fleet escorting transports with components of the 48th Infantry Division. Naka was slightly damaged by strafing by five Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, Seversky P-35 Guardsman and Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighters of the USAAF Far East Air Force. In January 1942, 4th Destroyer Flotilla was assigned to the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies, escorting a convoy carrying the Kure No. 2 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF), Sakaguchi Brigade to Tarakan and Balikpapan, Borneo. On 24 January 1942 while landing troops at Balikpapan, the Royal Netherlands Navy submarine K-XVIII, operating on the surface due to poor weather, fired four torpedoes at the Naka, but missed. Naka was thus in a central position for the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 February 1942. 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. Landing operations progressed without opposition on 31 March 1942, however, USS Seawolf fired four torpedoes at the 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. The damage was sufficient to justify a return to Japan for further repairs in June. Naka remained in Japan in reserve until April 1943. On 1 April 1943, Naka was assigned to the new 14th Cruiser Division under Rear Admiral Kenzo Ito with Isuzu, arriving at Truk on 30 April 1943. For the next several months. On 3 November 1943, a convoy was attacked 60 nautical miles (111 km) north of Kavieng by 13th Air Force B-24 Liberator bombers. Naka suffered a near-miss, and arrived at Rabaul on 5 November 1943, the same day as the Carrier Raid on Rabaul. Naka was slightly damaged by near-misses from dive bombers from USS Saratoga and Princeton. From 17–18 February 1944, Naka assisted light cruiser Agano, which had been torpedoed the day before by USS Skate. Immediately after Naka departed, Truk was attacked by US Navy Task Force 58 in Operation Hailstone. Naka was attacked 35 nautical miles (65 km) west of Truk by three waves of SB2C Helldivers and TBF Avengers from USS Bunker Hill and TBFs of VT-25 of Cowpens. The first two strikes failed to score a hit, but Naka was hit by a torpedo and a bomb in the third strike and broke in two, sinking at 07°15′N 151°15′E. Some 240 crewmen perished, but patrol boats rescued 210 men including Captain Sutezawa. Naka was removed from the navy list on 31 March 1944. (Scale : 1/700e)