| Unit Name: | 18th Cruiser Division 第十八戦隊 (Dai-Jūhachi Sentai) |
| Dates: | 1940-1942; 1944-1945 |
| Country: | Japan |
| Command Structure: | 8th Fleet 7th Fleet General Escort Command |
The 18th Cruiser Division (CruDiv 18, 第十八戦隊, Dai-Jūhachi Sentai) was a cruiser unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The division was part of the 4th Fleet and consisted of the light cruisers and Tatsuta.[1]
| Date | Higher unit | Vessels | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1940 (original) | Cruiser Tama, Minelayer Tokiwa | ||
| 15 November 1940 | 4th Fleet | Cruiser Kashima, Tenryū, Tatsuta | |
| 1 December 1941 | 4th Fleet | Cruiser Tenryū, Tatsuta | |
| 14 July 1942 | Cruiser Tenryū, Tatsuta | ||
| 10 December 1942 | disbanded | ||
| 20 January 1944 | Minelayer Tokiwa, C.M. Cruiser Saigon Maru, C.M. Minelayer Sinkō Maru, Kōei Maru | ||
| 5 November 1944 | General Escort Command | Minelayer Tokiwa, C.M. Minelayer Kōei Maru, C.M. Gunboat Chōhakusan Maru | |
| 10 April 1945 | Minelayer Tokiwa, C.M. Minelayer Kōei Maru, Eijō Maru | ||
| 1 October 1945 | dissolved | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 May 1940 | ||||
| 2 | 15 November 1940 | Commander of the 3rd China Expeditionary Fleet | |||
| 3 | Vice-Admiral | Rokuzō Sugiyama | 5 July 1941 | Commander of the 3rd China Expeditionary Fleet | |
| 4 | Rear-Admiral | 1 December 1941 | |||
| 5 | Rear-Admiral | 14 July 1942 | |||
| 6 | Rear-Admiral | 1 September 1942 | |||
| x | disbanded | 10 December 1942 | |||
| 7 | Rear-Admiral | 20 January 1944 | |||
| 8 | Vice-Admiral | 5 June 1945 | Commander of the 7th Fleet | ||
| 9 | Vice-Admiral | 20 August 1945 | Commander of the 7th Fleet | ||
| x | vacant post | 15 September 1945 |