On the 7th of December 1941, the principal units of the Japanese Navy consisted of:

10	Battleships (increased to 11 by the end of the year)
6	Fleet carriers
4	Light Fleet carriers
18	Heavy cruisers
18	Light cruisers
113	Destroyers
63	Submarines

These ships composed the Combined Fleet.

For administrative purposes six fleets and an air fleet were formed as follows:

	First Fleet:	Battle Fleet
	Second Fleet:	Scouting Force
	Third Fleet:	Blockade and Transport Force
	Fourth Fleet:	Mandates Fleet
	Fifth Fleet:	Northern Fleet
	Sixth Fleet:	Submarine Fleet
	First Air Fleet:	Carrier Fleet

These fleets were not organized to operate as balanced tactical units. It was necessary to form Task Forces with ships from any or all of the above for operational purposes.

The Japanese Combined Fleet has therefore been shown divided into the principal Task Forces formed in December 1941. This organisation should only be taken as typical, for the composition of Task Forces varied continually as different needs arose.

MAIN BODY (Admiral Yamamoto)

		Tons	Armament (T.T. & torpedo tubes)	Speed in knots
1st Battle Squadron	Yamato (commissioned 16 Dec. 1941)	63,720	9 - 18.1 in. 12 - 6.1 in.  (later reduced to 6 guns) 12 - 5.1 in. A.A.	27
	Nagato Mutsu	38,980	8 - 16 in. 18 - 5.5 in. 8 - 5.1 in. A.A.	25

 

MAIN BODY (Admiral Yamamoto) (Contd.)

		Tons	Armament (T.T. & torpedo tubes)	Speed in knots
2nd Battle Squadron	Ise Hyuga	35,400	12 - 14 in. 16 - 5.5 in. 8 - 5.1 in. A.A. (Rearmed with flight deck and modified armament mid-1942 through mid-1943)	25
	Fuso Yamashiro	33,000	12 - 14 in. 16 - 5.5 in. 8 - 5.1 in. A.A.	23
9th Cruiser Squadron	Kitakami	5,640	4 - 5.5 in. 4 - T.T.	36
	Oi	5,700	7 - 5.5 in. 2 - 3.1 in. A.A. 8 - T.T.
	8 Destroyers
Seaplane Carrier	Chiyoda	11,190	6 - 5.1 in. 30 seaplanes	28

 

STRIKING FORCE (Vice-Admiral Nagumo)

		Tons	Armament	Speed in knots
3rd Battle Squadron (1st Division)	Hiyei Kirishima	32,250	8 - 14 in. 8 - 6 in. 12 - 5.1 in. A.A.	30.5
1st Carrier Squadron	Akagi Kaga	36,600 36,000	10 - 8 in. 12 - 5.1 in. A.A. 63-72 aircraft	30
2nd Carrier Squadron	Soryu Hiryu	18,500 18,000	16 - 5 in. A.A. 63-72 aircraft	33
5th Carrier Squadron	Shokaku Zuikaku	25,675	12 - 5.1 in. A.A. 63-72 aircraft	34
8th Cruiser Squadron	Tone Chikuma	11,213	8 - 8 in. 8 - 5.1 in. A.A. 12 - T.T.	35.5
1st Destroyer Flotilla	Abukuma (leader)     16 Destroyers	5,170	7 - 5.5 in. 3 - 3 in. 8 - T.T.	36

 

SOUTHERN FORCE (Vice-Admiral Kondo)

		Tons	Armament	Speed in knots
3rd Battle Squadron (2nd Division)	Kongo Haruna	32,250	8 - 14 in. 8 - 6 in. 12 - 5.1 in. A.A.	30.5
4th Carrier Squadron	Ryujo Shoho (not completed until Jan. 1942)	8,500 13,000	8 - 5.1 in. 31 aircraft	31 26
4th Cruiser Squadron	Atago Maya Takao Chokai	13,400	10 - 8 in. 8 - 5.1 in. A.A. 16 - T.T.	33
5th Cruiser Squadron	Haguro Myoko Nachi	13,000	10 - 8 in. 8 - 5.1 in. A.A. 16 - T.T.	33.5
7th Cruiser Squadron	Mogami Mikuma Suzuya Kumano	12,500	10 - 8 in. 8 - 5.1 in. A.A. 4 - 3 in. A.A. 12 - T.T.	33
16th Cruiser Squadron	Ashigara       Nagara Kuma	13,000       5,700	10 - 8 in. 8 - 5.1 in. A.A. 16 - T.T.   7 - 5.5 in. 3 - 3.1 in. A.A. 8 - T.T.	33.5       36
2nd Destroyer Flotilla	Jintsu (leader)     16 Destroyers	5,850	7 - 5.5 in. 3 - 3.1 in. A.A. 8 - T.T.	36
3rd Destroyer Flotilla	Sendai   14 Destroyers	as	Jintsu
4th Destroyer Flotilla	Naka   16 Destroyers	as	Jintsu
5th Destroyer Flotilla	Natori   8 Destroyers	as	Abukuma
4th Submarine Flotilla	Kinu   8 Submarines	as	Abukuma
5th Submarine Flotilla	Yura   6 Submarines	as	Abukuma
6th Submarine Flotilla	Chogei (Depot ship)   4 Submarines

 

SOUTHERN FORCE (Vice-Admiral Kondo) (Contd.)

		Tons	Armament	Speed in knots
Seaplane Carriers	Chitose Mitzuho	11,190 9,000	6 - 5.1 in. 24-30 seaplanes	28 21
Seaplane Tenders	Sanyo Maru Sanuki Maru Kamikawa Maru	8,360 7,158 10,500	3 - 3 in. 12-18 seaplanes	19 19 19

 

SOUTH SEAS FORCE (Vice-Admiral Inoue)

		Tons	Armament	Speed in knots
Light Cruiser	Kashima	6,000	4 - 5.5 in. 2 - 5.1 in.	18
6th Cruiser Squadron	Aoba Kinugasa Kako Furutaka	9,000 8,800	6 - 8 in. 4 - 4.7 in. A.A. 8 - T.T.	33.5
18th Cruiser Squadron	Tenryu Tatsuta	3,300	4 - 5.5 in. 1 - 3.1 in. A.A. 6 - T.T.	31
6th Destroyer Flotilla	Yubari (leader) 12 Destroyers	3,500	6 - 5.5 in. 1 - 3.1 in. A.A. 4 - T.T.	33
7th Submarine Flotilla	16 Submarines

 

NORTHERN FORCE (Vice-Admiral Hosogaya)

		Tons	Armament	Speed in knots
21st Cruiser Squadron	Tama Kiso	5,700	7 - 5.5 in. 2 - 3.1 in. A.A. 8 - T.T.	31

 

SUBMARINE FLEET (Vice-Admiral Shimizu)

		Tons	Armament	Speed in knots
Cruiser	Katori	5,800	4 - 5.5 in. 2 - 5.1 in. A.A. 4 - T.T.	18
1st Submarine Flotilla	12 submarines
2nd Submarine Flotilla	8 submarines
3rd Submarine Flotilla	9 submarines

 

ATTACHED FORCES (TRAINING)

		Tons	Armament	Speed in knots
3rd Carrier Squadron	Hosho       Zuiho	7,470        13,000	4 - 5.5 in. 2 - 3 in. A.A. 21 aircraft   8 - 5.1 in. 31 aircraft	25       26

 

Japanese Naval Air Forces

The established front line strength of the Japanese Naval Air Forces at the beginning of the war was about 1,750 aircraft of which 660 were fighters, 330 ship borne torpedo-bombers and bombers and 240 shore based torpedo-bombers and bombers. There were also about 520 flying boats and float planes for reconnaissance purposes.

Fleet carriers usually carried from 63 to 72 aircraft each, of which 27 were fighters and the remainder torpedo-bombers and bombers.

The light fleet carriers usually carried from 24 to 30 aircraft each, of which more than half were fighters.

There were two seaplane squadrons working from seaplane carriers and tenders - in all about 70 aircraft.

The shore-based aircraft were organized into the 11th Air Fleet consisting of three air flotillas under the operational control of the Commander-in-Chief Southern Force. The bulk of this Air Fleet was stationed in Formosa and Indo-China on the outbreak of war.

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