Hijms Nagato

The Nagato was the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship that served as Admiral Yamamoto's flagship during the attack on Pearl Harbor. It survived the war only to be used as a target vessel in the 1946 Able and Baker atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, after which it capsized and sank, coming to rest upside down on the lagoon floor. The wreck lies in the deep water of Bikini Lagoon, with the hull inverted and the stern sitting shallower than the bow, and divers typically descend well past 40 metres to explore it, with parts of the structure extending much deeper. It is considered a technical, advanced dive due to the depth involved and the need for decompression planning, and it is usually visited as part of specialist liveaboard expeditions to Bikini Atoll rather than as a casual dive. Marine growth on the hull is limited compared to shallower wrecks, and much of the appeal is historical, tied directly to its role in both Pearl Harbor and the nuclear tests.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Smallmouth SquirrelfishSargocentron microstomaReported here · unconfirmed
• Iridescent CardinalfishPristiapogon kallopterusReported here · unconfirmed
• Indian Bullethead ParrotfishChlorurus sordidusReported here · unconfirmed
• Sevenstripe CardinalfishOstorhinchus novemfasciatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Hawaiian Convict SurgeonfishAcanthurus triostegusReported here · unconfirmed
• Spotfin SquirrelfishNeoniphon sammaraReported here · unconfirmed