Japanese cruiser Naka
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The Japanese cruiser Naka (那珂) was one of a class of three light cruisers built to serve as flagships for destroyer flotillas. She was completed in 1925, displaced 7,100 tons, and was extremely fast with a top speed of 35 knots. Her main armament was made up of seven 5.5in (14 cm) guns, several triple-25mm anti-aircraft guns, and eight 24in (61 cm) torpedo tubes, and she carried a crew of 450.
During World War II she was notable for serving as the flagship of Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura during the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia). On April 1, 1942 she was torpedoed and disabled by the United States submarine USS Seawolf off Christmas Island during the invasion of that British possession, (Hara, 1961) and had to be towed to Singapore by another cruiser, the Natori, for repairs. Thereafter she went to Japan for further repairs and refitting. She eventually returned to service in March 1943.
On November 5, 1943, Naka survived the surprise United States aircraft carrier strike on Rabaul with no significant damage. She was sunk by aircraft from the carriers Bunker Hill and Cowpens during the raid on the Japanese naval base at Truk atoll (Chuuk) in the Pacific on February 17, 1944. Of her crew, 240 were lost in the sinking. However, 210 were rescued by patrol boats, including her captain.
[edit] References
- 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
| Sendai-class light Cruiser |
| List of ships of the Japanese Navy |
