Imperial Japanese Navy of World War II

The Imperial Japanese Navy of World War II was one of the most powerful navies in the Pacific War in World War II. It was the third largest navy in the world. During the first years of the war the Imperial Japanese Navy ruled the Pacific, however, it lost control and collapsed by the end of the war. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff and the Navy Ministry. The naval air service was one of the most potent air forces and ruled the skies over Asia and the Pacific during the early years of World War II.

Personnel Strength

*December 1941 — 291,359 including 1,500 pilots
*July 1945 — 1,663,223

Order of battle

Warships

IJN at time of Pearl Harbor Attack in December 1941:

Battleships

*10 (plus 3 building)(1)
**4 "Kongō" class — converted from battlecruisers. Built in 1913-1915.
***"Kongō" — †November, 1944
***"Hiei" — †November, 1942
***"Kirishima" — †November, 1942
***"Haruna" — †July, 1945
**2 "Fusō" class — built 1915-1917
***"Fusō" — †October, 1944
***"Yamashiro" — †October, 1944
**2 "Ise" class — built 1917-1918
*** "Ise" — †July, 1945
*** "Hyūga" — run aground in July, 1945
**2 "Nagato" class — built 1920-1921
*** "Nagato"
*** "Mutsu" — †June, 1943(1)4 "Yamato" class (3 building(1 "Shinano" converted to an aircraft carrier) and 1 cancelled later in 1941)
*"Yamato" — commissioned 1941, † 1945
*"Musashi" — commissioned 1942, † 1944Hull Number 111 was scrapped in 1943 when only 30% complete, and a proposed fifth hull, Number 797, proposed in the 1942 5th Supplementary Program, was never ordered

Aircraft Carriers

*6 heavy and 2 light (plus 8 building)(1)(2)
**"Hōshō" built in 1922
**"Akagi" (ex-battlecruiser converted by 1927) — †1942
***Amagi — sistership to Akagi both as a battlecruiser and as a conversion to an aircraft carrier, was destroyed during construction by an earthquake and replaced with the Kaga.
**"Kaga" (ex-battleship converted in 1928) — †1942
**"Ryūjō" completed 1933 — †1942
**2 "Sōryū class" built 1937-1939
***"Sōryū" — †1942
***"Hiryū" — †1942
**2 "Shōkaku class" built 1941-still on trials and workup.
***"Shōkaku" — †1944
***"Zuikaku" — †1944

(1)"Shōhō" and "Zuihō" converting from oilers.(2)Does not include Imperial Japanese Army built aircraft transports.

Heavy cruisers

*18 (plus 1 building)(1)
**2 "Furutaka" built 1926-1927
**2 "Aoba" built 1926-1927
**4 "Myōkō" built 1928-1929
**4 "Takao" built 1932
**4 "Mogami" built 1935-1937(2)
**2 "Tone" built 1941(1) "Ibuki" ordered but not laid down.(2) "Mogamis" designated light cruisers but were built to be up-gunned as heavies once the London Naval Treaty was broken.

Light cruisers (by class)

*20 (plus 9 building)(1) (This is not consistent with the following list list.)
**2 "Tenryū" built 1919
**5 "Kuma" built 1920-1921
**1 "Yubari" built 1923
**3 "Sendai" built 1924-1925
**6 "Nagara" built 1922-1925
**4 "Agano" built 1942-1943(1)3 "Katori" (1 cancelled), 4 "Agano" and 2 "Ōyodo"

Destroyers

*108 (plus 43 building)(1)
**3 "Momi" (2) built 1920-1922
**13 "Minekaze" built 1920-1922
**7 "Wakatake" built 1922-1923
**4 "Kamikaze" built 1922-1924
**12 "Mutsuki" built 1925-1927
**20 "Fubuki" built 1918-1931
**4 "Akatsuki" built 1932-1933
**6 "Hatsuharu" built 1933-1935
**10 "Shiratsuyu" built 1936-1937
**10 "Aseshio" built 1937-1938
**18 "Kagero" built 1939-1941
**1 "Yugumo" built 1941(1)27 "Yugumo" class and 16 "Akitsuki" class building(2)Others of class re-rated as patrol vessels(3)2 others of class converted to patrol vessels.

Submarines

*68 Fleet submarines
*50 "Ko-hyoteki" class midget submarines

Others

*90 patrol ships, gunboats, armed merchantships, and submarine chasers
*6 minelayers
**"Itsukushima"
*42 minesweepers
*55 auxiliaries

Merchant Ships

Many under direct navy control as armed merchantmen.
*1939 - 2337 with 5,629,845 tons
*WWII construction of 4,250,000 tons
*2,346 sunk

Aircraft

*Total 1750 first line with 370 trainers
**660 Fighters
**330 Carrier based strike aircraft
**240 land based twin engine bombers
**520 Seaplanes and flying boats.

ee also

* List of Japanese Navy ships and warvessels in World War II