The was a seaplane tender and aircraft carrier unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet.
Organization Date Higher unit Ships and air units 1 December 1937 (original) Combined Fleet Notoro, Kinugasa Maru 1 August 1938 disbanded 1 April 1941 1st Air Fleet Ryūjō 11 August 1941 Ryūjō, Destroyer Squadron 3 : Shiokaze, Hokaze 10 December 1941 Ryūjō, Kasuga Maru (Taiyō), Destroyer Squadron 3 : Shiokaze, Hokaze 1 April 1942 Ryūjō, Shōhō 3 May 1942 Ryūjō, Shōhō, Jun'yō 20 May 1942 Ryūjō, Jun'yō 14 July 1942 disbanded 1 May 1944 3rd Fleet Hyūga, Ise, 634th Naval Air GroupCarrier Air Group. Equipped D4Y2-Kai Judy and E16A1 Paul. 15 October 1944 Jun'yō, Ryūhō, Hyūga, Ise (24 October 1944)Battle of Leyte Gulf (The Battle off Cape Engaño). Hyūga, Ise 15 December 1944 2nd Fleet Hyūga, Ise 1 March 1945 disbanded
Commander Rank Name Date1 R.ADM Tomoshige Samejima 1 December 1937x disbanded 1 August 1938x vacant post 1 April 19412 R.ADM Torao Kuwabara 10 April 19413 R.ADM Kakuji Kakuta 1 September 1941x disbanded 14 July 19424 R.ADM Chiaki Matsuda 1 May 1944x disbanded 1 March 1945
Footnotes
Bibliography "Monthly The Maru" series, and "The Maru Special" series, (Japan) "Monthly Ships of the World" series, (Japan) "Famous Airplanes of the World" series and "Monthly Kōku Fan" series, Bunrindō (Japan)