ARP Nachi

Nachi (那智 Nachi?)

Voiced by: Satomi Satou

Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova-

In 2038, a mysterious fleet of warships, who have lurked around the world in the decades decades before, went on the offensive against humanity. Modelled after ships that appeared in World War II, but possessing weaponry far superior to those in humanity's possession and protected by an indestructible barrier immune to whatever we have to throw at them, humanity quickly loses control of the seas and our military forces are annihilated in the desperate battles against them. The result was a world where humanity's presence in the oceans is no more, with communication via the seas cut off and humans isolated from each other, blockaded by the "Fleet of Fog".

In 2054, a change became across the Fleet of Fog. The ships of the Fog, impersonal and faceless, started developing "Mental Models", human avatars capable of thinking in ways similar to human beings, with personalities unique to each Mental Model. One of these was the I-401, or, Iona, who made contact with Gunzō Chihaya to become his ship. Gunzō, with Iona and a small band of friends who now crew the I-401, as Blue Steel now seek to create a balance to this lopsided status quo with the Fleet of Fog, to bring a peace where humanity and the Fleet of Fog can happily coexist together.

Nachi is one of Hiei’s subordinates and Myōkō’s younger sister. She is Ashigara’s partner and serves as the sonar operator, detecting enemy vessels utilizing her sonar scanner.

History

Nachi was the second Myoko class heavy cruiser laid down by the Japanese Navy. Although incomplete, she was commissioned on 26 November 1928 and taken to Yokosuka to be examined by Emperor Hirohito as part of the Coronary Naval Review. Nachi returned to Kure in December where she was completed and made ready for service by April 1929. Once completed, Nachi and her three sister ships were assigned to the Sasebo Naval District and spent the early 1930’s conducting training and transport operations. From 1933 to 1937, Nachi underwent two modernizations and received numerous upgrades to her torpedo and secondary armament as well as additional anti-aircraft weapons.

In December 1941, Nachi and Myoko, now assigned to the 3rd Fleet, departed from Palau to conduct shore bombardment for the planned invasion of the southern Philippine Islands. Nachi and Myoko were later sent to support the invasion of Davao and Jolo islands. While anchored at Davao, Myoko was hit by a single bomb from land based aircraft and Nachi was subsequently appointed as flagship while Myoko returned to Japan for repairs.

In January of the following year, Nachi and her sister ships were sent to support the invasion of the Dutch East Indies. The heavy cruisers provided cover for the troops landing in the Celebes Islands and on Ambon before being tasked to eliminate the remaining Allied ships in the vicinity. On 27 February, Nachi and Haguro engaged the Dutch light cruisers De Ruyter and Java. The Japanese cruisers scored several torpedo hits on De Ruyter and Java and within hours, the light cruisers were abandoned and sank. Two days later, Nachi and her sister ships later engaged the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter. The English cruiser attempted to flee but was torpedoed by the destroyer Inazuma and quickly capsized. Following the success at Java Sea, Nachi returned to Sasebo, Japan, where she would undergo another refit in preparation for upcoming operations in the Aleutian Islands.

On 26 May 1942, Nachi departed Japan and led the 5th Fleet in support of the assault on the Aleutian Islands. The ship escorted convoys to and from the Aleutians through early 1943. On 26 March 1943, Nachi, and the cruisers Maya, Abukuma, and Tama, engaged the American cruisers USS Salt Lake City and USS Richmond. The two fleets exchanged fire for nearly four hours before the Japanese fleet disengaged and retreated. Nachi sustained several hits in the battle which caused minor damage and returned to Yokosuka for repairs. Nachi again returned to the Aleutians in July to aid in the evacuation of Japanese forces.

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  Nachi photographed soon after her full-power trials in November 1928.

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  Nachi under attack by USN aircraft, 5 November 1944.

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  Nachi sinking, 5 November 1944. Note her blown-off stern and bow.