The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), which was created in 1903, and disbanded on six occasions and revived on five occasions. It was first created during the Russo-Japanese War, was revived for the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, World War I, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and World War II, and finally disbanded in 1944.

History

Russo-Japanese War First established on 28 December 1903, the 3rd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as an administrative unit to manage vessels considered obsolete for front-line combat service. These vessels were used primarily for training and for coastal patrol duties. The 3rd Fleet came under the aegis of the Combined Fleet for the duration of the Russo-Japanese War from March 1904. Although initially derided as a "dinosaur fleet",Jukes, The Russo-Japanese War the 3rd fleet proved invaluable at the Battle of Tsushima and the Invasion of Sakhalin. It was disbanded on 20 December 1905.

South China Fleet The 3rd Fleet was revived on 24 December 1908 as an expeditionary force during the Chinese Republican Revolution, to safeguard Japanese interests (civilians and property) on the Chinese mainland and (if necessary) to conduct emergency evacuation. It was nicknamed the "South China Fleet" after its chief area of envisioned activity was the South China Sea. Its cruisers patrolled the Yangtze River and other large rivers in China, and its headquarters was in the Japanese concession in Shanghai. It was disbanded on 25 December 1915.

World War I The 3rd Fleet was reconstituted on the same day as the dissolution of the "South China Fleet", initially to act as a training force to supplement Japan's contribution to the World War I under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. When the Russian Revolution was proclaimed by the communist forces in Russia, the mission of the 3rd Fleet was changed to that of patrols of the Russian sea coast for the Siberian Intervention by Japanese ground forces in support of anti-Bolshevik forces. The 3rd Fleet was disbanded on 1 December 1922, and many of its vessels were scrapped almost immediately under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.

First China Expeditionary Fleet The 3rd Fleet was again raised on 2 February 1938 as part of Japan's emergency buildup of forces after the Shanghai Incident. The buildup took the form of three separate expeditionary fleets, consisting primarily of cruisers and gunboats to patrol the Chinese coast and major riverways and to support the landings of Japanese ground forces. With the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the 3rd Fleet came under the aegis of the China Area Fleet. It was disbanded on 15 November 1939; however, some of the organizational and command structures for ground forces under the First China Expeditionary Fleet remained in place until August 1943.

Southern Expeditionary Fleet The 3rd Fleet was recreated once again on 10 April 1941 with the additional designation "Southern Expeditionary Fleet" for the specific task of invading the Philippines. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, its headquarters was in Palau and its mission expanded to include the invasions of Java, Borneo and other islands of the Netherlands East Indies. It was superseded by the 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet under the aegis of the Southwest Area Fleet on 10 March 1942.

Order of Battle at time of Pearl Harbor

Based at Takao, Formosa 12th Carrier Division AV Kamikawa Maru (flagship) AV Sanuki Maru AV Sanyo Maru 16th Division CL Nagara (fleet flagship) CL Kuma CA Ashigara 17th Division AN/CM Itsukushima (flagship) AN/CM Yaeyama CM Tatsumiya Maru CM Tatsuharu Maru Supply Group AR Yamabiko Maru AP Senko Maru AW Koan Maru AW Asayama Maru (aka Chozan Maru or Chosan Maru) AW Goryu Maru AO Hayatomo Maru AO Genyo Maru AP Kosei Maru AGS Kyodo Maru No. 36 5th Destroyer Squadron CL Natori (flagship) 5th Destroyer Division DD Asakaze DD Harukaze DD Hatakaze DD Matsukaze 22nd Destroyer Division DD Fumizuki DD Minazuki DD Nagatsuki DD Satsuki 6th Submarine Squadron AS Chōgei (flagship) 9th Submarine Division I-123 I-124 9th Submarine Division I-121 I-122 1st Base Force 21 Minesweeper Division AM W-7 AM W-8 AM W-9 AM W-10 AM W-11 AM W-12 1st Gunboat Division PG Busho Maru PG Keiko Maru PG Kanko Maru PG Myoken Maru 1st Subchaser Division PC Ch-1 PC Ch-2 PC Ch-3 2nd Subchaser Division PC Ch-13 PC Ch-14 PC Ch-15 51st Subchaser Division PC Kyo Maru No. 12 PC Kyo Maru No. 13 AN Tōkō Maru No. 1 Go 52nd Subchaser Division PC Shonan Maru No. 17 PC Takunan Maru No. 5 AN Fukuei Maru No. 15 Other AN/CM Shirataka AN/CM Aotaka AGM Ikushima Maru AGM Kimishima Maru AP Myoku Maru AG Hakusan Maru 2nd Base Force 21st Torpedo Boat Division PT Chidori PT Hatsukari PT Manazuru PT Tomozuru 11th Minesweeper Division AM W-13 AM W-14 AM W-15 AM W-16 30th Minesweeper Division AM W-17 AM W-18 AM W-19 AM W-20 2nd Gunboat Division PG Kamitsu Maru PG Tokuyo Maru PG Taiko Maru PM Banyo Maru 3rd Gunboat Division PG Aso Maru PG Kiso Maru PG Nampo Maru 53rd Subchaser Division PC Kyo Maru No. 2 PC Kyo Maru No. 11 AN Korei Maru 54th Subchaser Division PC Shonan Maru No. 1 PC Shonan Maru No. 2 AN Nagara Maru 21st Subchaser Division PC Ch-4 PC Ch-5 PC Ch-6 PC Ch-16 PC Ch-17 PC Ch-18 31st Subchaser Division PC Ch-10 PC Ch-11 PC Ch-12 Other CMN Wakataka ACM Nichiyu Maru PG/CM Imizu Maru PG/CM Seian Maru PG/CM Shinko Maru AP Sumanoura Maru AP Kumagawa Maru AP Kenryu Maru AG Hakozaki Maru 32nd Special Base Force 1st Patrol Boat Division PB Patrol Boat No. 1 PB Patrol Boat No. 2 PB Patrol Boat No. 32 PB Patrol Boat No. 33 PB Patrol Boat No. 34 PB Patrol Boat No. 35 PB Patrol Boat No. 36 PB Patrol Boat No. 37 PB Patrol Boat No. 38 PB Patrol Boat No. 39 Other CMc Kamome CMc Tsubame PG/CM Imizu Maru AMc Nichiyu Maru

World War II (post-July 1942) The sixth (and final) incarnation of the 3rd Fleet was formed on 14 July 1942 immediately after the disastrous Battle of Midway as an aircraft carrier task force modeled after similar units in the United States Navy. It was centered on the new aircraft carriers and . It played an important role during the Pyrrhic victory at the Battle of Santa Cruz, in which the American aircraft carrier was sunk, but at the cost of many of the best air crews in the Japanese Navy.

After March 1944, the 3rd Fleet was basically merged with the 2nd Fleet, and suffered through the disastrous Battle of the Philippine Sea, losing 3 of its aircraft carriers, including the newly commissioned and over 350 carrier planes.

In October 1944, the 3rd Fleet was designated the "Northern Force" in a three-force plan to defeat the Allied invasion of the Japanese-held Philippines. The 3rd Fleet carriers were divested of all but 108 aircraft and sent to lure the American-led fleet away from protecting the troop landing ships. On 25–26 October, facing a large force that included ten USN carriers, with 600–1,000 aircraft, 3rd Fleet lost 4 aircraft carriers, one light cruiser and one destroyer at the Battle off Cape Engaño. The 3rd Fleet effectively ceased to exist, and was officially disbanded on 15 December 1944.D'Albas, The Death of a Navy

Commanders of the 3rd Fleet 1st Creation (Russo-Japanese War) Wendel, Axis History Database

Commander-in-ChiefDatesPrevious PostNext PostNotes1Vice-AdmiralKataoka Shichirō片岡七郎28 December190320 December1905CommanderTakeshiki Naval BaseCommander-in-chief1st Fleet

2nd Creation (World War I) Rank Name Dates1 Admiral Kakuichi Murakami 13 December 1915 6 April 19172 Admiral Ryokitsu Arima 6 April 1917 1 December 19183 Admiral Teijiro Kuroi 1 December 1918 1 December 19194 Admiral Kaneo Nomaguchi 1 December 1919 1 December 19205 Admiral Kozaburo Oguri 1 December 1920 1 December 19216 Admiral Baron Kantarō Suzuki 1 December 1921 27 July 19227 Vice-Admiral Naoe Nakano 27 July 1922 1 December 1922

3rd Creation (2nd Sino-Japanese War) Commander-in-ChiefDatesPrevious PostNext PostNotes1Vice-AdmiralNomura Kichisaburō野村吉三郎2 February193228 June1932Commander-in-chiefYokosuka Naval DistrictCommander-in-chiefYokosuka Naval DistrictRelieved after being blinded in eyeduring the Hongkou Park bombing 29 April 1932.2Vice-AdmiralSakonji Seizō左近司政三28 June19321 December1932 Commander-in-chiefSasebo Naval District3Vice-AdmiralMitsumasa Yonai米内光政1 December193215 September1933CommanderChinkai Guard DistrictAttendantNavy General Staff4Vice-AdmiralImamura Nobujirō15 September193315 November1934 Commander-in-chiefSasebo Naval District5Vice-AdmiralHyakutake Gengo百武源吾15 November19341 December1935Commander-in-chiefMaizuru Guard DistrictCommander-in-chiefSasebo Naval District6 Vice-AdmiralOikawa Koshirō及川古志郎1 December19351 December1936 DirectorNaval Aviation Bureau7 AdmiralHasegawa Kiyoshi長谷川清1 December193625 April1938Vice-Minister of the NavyCommander-in-chiefYokosuka Naval DistrictAlso Commander-in-chief China Area Fleetafter 20 October 19378 Vice-AdmiralOikawa Koshirō及川古志郎25 April193815 November1939ChiefNaval Aviation Bureau Commander-in-chiefChina Area FleetAlso Commander-in-chief China Area Fleet

On 15 November 1939 the 3rd Fleet was reorganized into the 1st China Expeditionary Fleet.Admiral Oikawa retained command of the China Area Fleet but command of the former 3rd Fleet passed to Tanimoto Umatarō. Command History continues there.

4th Creation (Pacific War) Rank Name Dates1 Admiral Ibō Takahashi 10 April 1941 10 March 1942X Disbanded 10 March 1942 14 July 19421 Admiral Chuichi Nagumo 14 July 1942 11 November 19422 Vice-Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa 11 November 1942 15 November 1944

Chief of Staff Rank Name Dates1 Rear-Admiral Shizuka Nakamura 28 December 1903 12 January 19052 Vice-Admiral Koshi Saito 12 January 1905 2 November 1905X Disbanded 20 December 1905 13 December 19151 Rear-Admiral Shichitaro Takagi 13 December 1915 1 April 19162 Rear-Admiral Tokutaro Hiraga 1 April 1916 19 March 19173 Vice-Admiral Hisatsune Iida 19 March 1917 1 December 19174 Vice-Admiral Shichigoro Saito 1 December 1917 1 December 19185 Vice-Admiral Shinzaburo Furukawa 1 December 1918 10 June 19196 Vice-Admiral Kosaburo Uchida 10 June 1919 20 November 19207 Rear-Admiral Hisamori Taguchi 20 November 1920 1 December 19218 Vice-Admiral Naomoto Komatsu 1 December 1921 1 December 1922X Disbanded 1 December 1922 2 February 19321 Admiral Shigetarō Shimada 2 February 1932 28 June 19322 Vice-Admiral Shigeru Kikuno 28 June 1932 1 April 19333 Rear-Admiral Seizaburo Mitsui 1 April 1933 15 November 19334 Admiral Shirō Takasu 15 November 1933 15 November 19345 Vice-Admiral Eijiro Kondo 15 November 1934 2 December 19356 Vice-Admiral Seiichi Iwamura 2 December 1935 16 November 19367 Vice-Admiral Rokuzo Sugiyama 16 November 1936 25 April 19388 Vice-Admiral Jinichi Kusaka 25 April 1938 23 October 19399 Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue 23 October 1939 15 November 1939X Disbanded 15 November 1939 10 April 19411 Vice-Admiral Toshihisa Nakamura 10 April 1941 10 March 19422 Vice-Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka 14 July 1942 23 November 19423 Vice-Admiral Sadayoshi Yamada 23 November 1942 6 December 19434 Rear-Admiral Keizo Komura 6 December 1943 1 October 19445 Rear-Admiral Sueo Obayashi 1 October 1944 15 November 1944

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