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18-712: Sasebo also contained the Sasebo Naval Arsenal , specializing mostly in destroyers and smaller warships; and its anchorage was one of the largest in Japan. The District encompassed anchorages at Imari and Hirado ports as well as the designated third echelon naval ports yokobu ( 要港部 ) of Takeshiki ( Tsushima ), Kagoshima , Kuji ( Amami-Ōshima ), and Wakamatsu ( Gotō Islands ) The location of Sasebo 33°10′05″N 129°44′06″E  /  33.168°N 129.735°E  / 33.168; 129.735  ( Sasebo, Nagasaki ) facing China and Korea , and near

36-414: A headquarters ( 鎮守府 ) . Sasebo was designated as the "Third Naval District" (第三海軍区, dai-san kaigunku ), and its harbor was dredged, a breakwater constructed and docking, coaling and repair facilities for warships were established, and the military base was officially opened in 1889. To stress the importance of the base, Emperor Meiji made a personal inspection tour in 1890. The base was connected to

54-625: A naval hospital and training centers. In concept, the Naval District was similar to the United States Navy Sea Frontiers concept. the Naval District maintained a small garrison 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. Sasebo was the closest ship repair facility for

72-511: A total of 966 aircraft. The facilities at Sasebo were used for repairs on the battleships Yamato and Musashi during the Pacific War . After the surrender of Japan , On September 22, 1945, the 5th Marine Division landed at Sasebo, and in June 1946, United States Fleet Activities Sasebo was formally established on a portion of the former Sasebo Naval Arsenal. The remaining portion of

90-500: The Pacific War . The base also hosted a major portion of the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces . The Imperial Japanese Navy had some 60,000 people working in the dock yard and associated naval stations at the peak of World War II, outfitting ships, submarines and aircraft. Most of the base was destroyed by American air raids on Japan on June 28, 1945. After the surrender of Japan , Sasebo

108-719: The U.S. Marine Corps ' Fifth Division landed at Sasebo, and in June 1946, U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo was established. When war broke out in Korea three years later, Sasebo became the main launching point for the United Nations and the U.S. Forces. Millions of tons of ammunition, fuel, tanks, trucks and supplies flowed through Sasebo on their way to the U.N. Forces in Korea. The number of Americans in Sasebo grew to about 20,000, and some 100 warships and freighters per day swelled

126-635: The "Sasebo Shipyards" were officially established, and renamed the "Sasebo Naval Arsenal" in 1903. Construction of the arsenal was supervised by the French engineer Louis-Émile Bertin . In 1913, a 250-ton crane was installed, and the shipbuilding facilities expanded to permit the construction of large warships . With the mothballing of the Maizuru Naval Arsenal due to restrictions by the Washington Naval Treaty , much of

144-700: The Imperial Japanese Navy to the combat zones of the Russo-Japanese War and saw considerable activity during that conflict. In 1920, the Japanese navy established an air wing and a wireless communications center in 1922. In 1934, the Tomozuru capsized off Sasebo with loss of most of its crew, and leaving behind serious questions about the basic design of many Japanese warships. In 1941, base facilities were expanded considerably for

162-607: The Japanese Navy under Admiral Togo sailed from Sasebo to combat the Russian Baltic Fleet , leading to victory for Togo at the Battle of Tsushima . The Imperial Japanese Navy had approximately 60,000 people working in the dock yard and associated naval stations at the peak of World War II , outfitting ships, submarines and aircraft. Sasebo was a popular liberty port for navy personnel. In September 1945,

180-714: The design and prototype work for new classes of destroyers and torpedo boats formerly done at Maizuru was shifted to Sasebo. The facilities at Sasebo were also used for the conversion of the Akagi and Kaga from battleships to aircraft carriers . The Imperial Japanese Navy employed some 50,000 people at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal at the peak of World War II , constructing and refitting destroyers, light cruisers , submarines and other various naval vessels. The 21st Naval Air Arsenal ( Dai-Nijuichi Kaigun Kokusho ), established jointly at Sasebo and Omura , produced

198-561: The expanded Seventh Fleet during the years of war in Southeast Asia. In the mid-seventies, the U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo became the Naval Ordnance Facility Sasebo , and fleet visits dwindled to a low level. On 4 July 1980, this trend was reversed when U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo regained its name, and Seventh Fleet ships were once again forward-deployed to Sasebo. U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo played

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216-404: The foreign treaty port of Nagasaki was recognized of strategic importance by the leaders of the early Meiji government and early Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1883, the then Lieutenant Commander Tōgō Heihachirō nominated what was a tiny fishing village as the ideal location for a naval base. With the formation of the navy in 1886, Japan was divided into five Naval Districts ( 海軍区 ) each with

234-541: The foreign populations still more. After the Korean War ended, the Japan Self-Defense Forces were formed, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships began to homeport in Sasebo ( Sasebo District Force ). The U.S. Fleet Activities continued to support ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet . Service Force ships made Sasebo their homeport. The U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo provided heavy support to

252-558: The island of Kyūshū . It provides facilities for the logistic support of forward-deployed units and visiting operating forces of the United States Pacific Fleet and designated tenant activities. Sasebo has been a naval base since 1883, when Lieutenant Commander Tōgō Heihachirō nominated the small fishing village to form the nucleus of a base for the Imperial Japanese Navy . In 1905, ships of

270-455: The rest of Japan by rail in 1898, and the Sasebo Naval Arsenal , which would eventually expand to become one of the largest shipyards in Japan for the construction of smaller warships, began operation in 1903. As with the other Naval Districts, Sasebo was intended to operate as independently as possible, and facilities included armories, production factories for torpedoes , naval mines and naval artillery (and associated ammunition), and also

288-481: The shipyards was given into civilian hands with the establishment of Sasebo Heavy Industries in 1946. Sasebo Heavy Industries is one of Japan's few remaining active shipbuilders. 33°10′05″N 129°44′06″E  /  33.168°N 129.735°E  / 33.168; 129.735 United States Fleet Activities Sasebo U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo is a United States Navy base , in Sasebo , Japan , on

306-916: Was occupied by the U.S. Marine Corps ' Fifth Division , and the Sasebo Naval District was formally abolished on November 30, 1945. Part of the former base facilities is still in use by the United States Navy as the United States Fleet Activities Sasebo and by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force . One of the former base structures is now a museum. Vice Admiral (after 7 October 1897) Admiral (after 18 November 1905) Admiral (after 2 July 1918) Admiral (after 25 November 1919) Sasebo Naval Arsenal Sasebo Naval Arsenal ( 佐世保海軍工廠 , Sasebo kaigun kōshō )

324-506: Was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy . The Sasebo Naval District was established at Sasebo, Nagasaki in 1886, as the third of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands . After the establishment of the navy base, a ship repair facility was established in 1889 with a dry dock . With the addition of equipment and facilities for ship production by 1897,

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