The was the major
navy base for 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 ...
in northern
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
before and during
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 ...
. Located in
Mutsu Bay at the present-day city of
Mutsu,
Aomori Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...
, the Ōminato Guard District was responsible for control of the strategic
Tsugaru Strait between
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
and
Hokkaidō
is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel.
The ...
and for patrols along the Hokkaidō,
Karafuto and
Kurile Islands coastlines.
History
In the organizational structure of the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1886, the Japanese Empire was divided into five operational districts, with the Hokkaidō-Ōshu area forming Naval District 5, with its nominal headquarters in
Muroran, Hokkaidō. However, the area was given a low priority in funding, and remained largely a paper organization under overall command of the
Yokosuka Naval District.
On 12 June 1895, the nominal headquarters of Naval District 5 was transferred from Muroran to the more sheltered port of Ōminato with
Mutsu Bay, although facilities and infrastructure were minimal.
After the
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
, when the strategic importance of control of the Tsugaru Straits came into focus, and with Japan's acquisition of
Karafuto Prefecture, more investment was made in securing Japan's northern frontiers. Ōminato was one of eleven designated third echelon naval ports, or located in various locations around Japan. In December 1905 it was made independent of Yokosuka. Although Muroran,
Asahikawa
is a Cities of Japan, city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a Core cities of Japan, core city since April 1, 2000. The city i ...
and
Wakkanai bases reported to Ōminato, it was not raised to full headquarters status, but continued as Ōminato ''yokobu''. A wireless station was completed in 1913.
On 9 October 1913, the
''Inazuma''-class 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 ...
suffered from an explosion of her No. 3 boiler while at Ōminato. The incident highlighted the need for better facilities at Ōminato, and a ship repair facility and naval hospital were completed by 1923.
On 19 July 1931, the ship repair facilities at Ōminato caught fire and were largely destroyed, and had to be rebuilt a year later. The Ōminato Naval Air Station was opened in November 1933. In September 1936, after the
IJN 4th Fleet Incident (in which the fleet was caught in a
typhoon
A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
, with loss of several ships and damage to many more), Ōminato received the destroyers and for emergency repairs.
On 20 November 1941, Ōminato was finally raised to the status of a
In concept, the Guard District was similar to the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
Sea Frontiers concept. Each Guard District maintained a small
garrison
A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters.
A garrison is usually in a city ...
force of ships and
Naval Land Forces which reported directly to the Guard District commander, and hosted detachments of the
numbered fleets on a temporary assignment basis.
After the start of the Pacific War, Ōminato became the home port of the
IJN 5th Fleet. The
attack on
Dutch Harbor
Dutch Harbor is a harbor on Amaknak Island in Unalaska, Alaska. It was the location of the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June, 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked it just seven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. To this day, ...
in the
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...
that occurred simultaneously with the
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...
was launched from Ōminato.
Ōminato was
bombed several times in the closing days of the war: 14 July, 15 and 28 July, followed by a large attack from August 8–10, 1945, which destroyed several ships. American forces landed from the to accept the surrender of the base from the Imperial Japanese Navy on 9 September 1945.
The base facilities were used by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
during the
occupation of Japan
Japan was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the surrender of the Empire of Japan on September 2, 1945, at the war's end until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect on April 28, 1952. The occupation, led by the ...
until 16 September 1953. A portion of the former base is now in use by the
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force as
JMSDF Ōminato Base.
Order of Battle at time of the attack on Pearl Harbor
*Ōminato Guard District
**
Escort ship
**Escort ship
**Destroyer Division 1
***
***
***
***
**Minesweeper Division 27
***Auxiliary minesweeper ''No. 1 Tamazono Maru''
***Auxiliary minesweeper ''No. 2 Tamazono Maru''
***Auxiliary minesweeper ''Sonobe Maru''
***Auxiliary minesweeper ''Yoshino Maru''
***Auxiliary minesweeper ''Chōyō Maru''
***Auxiliary minesweeper ''No. 2 Chōyō Maru''
**Ōminato Air Group
*** 8 ×
Mitsubishi A5M
The Mitsubishi A5M, formal Japanese Navy designation , experimental Navy designation Mitsubishi Navy Experimental 9-''Shi'' Carrier Fighter, company designation Mitsubishi ''Ka''-14, was a WWII-era Japanese Aircraft carrier, carrier-based fighter ...
Claude
*** 8 ×
Mitsubishi B5M Mabel
*** 8 ×
Kawanishi E7K Alf
*Ōminato Local Defense Squadron
**Destroyer
**Escort ship
''Hachijō''
**Auxiliary gunboat ''Chitose Maru''
**Auxiliary minelaying gunboat ''No.2 Shinkō Maru''
**Auxiliary submarine chaser ''Zuikō Maru''
**Icebreaker
List of commanders
Commanding Officer
*
Vice-Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
Heiji Mochihara (12 December 1905 – 12 March 1907)
*
Rear-Admiral
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
Hokizo Okubo (12 March 1907 – 15 May 1908)
*Vice-Admiral
Kunikane Taketomi (15 May 1908 – 28 August 1908)
*Vice-Admiral Chikakata Tamari (28 August 1908 – 1 December 1909)
*Vice-Admiral Tokuya Kamiizumi (1 December 1909 – 1 September 1911)
*Vice-Admiral Hideshiro Fujimoto (1 September 1911 – 9 July 1912)
*Vice-Admiral Tamotsu Tsuchiya (9 July 1912 – 24 May 1913)
*
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
Sojiro Tochinai (24 May 1913 – 1 December 1913)
*Rear-Admiral Tsunekichi Uemura (1 December 1913 – 17 December 1914)
*Rear-Admiral Ichitaro Nakajima (17 December 1914 – 1 April 1916)
*Vice-Admiral Baron Mitsukane Tsuchiya (1 April 1916 – 1 December 1917)
*Vice-Admiral Toshitake Iwamura (1 December 1917 – 1 December 1919)
*Vice-Admiral Keizaburo Moriyama (1 December 1919 – 1 October 1920)
*Vice-Admiral Mitsuzo Nunome (1 October 1920 – 1 December 1921)
*Vice-Admiral
Kōzō Satō (1 December 1921 – 1 December 1922)
*Vice-Admiral Koshiro Otani (1 December 1922 – 1 June 1923)
*Rear-Admiral Shokichi Oishi (1 June 1923 – 5 February 1924)
*Vice-Admiral Kosuke Shikama (5 February 1924 – 1 December 1925)
*Vice-Admiral Takashi Kanesaka (1 December 1925 – 1 December 1927)
*Vice-Admiral Yukichi Shima (1 December 1927 – 30 November 1929)
*Vice-Admiral Saburo Yasumi (30 November 1929 – 1 March 1931)
*Vice-Admiral Kiyohiro Ijichi (1 March 1931 – 1 December 1931)
*Vice-Admiral Togo Kawano (1 December 1931 – 15 November 1932)
*Vice-Admiral Hiroshi Ono (15 November 1932 – 15 November 1933)
*Vice-Admiral Choji Inoue (15 November 1933 – 15 November 1934)
*Rear-Admiral Chonan Yamaguchi (15 November 1934 – 7 October 1935)
*Rear-Admiral Katsuji Masaki (7 October 1935 – 16 March 1936)
*Vice-Admiral Teijiro Sugisaka (16 March 1936 – 1 December 1936)
*Rear-Admiral Haruma Izawa (1 December 1936 – 1 December 1937)
*Vice-Admiral Shosuke Shimomura (1 December 1937 – 15 November 1938)
*Vice-Admiral Shuichi Hoshino (15 November 1938 – 15 November 1940)
*Vice-Admiral Masakichi Okuma (15 November 1940 – 15 September 1942)
*Vice-Admiral
Shiro Kawase (15 September 1942 – 1 April 1943)
*Vice-Admiral Yasuo Inoue (1 April 1943 – 15 February 1945)
*Vice-Admiral
Eiji Goto (15 February 1945 – 15 March 1945)
*Vice-Admiral Kanji Ugaki (15 March 1945 – 30 November 1945)
Chief of Staff
* Rear-Admiral Kiyozo Oda (12 December 1905 – 22 November 1906)
* Vice-Admiral Junkichi Yajima (22 November 1906 – 20 February 1908)
* Vice-Admiral
Tadamichi Kamaya (20 February 1908 – 7 April 1908)
* Rear-Admiral Shigetada Hideshima (7 April 1908 – 4 March 1909)
* Rear-Admiral Tsunematsu Kondo (4 March 1909 – 1 December 1910)
* Vice-Admiral Yasujiro Nagata (1 December 1910 – 22 December 1911)
* Rear-Admiral Teiichiro Shitsuda (1 April 1913 – 27 May 1914)
* Rear-Admiral Yushichi Kanno (27 May 1914 – 17 July 1915)
* Vice-Admiral Kenzo Kobayashi (17 July 1915 – 6 November 1916)
* Rear-Admiral Meiji Tojo (6 November 1916 – 18 October 1918)
* Rear-Admiral Kanichi Taketomi (18 October 1918 – 2 December 1919)
* Rear-Admiral Teiji Sakamoto (15 March 1922 – 6 November 1923)
* Rear-Admiral Kichisuke Komori (6 November 123 – 20 August 1926)
* Rear-Admiral Katsuji Masaki (10 December 1928 – 1 December 1931)
* Rear-Admiral Tokujiro Yokoyama (1 December 1931 – 15 November 1933)
* Rear-Admiral Takeo Sakura (15 November 1933 – 15 November 1935)
* Vice-Admiral Jiro Matsunaga (15 November 1935 – 1 April 1937)
* Rear-Admiral Namizo Sato (1 April 1937 – 15 December 1938)
* Rear-Admiral Tokuji Mori (15 December 1938 – 28 November 1940)
* Rear-Admiral Keishi Ishii (28 November 1940 – 10 February 1942)
* Vice-Admiral Takeo Kaizuka (10 February 1940 – 1 July 1943)
* Rear-Admiral Zensuke Kanome (1 July 1943 – 30 November 1945)
References
*
*
External links
*
*
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ominato Guard District
Imperial Japanese Navy
Mutsu, Aomori