World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Maizuru Naval District in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan was stablished in 1889 as the fourth naval district of the Japanese Navy. The Maizuru Naval Arsenal was officially created in 1903 for the administration of the drydock (built in 1901) and newly established shipbuilding facilities. Two additional drydocks were constructed in 1904 and 1914, respectively, with the latter being the largest in Japan at the time of its completion. Between 1923 and 1936, it saw very little activity as the result of the Washington Naval Treaty which restricted the naval strength of the navies of France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States; during that time, its status was downgraded to a work district. In 1936, its status as a naval arsenal was restored. Between that time and 1945, Maizuru was an important shipyard for the building of destroyers and other smaller warships. The arsenal also built naval aircraft and naval guns. In May 1944, as steel became scarce in Japan, Maizuru built the four Takechi Maru concrete ships which were later converted into breakwaters. After WW2, in 1946, it was taken over by Iino Shipbuilding Company. The company was renamed twice, first time in 1954 to Iino Industries Company, Limited, and the second time in 1963 to Maizuru Heavy Industries as Hitachi Zosen Corporation bought a controlling interest in the company. In 1971, it became a subsidiary of Hitachi and was renamed Maizuru Heavy Industries. In 2002, Hitachi Zosen spun off the shipbuilder into a joint venture with JFE Engineering called Universal Shipbuilding Corporation. In 2013, it became a part of the firm Japan Marine United. The pre-war drydocks and one of the large cranes remains in use today in what is the largest shipbuilding complex on the coast of the Sea of Japan.

Ships Constructed at Maizuru Naval Arsenal

Maizuru Naval Arsenal Interactive Map

Photographs

Maizuru Naval Arsenal Timeline