Original Imperial Japanese WWII Enormous Battle-Worn 1940-Dated Naval Flag Named to Light Cruiser Naka, Sunk by U.S. Navy in 1944 - 67 x 104”
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This enormous Japanese naval flag, which measures roughly 67 x 104” (but due to the sheer size, this will not be 100% accurate), is named with Kanji characters along the edge, 那珂 for Naka, a Sendai-class light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), 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. Next to the name is a date, 17.8.15, for August 17th, Showa 15, or 1940.
The flag is heavily worn, with the red meatball in the center showing very heavy material loss and fraying in the center. There is very heavy staining across the flag, but the ends still retain most of their tie-ropes. Some of the ends are fraying heavily as shown.
From 17–18 February 1944, Naka assisted light cruiser Agano, which had been torpedoed the day before by the submarine USS Skate. Immediately after Naka departed, Truk was attacked by US Navy Task Force 58 in Operation Hailstone. The Americans sank 31 transports and 10 naval vessels (two cruisers, four destroyers and four auxiliary vessels), destroyed nearly 200 aircraft and damaged severely about 100 more, eliminating Truk as a major base for the IJN. Naka was attacked 35 nautical miles (65 km) west of Truk by three waves of Curtiss SB2C Helldivers and Grumman TBF Avengers from the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill and TBFs of VT-25 of the carrier 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.
This would make the flag a U.S. captured piece, and the heavy wear across the flag supports this.
This is a fantastic flag identified to a Japanese cruiser sunk by the U.S. Navy during World War II. It has phenomenal research and display potential, and will become the centerpiece of any Japanese navy collection. Comes ready for further research and display.
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