IJN Nagato-- Part 3: Met Her Demise After an Atomic Blast

The U.S. Navy used the Bikini atom bomb tests to see the impact of the new weapon on fleet concentrations.  So they used a variety of  older capital ships and support ships, including battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers and smaller ships.

Many of these ships survived the explosions, though quite a few met their fates testing more conventional weapons.

The Nagato did not.

In early 1946, an American crew took possession of the Nagato and got her in condition to get underway to the Bikini Atoll.  Her condition was poor even before the tests due to age, battle damage and poor maintenance, especially toward the end of the war.

There were leakage and  seaworthiness issues along the way.  Nevertheless, she survived the first test (Test Able) on July 1, 1946.  The second test on July 25 left the Nagato with a list that worsened over the course of a week, until she capsized and sank.

Thus, the Nagato, like the war and Japan's dreams of a Pacific empire, ended with an atomic explosion.

--GreGen