List of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy


The following is the list of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy for the duration of its existence, 1868–1945. This list also includes ships before the official founding of the Navy and some auxiliary ships used by the Army. For a list of ships of its successor, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, see List of active Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships and List of combatant ship classes of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Early warships

Early modern warships

[Edo period]

This section lists warships belonging to the Tokugawa shogunate and to the various domains of Japan before the Meiji Restoration and the Boshin War. Several of the vessels that survived the war would go on to serve in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy.

Western-style sail warships

  • , Japan's first post-seclusion Western-style sail warship.
*

Steam warships

  • , Japan's first steam warship.
  • , Japan's first screw-driven steam warships.
  • *,,
  • , Japan's first domestically built steam warship.
  • *,,
*

[Meiji era]

Battleships

In commission during World War II

Old battleships

‡ Before conversion to hybrid aircraft carriers

Seaplane tenders

Aircraft carriers

Standard aircraft carriers

  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • * Aso
  • * Ikoma
*

Light aircraft carriers

Escort aircraft carriers

Destroyers

1st Class destroyers

In commission during World War II

''Minekaze''-class
''Kamikaze''-class
''Mutsuki''-class
''Fubuki''-class
''Akatsuki''-class
''Hatsuharu''-class
''Shiratsuyu''-class
''Asashio''-class
ShipKeel LaidCompleted or
Commissioned		War Loss

'		Mar 1937Apr 1939Submarine in Aleutians,
Jul 1942

'		Oct 1935Dec 1937Battle of the Bismarck Sea,
Mar 1943

'		Dec 1936Mar 1938Battle of Surigao Strait,
Oct 1944

'		Sep 1935Aug 1937Battle of the Bismarck Sea,
Mar 1943

'		Dec 1936Jun 1939Air attack off Okinawa,
Apr 1945

'		Nov 1935Oct 1937Battle of Surigao Strait,
Oct 1944

'		Mar 1937Apr 1938Battle of Blackett Strait,
Mar 1943

'		Jul 1936Feb 1938Air attack off Guadalcanal,
Oct 1942

'		Aug 1936Oct 1936Submarine off Manus,
Feb 1943

'		Nov 1936Jan 1938Battle of Surigao Strait,
Oct 1944
''Kagerō''-class
''Yūgumo''-class
''Akizuki''-class
ShipKeel LaidCommis-
sioned		War LossPostwar

'		Jul 1940Jun 1942Battle off Cape Engaño,
Oct 1944

'		May 1943May 1944Converted to breakwater,
May 1948

'		Feb 1944Dec 1944Sunk as target,
Feb 1948

'		Dec 1943Dec 1944To Soviet Navy,
Aug 1947

'		Jul 1941Dec 1942Battle off Cape Engaño,
Oct 1944
Michizuki----

'		May 1944Apr 1945To Royal Navy,
Aug 1947

'		Dec 1941Mar 1943Battle of Kula Gulf,
Jul 1943

'		Jul 1942Mar 1944Submarine off Singapore,
Nov 1944

'		Mar 1941Dec 1942Converted to breakwater,
May 1948

'		Nov 1941Jan 1943Surface action off Savo Island,
Dec 1942

'		Mar 1942May 1943Air attack off Ormoc Bay,
Nov 1944

'		Aug 1943Jan 1942To Rep. of China,
Aug 1947
''Shimakaze''
ShipKeel LaidCompleted or
Commissioned		War Loss

Aug 1941May 1943Battle of Ormoc Bay,
Nov 1944
''Matsu''-class
''Tachibana''-class
ShipKeel LaidCommis-
sioned		War LossPostwar

'		Oct 1944Mar 1945Struck mine Jun 1945,
scrapped

'		Sep 1944Mar 1945To Royal Navy,
Apr 1947

'		Dec 1944Jun 1945To Rep. of China,
Jul 1947

'		Apr 1944May 1945To USSR,
Jul 1947

'		Oct 1944May 1945To US,
Aug 1947

'		Oct 1944May 1945To US,
Jul 1947

'		Nov 1944May 1945To Royal Navy,
Jul 1947

'		Sep 1944Mar 1945Salvaged 1955
as JDS Wakaba

'		Aug 1944Jan 1945Scrapped,
Apr 1948

'		Nov 1944May 1945To US,
Jul 1945

'		Sep 1944Mar 1945To USSR,
Jul 1945

'		Oct 1944Mar 1945To Royal Navy,
Aug 1947

'		Jul 1944Jan 1945Sunk by air attack,
Jul 1945

'		Jul 1944Feb 1945To Rep. of China,
Jul 1947

2nd Class destroyers

  • *,
  • *,,,,,,,,,
  • *,,,
  • *,,,,,
  • *,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  • *,,,,,,,

3rd Class destroyers

  • *,,,,,
  • *,,,,,
  • *,
  • *,
  • *,,,,,,
  • *,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  • Russian destroyers captured during the Russo-Japanese War
  • * Satsuki, Yamabiko, ''Fumizuki''

Kaibōkan

Kaibōkan was originally a catchall term used by the Imperial Japanese Navy for obsolete warships which had been relegated to coastal defense duties. As a consequence of the London Naval Treaty, the Imperial Japanese Navy was constricted on the total tonnage of destroyers it was allowed to build, so Japanese naval planners designed a new class of vessel to take advantage of a loophole in the treaty which permitted ships of between 600 and 2,000 tons, with no more than four guns over, no torpedoes, and a maximum speed of 20 knots, and gave them the obsolete designation of kaibōkan to further ensure that they would not be considered as destroyers. These ships were roughly equivalent to contemporary Allied destroyer escorts and frigates.
  • *,,,
  • *,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  • *,,,,,,,
  • *,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  • *,,,,,,,,
  • Type C
  • *,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  • Type D
  • *,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  • Chinese cruisers captured during the Second Sino-Japanese War
  • * Ioshima, ''Yasoshima''

Torpedo boats

1st Class torpedo boats

2nd Class torpedo boats

  • *,
  • *,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  • *,
  • *,,,,,,,,,
  • *,,,,,,,,

3rd Class torpedo boats

4th Class torpedo boats

[London Naval Treaty] era torpedo boats

As a consequence of the London Naval Treaty, the Imperial Japanese Navy was constricted on the total tonnage of destroyers it was allowed to build, so Japanese naval planners designed a new 600-ton class vessel, which was small enough not to be limited by the treaty, armed with half the armament of a destroyer, and gave them the obsolete designation of torpedo boats to further ensure that they would not be considered as destroyers.
  • *,,,
  • *,,,,,,,

Gunboats

River gunboats

  • *,,,
  • *,
  • *,
  • *,
  • American gunboat captured during the Pacific War
  • * Tatara
  • British gunboat captured during the Pacific War
  • * Suma
  • Italian gunboat captured during the Pacific War
  • * ''Narumi''

Patrol boats

  • *No. 1, No. 2
  • * No. 31, No. 32, No. 33, No. 34, No. 35, No. 36, No. 37, No. 38, No. 39, No. 46
  • British destroyer captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.101
  • American destroyer captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.102
  • American torpedo boat captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.114
  • American minesweeper captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.103
  • Philippine customs patrol boat captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.105
  • Dutch patrol boats captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.104, No.108
  • American tugboat captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.107
  • Dutch patrol boat captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.109
  • Dutch destroyer captured during the Pacific War
  • * ''No.106''

Auxiliary patrol boats

In addition to the purpose-built No.1-class, during the Pacific War the Imperial Japanese Navy requisitioned and converted a number of civilian vessels into auxiliary patrol boats.
  • * 27 built during the Pacific War, 5 lost; 30 not completed.

Submarine chasers

Minelayers

*

Minesweepers

This section lists the purpose-built and numbered converted minesweepers of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
  • *,,,,,
  • No.7-class
  • * No.7, No.8, No.9, No.10, No.11, No.12
  • No.7-class
  • * No.7, No.8
  • No.9-class
  • * No.9, No.10
  • *,,,,,
  • *,,,,,
  • *,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  • British minesweepers captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.101, ''No.102''

Auxiliary minesweepers

In addition to the vessels listed below, during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War the Imperial Japanese Navy requisitioned and converted a number of civilian vessels into auxiliary minesweepers.
  • *,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  • Dutch minesweepers captured during the Pacific War
  • * No.101, No.102, No.103, No.104, No.105, No.106, No.107, ex-

Landing craft

*

Submarines

1st Class submarines

2nd Class submarines

  • Type F
  • * Type F1, Ro-ichi-gata 2 units,,.
  • * Type F2, Ro-san-gata, 3 units,,,.
  • Kaichū type
  • *Type K1, Kaichū 1 gata, 2 units,,.
  • *Type K2, Kaichū 2 gata, 3 units,,,.
  • *Type K3, Kaichū 3 gata, 10 units,,,,,,,,,,.
  • *Type K4, Kaichū 4 gata, 3 units,,,.
  • *Type KT, Kaichū 5 gata, 5 units,,, Submarine No. 70,,.
  • *Type K6, Kaichū 6 gata, 2 units,,.
  • *Type KS, Kaichū 7 gata, 18 units,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.
  • Type L
  • * Type L1, Ro go jū 1 gata, 2 units,,.
  • * Type L2, Ro go jū 2 gata, 4 units,,,,.
  • * Type L3, Ro go jū 3 gata, 3 units,,,.
  • * Type L4, Ro go jū 4 gata, 9 units,,,,,,,,,.
  • Ko Type, 18 units,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.
  • Ex-German submarines, 2 units, Ro-500, Ro-501.

3rd Class submarines

Other submarines

  • modified Holland class

Suicide vessels

  • Shinyo motorboat, 6,200 units.
  • Kaiten torpedo, approx. 420 units.

Training vessels

Meiji Maru Nippon Maru

Imperial Japanese Army

Due to various political reasons, the Army used its separate navy during the Second World War, mostly to support with logistical support and ground invasion operations.

Escort carriers

Landing craft carriers

Landing craft carriers were an innovation exclusively used by the Army, with some being fitted with a flight deck for limited aerial operations.
  • Type C Landing Craft Carrier
  • *
  • M Type C Landing Craft Carrier
  • *
  • * Tokitsu Maru
  • Type A Landing Craft Carrier
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • M Type A Landing Craft Carrier
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • Type B Landing Craft Carrier
  • *

Submarines

The Army only used transport submarines, with limited defensive capacity:

Small craft

*