Central Pacific Area Fleet
Encyclopedia
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
established during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
History
The Central Pacific Area Fleet was a short-lived operational headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Navy, established on March 4, 1944. With United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
forces having driven the Japanese out of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
and Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
in late 1943 to early 1944, the remnants of Japanese naval forces from those areas regrouped under the direction of Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
Chuichi Nagumo
was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...
. The new Central Pacific Area Fleet was a combined operational command containing air (IJN 14th Air Fleet) and ground (IJA 31st Army
Thirty-First Army (Japan)
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.-History:The Japanese 31st Army was formed on February 18, 1944 under the Imperial General Headquarters as a garrison force to contest landings by Allied forces in the Japanese South Seas Mandate island-by-island, and to inflict...
) elements, and was tasked with the defense of the Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
and Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, from its command center in Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
.
With the fall of Saipan
Battle of Saipan
The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June-9 July 1944. The Allied invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on 5 June 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was...
to American forces on July 8, 1944 and subsequent death of Admiral Nagumo and his staff, the Central Area Fleet ceased to exist.
Transition
{| class="wikitable"! Date !! Higher unit !! Lower unit and vessels
|-
| 4 March 1944 (original) || Combined Fleet
Combined Fleet
The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime....
|| 4th Fleet
IJN 4th Fleet
The was a fleet designation of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Fourth Fleet designation was used during three separate periods. The initial designation was for a group of ships that were assigned to work together during the Russo-Japanese conflict and the period of its immediate aftermath...
, 14th Air Fleet, Isuzu
Japanese cruiser Isuzu
was one of six s in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was named after the Isuzu River, near Ise Shrine in the Chūbu region of Japan.-Background:Isuzu was the second of the six vessels completed in the Nagara-class of light cruisers, and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as...
,No.5 Special Base Force, No.30 Base Force, No.4 Weather Observation Unit
|-
| 8 July 1944 || colspan="2"| HQ was annihilated.
|-
| 18 July 1944 || colspan="2"| disbanded
Commanders of the IJN Central Pacific Area Fleet
Commander in chief{| class=wikitable
! || Rank|| Name || Date || Note, additional post
|-
|1|| Vice-Admiral/Admiral|| Chūichi Nagumo
Chuichi Nagumo
was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...
|| 4 March 1944|| Commander of the 14th Air Fleet. KIA on 8 July 1944. Posthumly promoted to Admiral on same day.
|-
|x|| vacant post || || 9 July 1944 ||
|-
|}
Chief of staff
{| class=wikitable
! || Rank|| Name || Date || Note, additional post
|-
|1|| Rear-Admiral/VIce-Admiral|| Hideo Yano|| 4 March 1944|| Chief of staff of the 14th Air Fleet. KIA on 8 July 1944. Posthumly promoted to Vice-Admiral on same day.
|-
|x|| vacant post || || 9 July 1944 ||
|-
|}