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Japanese cruiser Nachi 1944

Japanese cruiser Nachi: NH 111605 Japanese heavy cruiser, HIJMS NACHI
Image: Presumed official USN or IJN photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).

Key facts

NameJapanese cruiser NachiWikidata label
Year lost1944Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier
EraSecond World Warderived from year
Ship typeheavy cruiserWikidata P31 instance of
Nationality / flagEmpire of JapanWikidata P8047 country of registry
OperatorImperial Japanese NavyWikidata P137 operator
ConflictWorld War IIWikidata P607 conflict
Sea / oceanSouth China SeaNatural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon
Nearest coastPhilippinesNatural Earth (public domain); approx. 18 km from land
Position14.5167, 120.7333Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0)

About the wreck

Nachi (那智) was the second vessel completed of the four-member Myōkō class of heavy cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), which were active in World War II. The other ships of the class were Myōkō, Ashigara, and Haguro. She was named after a mountain in Wakayama Prefecture.

Diving & visiting

In April and May 1945, divers from USS Chanticleer made 296 dives on the wreck, salvaging radar equipment, code books, and maps of Japanese fortifications on Luzon and other documents. John Prados, in his book, Combined Fleet Decoded, writes that this was a major intelligence coup. This is also verified by U.S. Navy Master Diver Joseph S. Karneke, who served as the master diver aboard Chanticleer while diving on the wreck of Nachi, in his book, Navy Diver.

Location

  • Recorded position: 14.5167, 120.7333 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
  • Sea / ocean: South China Sea
  • Nearest coast: Philippines

Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.

OpenStreetMap

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Japanese cruiser Nachi (revision 1380764976), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Wreck”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.

Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).

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Browse more: Asia wrecks · wrecks off Philippines · South China Sea · Second World War

Further reading