Combined Fleet - Rengou Kantai

The Combined Fleet, as defined by the Fleet Order of the Imperial Japanese Navy, was a fleet consisting of two or more fleets, with ships and units incorporated as necessary. The Commander-in-Chief was directly subordinate to the Emperor, received military administration from the Minister of the Navy, and operational planning from the Chief of the Naval Staff. It was first formed during the Sino-Japanese War, and was only formed during wartime and exercises such as the Russo-Japanese War, but became a permanent fleet after 1933. The Combined Fleet of the Showa Period was a battle fleet that was intended to be an enemy of the US Navy, and at the outbreak of the Pacific War, it consisted of nine fleets, including the First Fleet, which was mainly made up of battleships, and the Second Fleet, which was mainly made up of heavy cruisers. During the war, the fleet numbered more than 15, including the Area Fleet, and had most of the ships suitable for ocean operations under its command. It is no exaggeration to say that the Combined Fleet embodied the very essence of the Imperial Japanese Navy. At the start of the war, the Japanese had 254 ships, including 10 battleships and 10 aircraft carriers, 383 ships constructed during the war, and 45 operational ships at the time of Japan's defeat. The headquarters (flagship) was also moved from the battleship Nagato at the start of the war to ashore at the end of the war.

[Tetsuo Maeda]

"Thoughts on the Great Navy" by Masanori Ito (1956, Bungeishunju) "Castle of the Sea" by Kiyoshi Watanabe (1969, Asahi Shimbun) "The Imperial Combined Fleet" (1969, Kodansha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧日本海軍の艦隊令に定める連合艦隊とは、艦隊2個以上をもって編成し必要に応じ艦船・部隊を編入するものである。司令長官は天皇に直隷し、軍政に関しては海軍大臣の指揮を受け、作戦計画に関しては軍令部総長の指示を受けた。初めて編成されたのは日清(にっしん)戦争に際してで、以後は日露戦争などの戦時や演習時にのみ編成されていたが、1933年（昭和8）以降常時編成となった。昭和期の連合艦隊はアメリカ海軍を想定敵とする決戦艦隊であり、太平洋戦争勃発(ぼっぱつ)時には戦艦主力の第一艦隊、重巡主力の第二艦隊など9個艦隊からなり、戦時中には方面艦隊も加えて艦隊数は15を超え、外洋作戦に適する艦艇の大部分を指揮下に擁していた。したがって連合艦隊は日本海軍そのものを体現していたといって過言ではない。開戦時の勢力、戦艦10、空母10など254隻、戦時建造383隻、敗戦時の作戦可能艦艇45隻。司令部（旗艦）も開戦時の戦艦長門(ながと)から末期には陸上に移された。

［前田哲男］

『伊藤正徳著『大海軍を想う』（1956・文芸春秋）』▽『渡辺清著『海の城』（1969・朝日新聞社）』▽『『帝国連合艦隊』（1969・講談社）』

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