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Sasebo Naval Arsenal

Type   Shipyard
Historical Name of Location   Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe Sasebo Naval Arsenal, located in the Sasebo Naval District near the southwestern tip of the Japanese home islands, was established as a ship repair yard in 1889. It became ready for ship production by 1897. In 1903, its name was officially changed from its original name of Sasebo Shipyards to Sasebo Naval Arsenal. In 1913, a 250-ton crane was installed, which enabled the construction of larger warships. During the inter-war years, the conversion of Akagi and Kaga into carriers was done at Sasebo. During WW2, the facilities at Sasebo launched warships of various types and performed refitting and repairing work. At its peak during WW2, it employed 50,000 workers. It was occupied by US Marines in late Sep 1945. In Jun 1946, US Fleet Activities Sasebo was established on a portion of the arsenal; the remainder areas were slowly converted to civilian use shortly after. At the time of this writing the Sasebo Heavy Industries Company, Limited operates the civilian facilities.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: Apr 2015

Ships Constructed at Sasebo Naval Arsenal

Ship NameYard NoSlip/Drydock NoOrderedLaid DownLaunchedCompleted
I-4018 Jan 1945
Yubari5 Mar 192331 Jul 1923
Mutsuki1 Mar 1926
Yukikaze24 Mar 193920 Jan 1940
Agano22 Oct 1941
Tatsuta24 Jul 191729 May 191831 May 1919
Kuma29 Aug 191814 Jul 191931 Aug 1920
Kitakami1 Sep 19193 Jul 192015 Apr 1921
Nagara9 Sep 192025 Apr 192221 Apr 1922
Yura21 May 192115 Feb 19221 Mar 1923
Akashi18 Jan 193729 Jun 193810 Mar 1940
Yahagi11 Nov 194125 Oct 194229 Dec 1943
I-40220 Oct 194324 Jul 1945


Sasebo Naval Arsenal Interactive Map

Sasebo Naval Arsenal Timeline

1 Nov 1929 The conversion of a Tosa-class battleship hull to a fleet carrier completed at Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan. She was commissioned into Japanese Navy service as Kaga. In her original configuration, she sported three flight decks that form a series of ramps at the bow.
29 Jun 1936 Nachi completed her first reconstruction at Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan.
18 Jan 1937 The keel of repair ship Akashi was laid down at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan.
1 Apr 1937 Akagi was taken out of service and entered drydock for extensive modernization at Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan. Records showed the date of this event simply as "Apr 1937"; the exact date was not noted.
8 Sep 1937 Tenryu entered Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan to receive additional Type 92 7.7-millimeter machine guns.
10 Sep 1937 Tenryu completed her upgrade at Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan.
1 May 1941 Kasuga Maru began conversion into an escort carrier at Sasebo, Japan.
1 May 1941 Kaga entered the drydocks at Sasebo, Japan.
14 May 1941 Kaga departed the drydocks at Sasebo, Japan.
31 Aug 1941 Kasuga Maru completed her conversion into an escort carrier at Sasebo, Japan. She was renamed Taiyo.
11 Nov 1941 Kaga entered the drydocks at Sasebo Naval Shipyard, Japan.
14 Nov 1941 Kaga exited the drydocks at Sasebo Naval Shipyard, Japan.
27 Mar 1942 Kaga entered the drydocks of Sasebo, Japan to repair the damage caused by striking reefs in the Palau Islands, Caroline Islands on 9 Feb 1942.
4 May 1942 Kaga exited the drydocks of Sasebo, Japan and departed for the Inland Sea to join Carrier Division 1.
28 May 1942 Destroyer Yuzuki arrived at Sasebo, Japan for a scheduled overhaul.
16 Jun 1942 Destroyer Yuzuki completed her overhaul at Sasebo, Japan and departed for Truk, Caroline Islands.
26 Jun 1942 I-168 arrived at Sasebo, Japan for repairs.
31 Aug 1942 Repairs to I-168 was finished and she departed Sasebo, Japan. Lieutenant Commander Katsuji Watanabe became the commanding officer of the submarine.
2 Jan 1943 Destroyer Yuzuki arrived at Sasebo, Japan for a scheduled overhaul.
20 Oct 1943 The keel of I-402 was laid down at Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan.
10 Apr 1944 The keel of landing ship No. 133 was laid down at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal in Sasebo, Japan.
29 May 1944 Destroyer Yuzuki arrived at Sasebo, Japan for refitting.
7 Jun 1944 Landing ship No. 132 was launched at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal in Sasebo, Japan.
20 Jun 1944 Destroyer Yuzuki completed her refitting at Sasebo, Japan. She received a Type 13 radar on her main mast, exchanged twin 13-mm machine gun mounts for single 25-mm machine gun mounts.
26 Jul 1944 The keel of landing ship No. 140 was laid down by Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan.
29 Jul 1944 The keel of landing ship No. 141 was laid down by Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan.
16 Sep 1944 Landing ship No. 140 was launched at Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan.
16 Sep 1944 Landing ship No. 141 was launched at Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan.,Nagasaki,
30 Sep 1944 Destroyer Yuzuki arrived at Sasebo, Japan for a scheduled overhaul.
22 Sep 1945 US 5th Marine Division landed at Sasebo, Japan and took control of the Sasebo Naval District, including its shipyards.

Photographs

Japanese battlecruiser Kirishima undergoing maintenance and training at Sasebo, Japan, 4 May 1921Sasebo Naval Arsenal commemorative postcard, circa 1930
See all 4 photographs of Sasebo Naval Arsenal



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1. Mike Dunne says:
27 Mar 2015 04:49:06 AM

You've done a really great job of this site young man! Congratulations...well done! Amazing how 'School Boy' hobbies can grow!

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Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan
Lat/Long 33.1624, 129.6986
Sasebo Naval Arsenal Photo Gallery
Japanese battlecruiser Kirishima undergoing maintenance and training at Sasebo, Japan, 4 May 1921Sasebo Naval Arsenal commemorative postcard, circa 1930
See all 4 photographs of Sasebo Naval Arsenal


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