[Home page] [General topics] [Army, Army Air Force] [Navy, Naval Air Force] [Eugen Pinak: contacts, publications] [Jeff Donahoo’s IJN Data Base]
Below listed all the fleet-level units and above of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
HQ locations are described with geographical, not political features, save Japan and main China, where prefectures/provinces are mentioned to find the city easier. If there were several names of the city in use or then and current place name are different, they all are mentioned.
Fleets that were largely destroyed by the end of World War 2 are marked in red.
|
Unit name |
Formation date |
HQ location on 15 August 1945 |
Notes |
|
Navy General Headquarters |
25 April 1945 |
Tokyo, Japan |
Formed as general fleet. |
|
Maritime Escort Command |
15 November 1943 |
Tokyo, Japan |
Formed as area fleet. |
|
Readiness Fleet |
28 December 1885 |
|
Formed as area fleet. Disbanded 28 December 1903. |
|
Combined Fleet |
18 July 1894 |
|
Formed as area fleet. Disbanded 16 November 1896. |
|
Combined Fleet (2nd formation) |
28 December 1903 |
|
Formed as area fleet. Disbanded 20 December 1905. |
|
Combined Fleet (3rd formation) |
8 October 1908 |
|
Formed as area fleet. Disbanded 20 November 1908. |
|
Combined Fleet (4th formation) |
1 November 1915 |
|
Formed as area fleet. Disbanded for short periods over time, finally disbanded 31 October 1920. |
|
Combined Fleet (5th formation) |
1 December 1922 |
Tokyo, Japan |
Formed as area fleet. Served as general fleet 1932-33. General fleet from 10 April 1942. Existed without disbandment till 10 October 1945. |
|
1st Mobile Fleet |
1 March 1944 |
|
Formed as area fleet. Main combat strength of the Combined Fleet, grouped into semi-permanent task force to allow VADM Ozawa to command his nominal superiors. Disbanded 15 November 1944. |
|
China Area Fleet |
20 October 1937 |
Shanghai, China |
Formed as area fleet. 3rd Fleet Headquarters also served as the China Area Fleet Headquarters until its renaming on 15 November 1939. |
|
Northeastern Area Fleet |
24 December 1942 |
|
Disbanded 5 December 1944. |
|
Southeastern Area Fleet |
24 December 1942 |
Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Islands |
Southeastern Area Fleet Headquarters concurrently served as the HQ of the 11th Air Fleet. |
|
Southwestern Area Fleet |
10 April 1942 |
central Luzon Island, Philippines |
Concurrently HQ of the 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet.
|
|
Central Pacific Area Fleet |
4 March 1944 |
|
HQ destroyed on Saipan Island in July 1944. Disbanded 18 July 1944. |
|
10th Area Fleet |
5 February 1945 |
Saigon, French
Indo-China (Vietnam |
10th Area Fleet Headquarters concurrently served as the HQ of the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet and the 13th Air Fleet. |
|
Unit name |
Formation date |
HQ location on 15 August 1945 |
Notes |
|
1st Fleet |
28 December 1903 |
|
Disbanded 25 February 1944. |
|
2nd Fleet |
28 December 1903 |
|
Disbanded 1 December 1921. |
|
2nd Fleet (2nd formation) |
1 December 1922 |
|
Disbanded 20 April 1945. |
|
3rd Fleet |
28 December 1903 |
|
Disbanded 20 December 1905. |
|
3rd Fleet (2nd formation) |
24 December 1908 |
|
Largely expeditionary service in China and later Russia. From the South China Expeditionary Fleet. Disbanded 1 December 1922. |
|
3rd Fleet (3rd formation) |
2 February 1932 |
|
Served as area fleet 1932-33. Expeditionary service in China. 3rd Fleet Headquarters also served as the China Area Fleet Headquarters. Renamed the 1st China Expeditionary Fleet 15 November 1939. |
|
3rd Fleet (4th formation) |
10 April 1941 |
|
Disbanded 10 March 1942. |
|
3rd Fleet (5h formation) |
14 July 1942 |
|
Aircraft carrier fleet; renamed from the 1st Air Fleet. Disbanded 15 November 1944. |
|
4th Fleet |
14 June 1905 |
|
Disbanded 20 December 1905. |
|
4th Fleet (2nd formation) |
20 October 1937 |
|
Expeditionary service in China. Renamed the 3rd China Expeditionary Fleet 15 November 1939. |
|
4th Fleet (3rd formation) |
15 November 1939 |
Truk (Chuuk) Islands, Caroline Islands |
Expeditionary service in Central Pacific. |
|
5th Fleet |
1 February 1938 |
|
Expeditionary service in China. Renamed the 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet 15 November 1939. |
|
5th Fleet (2nd formation) |
25 July 1941 |
|
Disbanded 5 February 1945. |
|
6th Fleet |
15 November 1940 |
Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan |
Submarine fleet. |
|
7th Fleet |
15 April 1945 |
Moji, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan |
Minesweeping and antisubmarine defense of waters around Kushu Island. |
|
8th Fleet |
14 July 1942 |
Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Islands |
|
|
9th Fleet |
15 November 1943 |
|
HQ destroyed near Hollandia (Jayapura), New Guinea Island in May 1944. Disbanded 10 July 1944. |
|
South China Expeditionary Fleet |
20 December 1905 |
|
Expeditionary service in China. Renamed the 3d Fleet (2nd formation) 24 December 1908. |
|
1st Southern Expeditionary Force |
14 September 1914 |
|
Disbanded 1 February 1915. |
|
2nd Southern Expeditionary Force |
1 October 1914 |
|
Disbanded 28 December 1914. |
|
1st Special Fleet |
7 February 1917 |
|
Expeditionary service around South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Disbanded 1 December 1919. |
|
2nd Special Fleet |
7 February 1917 |
|
Expeditionary service in Mediterranean Sea. Disbanded 20 July 1919. |
|
3rd Special Fleet |
13 April 1917 |
|
Expeditionary service around Australia and New Zealand. Disbanded 12 December 1917. |
|
China Expeditionary Fleet |
10 August 1918 |
|
Expeditionary service in China. Formed from the 7th Division. Reorganized into the 1st Foreign Expeditionary Fleet 9 August 1919. |
|
1st Foreign Expeditionary Fleet |
9 August 1919 |
|
Expeditionary service in China. Renamed the 11th Division 20 May 1933. |
|
2nd Foreign Expeditionary Fleet |
13 June 1918 |
|
Expeditionary service in China. Disbanded 4 April 1921. |
|
2nd Foreign Expeditionary Fleet (2nd formation) |
16 May 1927 |
|
Expeditionary service in China. Formed from a part of the 1st Expeditionary Fleet. Renamed the 10th Division 20 April 1933. |
|
1st China Expeditionary Fleet |
15 November 1939 |
|
Expeditionary service in China. Renamed from the 3rd Fleet (3rd formation). Disbanded 20 August 1943. |
|
2nd China Expeditionary Fleet |
15 November 1939 |
Hong Kong, China |
Expeditionary service in China. Renamed from the 5th Fleet. |
|
3rd China Expeditionary Fleet |
15 November 1939 |
|
Expeditionary service in China. Renamed from the 4th Fleet (2nd formation). Disbanded 10 April 1942. |
|
Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
31 July 1941 |
|
Disbanded 3 January 1942. |
|
1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
3 January 1942 |
Saigon, French
Indo-China (Vietnam |
Formed largely from the disbanded Southern Expeditionary Fleet. From its creation the 10th Area Fleet Headquarters concurrently served as the HQ of the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet and the 13th Air Fleet. |
|
2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
10 March 1942 |
Surabaya, Java
Island |
Formed largely from the disbanded 3rd Fleet (4th formation). |
|
3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
3 January 1942 |
central Luzon Island, Philippines |
Concurrently HQ of the Southwestern Area Fleet.
|
|
4th Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
30 November 1943 |
|
Disbanded 10 March 1945. |
|
1st Escort Fleet |
10 December 1944 |
Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan |
|
|
Unit name |
Formation date |
HQ location on 15 August 1945 |
Notes |
|
1st Air Fleet |
10 April 1941 |
|
Aircraft carrier fleet. Renamed the 3rd Fleet (5h formation) 14 July 1942. |
|
1st Air Fleet (2nd formation) |
1 July 1943 |
|
Disbanded 15 June 1945. |
|
2nd Air Fleet |
15 June 1944 |
|
Disbanded 8 January 1945. |
|
3rd Air Fleet |
10 July 1944 |
Yamato, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan |
|
|
5th Air Fleet |
10 February 1945 |
Ōita, Ōita Prefecture, Japan |
|
|
10th Air Fleet |
1 March 1945 |
Kasumigaura, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan |
|
|
11th Air Fleet |
1 January 1941 |
Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Islands |
From its creation the Southeastern Area Fleet HQ concurrently served as the HQ of the 11th Air Fleet. |
|
12th Air Fleet |
18 May 1943 |
Ōminato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan |
|
|
13th Air Fleet |
20 September 1943 |
Saigon, French
Indo-China (Vietnam |
From its creation 10th Area Fleet Headquarters concurrently served as the HQ of the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet and the 13th Air Fleet. |
|
14th Air Fleet |
4 March 1944 |
|
Disbanded 18 July 1944. |
|
Combined Training Air Units HQ |
1 February 1943 |
|
Disbanded 10 June 1945. |
All rights reserved/Copyright© Eugen Pinak, unless otherwise noted.