During World War II she was notable for have served as the flagship of Rear-Admiral Shoji Nishimura during the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia ). On April 1 , 1942 she was torpedoed and disabled by the American submarine '' USS Seawolf '' off Christmas Island during the Invasion of that British possession, (Hara, 1961) and had to be towed to Singapore by another Cruiser , the Natori , for repairs. Thereafter she went to Japan for further repairs and refitting. She eventually returned to service in March 1943.
On November 5 , 1943 , ''Naka'' survived the surprise U.S. aircraft carrier strike on Rabaul with no significant damage. She was sunk by aircraft from the carriers USS Bunker Hill and USS Cowpens during the Raid on the Japanese naval base at Truk Atoll (Chuuk) in the Pacific on February 17 1944 . Of her crew, 240 were lost in the sinking. However, 210 were rescued by patrol boats, including her captain.
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