Second Carrier Division
Encyclopedia
was an aircraft carrier
unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy
's First Air Fleet. At the beginning of the Pacific Campaign
of World War II
, the Second Carrier Division consisted of the fleet carriers Sōryū
and Hiryū
. Both carriers were sunk at the Battle of Midway
in June 1942 and were replaced by Jun'yō and Ryūjō
.
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy
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...
's First Air Fleet. At the beginning of the Pacific Campaign
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
of 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...
, the Second Carrier Division consisted of the fleet carriers Sōryū
Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu
was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Port Darwin and raids in the Indian Ocean before being sunk at the Battle of Midway.-Design:...
and Hiryū
Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu
was a modified Sōryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was one of the carriers that began the Pacific War with the attack on Pearl Harbor...
. Both carriers were sunk at the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
in June 1942 and were replaced by Jun'yō and Ryūjō
Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo
Ryūjō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was laid down by Mitsubishi at Yokohama in 1929, launched in 1931 and commissioned on 9 May 1933. Her final design resulted in a top-heavy unstable vessel and within a year she was back at Kure Naval Yard for modification...
.
Organization (extract)
| Date | Ships |
|---|---|
| 15 November 1934 (original) | Akagi Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi Akagi was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , originally begun as an . She was converted while still under construction to an aircraft carrier under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty... and Destroyer Division 2 : Minekaze Japanese destroyer Minekaze was the lead ship of the destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.... , Okikaze Japanese destroyer Okikaze was a destroyer, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:... |
| 1 December 1936 | Kaga Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga Kaga was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , named after the former Kaga Province in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture... and Destroyer Division 22 : Satsuki Japanese destroyer Satsuki (1925) was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:... , Minazuki Japanese destroyer Minazuki (1926) was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:... , Fumizuki Japanese destroyer Fumizuki (1926) was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:... , Nagatsuki Japanese destroyer Nagatsuki (1926) was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:... |
| 15 December 1938 | Sōryū Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Port Darwin and raids in the Indian Ocean before being sunk at the Battle of Midway.-Design:... , Ryūjō Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo Ryūjō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was laid down by Mitsubishi at Yokohama in 1929, launched in 1931 and commissioned on 9 May 1933. Her final design resulted in a top-heavy unstable vessel and within a year she was back at Kure Naval Yard for modification... and Destroyer Division 12 : Shinonome, Usugumo, Shirakumo, Murakumo |
| 15 November 1939 | Hiryū Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu was a modified Sōryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was one of the carriers that began the Pacific War with the attack on Pearl Harbor... , Sōryū and Destroyer Division 11 : Fubuki, Shirayuki, Hatsuyuki |
| 15 November 1940 | Hiryū, Sōryū and Destroyer Division 23 : Kikuzuki Japanese destroyer Kikuzuki (1926) was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:... , Mikazuki Japanese destroyer Mikazuki (1926) was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War... , Mochizuki Japanese destroyer Mochizuki was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War... , Yūzuki Japanese destroyer Yuzuki was the final of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War... |
| 14 July 1942 | Jun'yō, Ryūjō |
| 1 April 1943 | Jun'yō, Hiyō Japanese aircraft carrier Hiyo Hiyō was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Begun as an ocean liner in 1939, she was purchased by the Navy Ministry in 1941 for conversion to an aircraft carrier... , Ryūhō Japanese aircraft carrier Ryuho The was a Japanese Light aircraft carrier. Sole ship of her class, she was converted from a submarine tender. During World War II she operated mainly as aircraft transport but did participate in the First Battle of the Philippine Sea.-Conversion and commission:... |
| 10 July 1944 | dissolved |
Commander
| Rank | Name | Date | Note | ||
| 1 | R.ADM | Eikichi Katagiri | 15 November 1934 | ||
| 2 | Capt./R.ADM | Rokurō Horie | 15 November 1935 | Rear-Admiral on 1 December 1936 | |
| 3 | R.ADM | Nishizō Tsukahara | 1 December 1937 | ||
| 4 | R.ADM | Teizō Mitsunami | 15 December 1937 | ||
| 5 | R.ADM | Tomoshige Samejima Tomoshige Samejima -Notes:... |
1 September 1938 | ||
| 6 | R.ADM | Michitarō Totsuka Michitaro Totsuka -Notes:... |
20 October 1939 | ||
| 7 | R.ADM/V.ADM | Tamon Yamaguchi | 1 November 1940 | Vice-Admiral on 5 June 1942, KIA on 6 June 1942 | |
| 8 | R.ADM/V.ADM | Kakuji Kakuta Kakuji Kakuta , was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He is noted for his role in commanding Japanese naval aviation units in the Pacific War.-Biography:... |
14 July 1942 | Vice-Admiral on 1 November 1942 | |
| 9 | R.ADM | Munetaka Sakamaki | 22 May 1943 | ||
| 10 | R.ADM | Takatsugu Jōjima Takatsugu Jojima was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.-Biography:Jōjima was from Saga Prefecture. He was a graduate of the 40th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1912, where he placed 111th out of 144 cadets. He served as midshipman on the cruiser and battlecruiser... |
1 September 1943 | ||
| x | dissolved | 10 July 1944 | |||