World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe port of Lushunkou (English: Port Arthur; Russian: Port-Artur; Japanese: Ryojun) was located in the southern tip of Liaodong Peninsula in Liaoning Province, China. Prior to the late 1800s, it was but a quiet fishing village, but its strategic position guarding the Bohai Sea soon led to its fortification using Krupp-made guns. The military port as well as the surrounding residential areas were captured by the Japanese on 21 Nov 1894 during the First Sino-Japanese War, and widespread massacre of Chinese military personnel and civilians took place. Although the Japanese was forced out of Lushunkou by the western powers, particularly Russia which viewed northeastern China as its own sphere of influence, the victorious Japanese at the end of the Russo-Japanese War gained ownership of the port per the Treaty of Portsmouth. The military port of Ryojun was immediately given the status of a Naval District and it received great amounts of funding in development. In 1914, it was downgraded to the status of a Military Port, and in 1922 it was decommissioned from service. In Apr 1933, it was reactivated again, now serving as the principle commercial and military port of Japan and the puppet state Manchukuo. In 1937, Ryojun divided into two cities, Ryojun in the south and Dairen (Chinese: Dalian; Russian: Dalny) in the north. In 1941, it was upgarded to Guard District status in anticipation of the Pacific War; on the eve of the Japanese attack on the United States, Ryojun Guard District was the home to Minesweeper Division 32 and the cargo ship Shanan Maru No. 16. In 1942, the Ryojun Naval District was decommissioned from service as Japan had full control of the seas in the region without the need of maintaining this base.

Ryojun Guard District Interactive Map

Photographs

Ryojun Guard District Timeline