Sasebo Naval District Explained

was the third of five main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the western and southern coastline of Kyūshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Korea, as well as patrols in the East China Sea and the Pacific

Sasebo also contained the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, specializing mostly in destroyers and smaller warships; and its anchorage was one of the largest in Japan. The District encompassed anchorages at Imari and Hirado ports as well as the designated third echelon naval ports of Takeshiki (Tsushima), Kagoshima, Kuji (Amami-Ōshima), and Wakamatsu (Gotō Islands)

History

The location of Sasebo 33.168°N 129.735°W facing China and Korea, and near the foreign treaty port of Nagasaki was recognized of strategic importance by the leaders of the early Meiji government and early Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1883, the then Lieutenant Commander Tōgō Heihachirō nominated what was a tiny fishing village as the ideal location for a naval base. With the formation of the navy in 1886, Japan was divided into five each with a headquarters . Sasebo was designated as the "Third Naval District" (第三海軍区, dai-san kaigunku), and its harbor was dredged, a breakwater constructed and docking, coaling and repair facilities for warships were established, and the military base was officially opened in 1889. To stress the importance of the base, Emperor Meiji made a personal inspection tour in 1890.

The base was connected to the rest of Japan by rail in 1898, and the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, which would eventually expand to become one of the largest shipyards in Japan for the construction of smaller warships, began operation in 1903. As with the other Naval Districts, Sasebo was intended to operate as independently as possible, and facilities included armories, production factories for torpedoes, naval mines and naval artillery (and associated ammunition), and also a naval hospital and training centers. In concept, the Naval District was similar to the United States Navy Sea Frontiers concept. the Naval District maintained a small garrison force of ships and Naval Land Forces which reported directly to the Guard District commander, and hosted detachments of the numbered fleets on a temporary assignment basis.

Sasebo was the closest ship repair facility for the Imperial Japanese Navy to the combat zones of the Russo-Japanese War and saw considerable activity during that conflict.

In 1920, the Japanese navy established an air wing and a wireless communications center in 1922. In 1934, the Tomozuru capsized off Sasebo with loss of most of its crew, and leaving behind serious questions about the basic design of many Japanese warships.

In 1941, base facilities were expanded considerably for the Pacific War. The base also hosted a major portion of the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces. The Imperial Japanese Navy had some 60,000 people working in the dock yard and associated naval stations at the peak of World War II, outfitting ships, submarines and aircraft.

Most of the base was destroyed by American air raids on Japan on June 28, 1945. After the surrender of Japan, Sasebo was occupied by the U.S. Marine Corps' Fifth Division, and the Sasebo Naval District was formally abolished on November 30, 1945.

Part of the former base facilities is still in use by the United States Navy as the United States Fleet Activities Sasebo and by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. One of the former base structures is now a museum.

Order of Battle at time of the attack on Pearl Harbor

List of commanders

Commanding officers

NamePortraitRankTerm of Office
StartEnd
1Akamatsu NoriyoshiVice Admiral26 September 188727 June 1891
2Abo KiyoyasuVice Admiral 27 June 189112 December 1892
3Inoue YoshikaVice Admiral 12 December 189220 May 1893
4Aiura NorimichiRear Admiral20 May 189313 July 1894
5Shibayama YahachiRear AdmiralVice Admiral (after 7 October 1897)13 July 18948 October 1897
6Aiura NorimichiVice Admiral8 October 189719 January 1899
7Tōgō HeihachirōVice Admiral19 January 189920 May 1900
8Samejima KazunoriVice AdmiralAdmiral (after 18 November 1905)20 May 19002 February 1906
9Arima ShinichiVice Admiral2 February 190622 November 1906
10Uryū SotokichiVice Admiral22 November 19061 March 1909
11 Arima ShinichiVice Admiral1 March 19091 December 1909
12Dewa ShigetōVice Admiral1 December 19091 December 1911
13Shimamura HayaoVice Admiral1 December 191125 March 1914
14Fujii KōichiVice Admiral25 March 191410 August 1915
15Yamashita GentarōVice Admiral10 August 19151 December 1917
16Yashiro RokurōVice AdmiralAdmiral (after 2 July 1918)1 December 19171 December 1918
17Takarabe TakeshiVice AdmiralAdmiral (after 25 November 1919)1 December 191827 July 1922
18Tochinai SōjirōAdmiral27 July 19221 June 1923
19Saitō HanrokuVice Admiral1 June 19235 February 1924
20Prince Fushimi HiroyasuAdmiral5 February 192415 April 1925
21Hyakutake SaburōVice Admiral15 April 192510 December 1926
22Furukawa ShinzaburōVice Admiral10 December 192612 October 1928
23Iida NobutarōVice Admiral12 October 192811 November 1929
24Tosu TamakiVice Admiral11 November 19291 December 1930
25Yamanashi KatsunoshinVice Admiral1 December 19301 December 1931
26Nakamura RyōzōVice Admiral1 December 19311 December 1932
27Sakonji SeizōVice Admiral1 December 193215 November 1933
28Yonai MitsumasaVice Admiral15 November 193315 November 1934
29Imamura NobujirōVice Admiral15 November 19342 December 1935
30Hyakutake GengoVice Admiral2 December 193516 March 1936
31Matsushita HajimeVice Admiral16 March 19361 December 1936
32Shiozawa KōichiVice Admiral1 December 19361 December 1937
33Toyoda TeijirōVice Admiral1 December 193715 November 1938
34Nakamura KamezaburōVice Admiral15 November 193815 November 1939
35Hirata NoboruVice Admiral15 November 193915 October 1940
36Sumiyama TokutarōVice Admiral15 October 194020 November 1941
37Tanimoto MatarōVice Admiral20 November 194111 November 1942
38Nagumo ChūichiVice Admiral11 November 194221 June 1943
39Komatsu TeruhisaVice Admiral21 June 19434 November 1944
40Sugiyama RokuzōVice Admiral4 November 194430 November 1945

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References

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