The Nagato carries a weight of history that few sunken ships can match. She was the flagship of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and the vessel from whose bridge the order to attack Pearl Harbor was transmitted on 7 December 1941. After Japan's surrender she was surrendered to Allied forces, brought to Bikini as a target ship for Operation Crossroads in 1946, and sank on 29 July — four days after the Baker test — when she finally succumbed to her accumulated damage. She lies inverted at around 55 metres, her stern slightly shallower than her bow.
Because she is upside-down, orientation on the Nagato takes some adjustment. What was the main deck is now the bottom, and divers swim along the keel looking down at the sea floor. The turrets, which once bristled above the waterline, now point downward into the sand. The superstructure has partially collapsed but the hull is recognisable, and the curvature of her distinctive pagoda-style mast structure is visible under coral growth. Gun barrels of her 410mm main armament can still be made out. Marine life on the Nagato is exceptional — large schools of fish work the currents along the hull, and the overhangs shelter moray eels and lionfish.
Divers should be aware that the Nagato is a war grave; many of her crew died during the testing period and their remains were never recovered. The dive is conducted with that in mind.