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, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
(IJN) created as a mobile strike force in response to hostilities with
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, and saw action in every IJN military operation until the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
History
Established on 27 October 1903, the 2nd Fleet was created by the
Imperial General Headquarters
The was part of the Supreme War Council (Japan), 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 equi ...
as a mobile strike force of
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...
s and
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
s 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 being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...
's
Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...
-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
battleship
A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
s of the Russian Pacific Fleet into an open sea classic
line of battle
The line of battle or the battle line is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships (known as ships of the line) forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for date ...
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 an island province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally means "South of the Sea ...
4th Division
:
CA ''
Takao'' (fleet flagship)
:CA ''
Atago''
:CA ''
Chōkai''
:CA ''
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (East Africa), a p ...
''
5th Division
:
CA ''
Haguro'' (flagship)
:CA ''
Myōkō''
:CA ''
Nachi''
7th Division
:
CA ''
Kumano'' (flagship)
:CA ''
Mikuma''
:CA ''
Mogami''
:CA ''
Suzuya''
8th Division
:
CA ''
Tone
Tone may refer to:
Visual arts and color-related
* Tone (color theory), a mix of tint and shade, in painting and color theory
* Tone (color), the lightness or brightness (as well as darkness) of a color
* Toning (coin), color change in coins
* ...
'' (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
The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...
''
::DD ''
Natsushio''
::DD ''
Oyashio''
:16th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Amatsukaze''
::DD ''
Hatsukaze''
::DD ''
Tokitsukaze''
::DD ''
Yukikaze''
:18th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Arare''
::DD ''
Kagerō''
::DD ''
Kasumi''
::DD''
Shiranuhi''
4th Destroyer Squadron
::
CL ''
Naka'' (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, 199 ...
''
::DD ''
Hagikaze''
::DD ''
Maikaze''
::DD ''
Nowaki''
:9th Destroyer Division
::DD ''
Asagumo''
::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
{{Imperial Japanese Navy warship units
2
Military units and formations established in 1903
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
1945 disestablishments in Japan