The was primarily a seaplane tender unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet.
Organization Date Higher unit Ships and air units 1 June 1936 (original) Combined Fleet Kamoi, Destroyer Squadron 28 : Asanagi, Yūnagi 1 December 1936 disbanded 27 August 1937 3rd Fleet Kamoi 20 October 1937 China Area Fleet Kamoi, Notoro 1 December 1937 3rd Fleet Kamoi, Kagu Maru, Kamikawa Maru 1 February 1938 5th Fleet Kamoi, Kagu Maru, Kamikawa Maru 15 December 1938 disbanded 15 November 1940 1st Fleet Ryūjō, Hōshō, Destroyer squadron 34 : Akikaze, Tachikaze, Hakaze 11 August 1941 Zuihō, Hōshō, Mikazuki, Yūzuki 1 April 1942 disbanded 1 February 1944 3rd Fleet Chitose, Chiyoda, Zuihō, 653rd Naval Air GroupCarrier Air Group. Equipped A6M Zeke, B5N Kate and B6N Jill. 15 August 1944 Zuikaku, Chitose, Chiyoda, Zuihō, 653rd Naval Air Group 15 November 1944 disbanded
Commander Rank Name Date Note 1 R.ADM Takamoto Togari 1 June 1936 x disbanded 1 December 1936 2 Capt./R.ADM Kōkichi Terada 27 August 1937 Rear-Admiral on 1 December 1937 x disbanded 15 December 1938 3 R.ADM Kakuji Kakuta 15 November 1940 4 R.ADM Torao Kuwabara 1 September 1941 x disbanded 1 April 1942 x vacant post 1 February 1944 5 R.ADM Sueo Ōbayashi 15 February 1944 x vacant post 1 October 1944 6 V.ADM Jisaburō Ozawa 1 October 1944 x disbanded 15 November 1944
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)