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.
Organization (extract) Date Ships 15 November 1934 (original) Akagi and Destroyer Squadron 2 : Minekaze, Okikaze 1 December 1936 Kaga and Destroyer Squadron 22 : Satsuki, Minazuki, Fumizuki, Nagatsuki 15 December 1938 Sōryū, Ryūjō and Destroyer Squadron 12 : Shinonome, Usugumo, Shirakumo, Murakumo 15 November 1939 Hiryū, Sōryū and Destroyer Squadron 11 : Fubuki, Shirayuki, Hatsuyuki 15 November 1940 Hiryū, Sōryū and Destroyer Squadron 23 : Kikuzuki, Mikazuki, Mochizuki, Yūzuki 14 July 1942 Jun'yō, Ryūjō 1 April 1943 Jun'yō, Hiyō, Ryūhō 10 July 1944 dissolved
Commander Rank Name Date Note1 R.ADM Eikichi Katagiri 15 November 19342 Capt./R.ADM Rokurō Horie 15 November 1935 Rear-Admiral on 1 December 19363 R.ADM Nishizō Tsukahara 1 December 19374 R.ADM Teizō Mitsunami 15 December 19375 R.ADM Tomoshige Samejima 1 September 19386 R.ADM Michitaro Tozuka 20 October 19397 R.ADM/V.ADM Tamon Yamaguchi 1 November 1940 Vice-Admiral on 5 June 1942, KIA on 6 June 19428 R.ADM/V.ADM Kakuji Kakuta 14 July 1942 Vice-Admiral on 1 November 19429 R.ADM Munetaka Sakamaki 22 May 194310 R.ADM Takatsugu Jōjima 1 September 1943x dissolved 10 July 1944
References
Bibliography The Maru Special series, (Japan) Ships of the World series, , (Japan)