The was a fleet of the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
(IJN) created as a mobile strike force in response to hostilities with
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
, and saw action in every IJN military operation until the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
History
Established on 27 October 1903, the 2nd Fleet was created by the
Imperial General Headquarters
The was part of the Supreme War Council and was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime. In terms of function, it was approximately equivalent to the United States ...
as a mobile strike force of
cruisers and
destroyers to pursue the
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...
's
Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
-based cruiser squadron while the remaining bulk of the Japanese fleet (the
IJN 1st Fleet) continued to blockade
Port Arthur in hopes of luring the
battleships of the Russian Pacific Fleet into an open sea classic
line of battle
The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tacti ...
confrontation.
As the main mobile force in the IJN, the 2nd Fleet saw the bulk of all future IJN combat operations from the time of its inception until IJN dissolution at the end of World War II.
Order of Battle at time of Pearl Harbor
Based at
Samah,
Hainan Island
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slight ...
4th Division
:
CA ''
Takao'' (fleet flagship)
:CA ''
Atago''
:CA ''
Chōkai''
:CA ''
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a popu ...
''
5th Division
:
CA ''
Haguro'' (flagship)
:CA ''
Myōkō''
:CA ''
Nachi''
7th Division
:
CA ''
Kumano'' (flagship)
:CA ''
Mikuma''
:CA ''
Mogami''
:CA ''
Suzuya''
8th Division
:
CA ''
Tone'' (flagship)
:CA ''
Chikuma''
Other
:
AD ''Kamikaze Maru''
2nd Destroyer Squadron
::
CL ''
Jintsū'' (flagship)
:8th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Arashio''
::DD ''
Asashio''
::DD ''
Michishio''
::DD ''
Ōshio''
:15th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Hayashio''
::DD ''
Kuroshio''
::DD ''
Natsushio''
::DD ''
Oyashio''
:16th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Amatsukaze''
::DD ''
Hatsukaze''
::DD ''
Tokitsukaze''
::DD ''
Yukikaze''
:18th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Arare''
::DD ''
Kagerō''
::DD ''
Kasumi
Kasumi may refer to:
Places
* Kasumi, Hyōgo (香住), a former town in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
* Kasumigaseki (霞が関 "Gate of Mist"), a district in downtown Tokyo
* Kasumi, Jajce, a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Other uses
* Kasumi (gi ...
''
::DD''
Shiranuhi
is a seedless and sweet variety of satsuma orange.
It is a hybrid between Kiyomi and ponkan (Nakano no.3), developed in Japan in 1972.
Originally a brand name, "Dekopon" has become a genericized trademark and it is used to refer to all bran ...
''
4th Destroyer Squadron
::
CL ''
Naka
Naka may refer to:
Places in Japan
* Naka, Hyōgo, a former town in Hyōgo Prefecture
* Naka, Ibaraki, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture
* Naka, Tokushima, a town in Tokushima Prefecture
* Naka District, Ibaraki, a district in Ibaraki Prefecture
* Nak ...
'' (flagship)
:2nd Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Harusame''
::DD ''
Murasame''
::DD ''
Samidare''
::DD ''
Yudachi''
:4th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Arashi
is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15 ...
''
::DD ''
Hagikaze''
::DD ''
Maikaze''
::DD ''
Nowaki''
:9th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Asagumo
Two naval vessels of Japan have been named ''Asagumo'' (朝雲), which translates to "Morning Clouds".
* was an in the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was launched in 1937, completed in 1938, sunk in 1944, and struck in 1945.
* was a in the Japane ...
''
::DD ''
Minegumo''
::DD ''
Natsugumo''
::DD ''
Yamagumo''
:24th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Kawakaze''
::DD ''
Suzukaze''
::DD ''
Umikaze''
::DD''
Yamakaze''
Order in the Malayan Campaign
Distant Cover Force
Closed Cover Force
Invasion Force
Commanders of the IJN 2nd Fleet
References
Books
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Notes
{{IJN
2
Military units and formations established in 1903
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
1945 disestablishments in Japan