Yura (由良) was the fourth of the six ships completed in the Nagara class of light cruisers for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla. She served in the early stages of World War II.
Yura anchored in Tateyama Bay in early August 1923
Ship recognition diagram of the Nagara-class cruisers from the US Office of Naval Intelligence
Front oblique view of Yura underway
Yura in Shanghai, China, 18 August 1932
The six Nagara-class light cruisers were a class of six light cruisers built for and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Nagara-class cruisers proved useful in combat operations ranging from the Aleutian Islands to the Indian Ocean throughout World War II. Most served as flagships for destroyer or submarine squadrons, and were deployed for transport or local defense missions. Towards the end of the war, the surviving vessels were increasingly obsolete and were retained as second-line units.
Japanese light cruiser Nagara
ONI drawing of the Nagara class (here designated as the Natori class)