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National Archives #80-G-490226
Kure (132.565E 34.231N) hosted one of the four largest naval construction yards in Japan, and was a principal base of the Japanese Navy, with its own Special Naval Landing Force. It was the principal Navy shipyard for battleship, heavy cruiser, and submarine construction, and battleships Nagato and Yamato were completed here. The Eta Jima Naval Academy was located nearby as was a naval air base. The nearby anchorage at Hashirajima was the home of most of the capital ships of Combined Fleet.
Facilities included an oil storage tank farm at Yoshiura Point (132.519E 34.258N), a submarine yard and gunnery school at Kawaraishi (132.541E 34.246N),
The port based Submarine Division 21, Submarine Division 28. Submarine Division 29, Submarine Division 30 and was headquarters of 2 Naval District with its ships and aircraft.
Dai-Juichi Kaigun Kokusho (11 Naval Air Arsenal) was located at nearby Hiro and had the following production schedule:
| Aircraft Type | Average Airframes Per Month | Starting Month | Ending Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| B5N Kate |
12 |
1942-1? | 1943-12? |
| E13A Jake |
2 |
<1941-12 |
1942-12? |
| D4Y
Judy |
13 |
1944-4 |
1945-7 |
The port was raided by carrier aircraft on 19 March 1945, which succeeded in badly damaging carrier Ryuho. A more massive series of raids on 28 July 1945 sank battleship Haruna, battleship/carriers Ise and Hyuga, cruisers Tone, Aoba, and Oyodo, and an escort vessel and damaged several other ships.
References
King (1946; accessed 2011-12-28)
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