Training Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)

The Training Fleet (練習艦隊, Renshū Kantai) was a training unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Organized after the Russo-Japanese War, however, systematized in 1902 by the Training Detachment (練習枝隊, Renshū Shitai) in the Standing Fleet. This article handles Training Fleet and Training Detachment.

Organizations of the Training Detachment

Term	Commander	Vessels	Destinations
2 November 1902 – 21 August 1903	Rear-Admiral Hikonojō Kamimura	Cruiser Matsushima, Itsukushima, Hashidate	Southeast Asia, Australia
17 December 1903 – 3 January 1904	Rear-Admiral Masamichi Tōgō		Cruise was canceled and detachment was dissolved in halfway for war preparations.

Organizations of the Training Fleet

Term	Commander	Vessels	Destinations
15 February 1906 – 25 August 1906	Rear-Admiral Hayao Shimamura	Cruiser Matsushima, Itsukushima, Hashidate	Australia, Southeast Asia
31 January 1907 – 3 August 1907	Rear-Admiral Sadayasu Tomioka		Hawaiian Islands, Australia, Southeast Asia
25 January 1908 – 30 April 1908	Rear-Admiral Motarō Yoshimatsu		Southeast Asia; cruise was canceled in halfway, because Matsushima was sunk in Magong.
14 March 1909 – 7 August 1909	Rear-Admiral Hikojirō Ijichi	Cruiser Aso, Sōya	Hawaiian Islands, North America
1 February 1910 – 3 July 1910			Australia, Southeast Asia
16 October 1910 – 6 March 1911	Rear-Admiral Rokurō Yashiro	Cruiser Asama, Kasagi	Hawaiian Islands, North America, Central America
25 November 1911 – 28 March 1912	Vice-Admiral Sadakichi Katō	Cruiser Aso, Sōya	Southeast Asia
5 December 1912 – 21 April 1913	Rear-Admiral Sōjirō Tochiuchi	Cruiser Azuma, Sōya	Southeast Asia, Australia
20 April 1914 – 11 August 1914	Rear-Admiral Teijirō Kuroi	Cruiser Azuma, Asama	Hawaiian Islands, North America
20 April 1915 – 23 August 1915	Rear-Admiral Tomojirō Chisaka	Cruiser Aso, Sōya	Southeast Asia, Australia
20 April 1916 – 22 August 1916	Rear-Admiral Tatsuo Matsumura	Cruiser Iwate, Azuma	Southeast Asia, Australia
5 April 1917 – 17 August 1917	Rear-Admiral Toshitake Iwamura	Cruiser Tokiwa, Yakumo	North America (West coast), Hawaiian Islands, South Pacific
2 March 1918 – 6 July 1918	Vice-Admiral Kantarō Suzuki	Cruiser Iwate, Asama	North America (West coast), Central America (West coast), Hawaiian Islands, South Pacific
1 March 1919 – 26 July 1919	Vice-Admiral Naoe Nakano	Cruiser Tokiwa, Azuma	Southeast Asia, Australia
21 August 1920 – 2 April 1921	Vice-Admiral Kajishirō Funakoshi	Cruiser Asama, Iwate	South America, Southern Africa
20 August 1921 – 4 April 1922	Vice-Admiral Hanroku Saitō	Cruiser Yakumo, Izumo	Europe
26 June 1922 – 8 February 1923	Vice-Admiral Naomi Taniguchi	Coast defence ship Iwate, Izumo, Asama	South America, Southern Africa
7 November 1923 – 5 April 1924	Vice-Admiral Shichigorō Saitō		Southeast Asia, Australia
10 November 1924 – 4 April 1925	Vice-Admiral Saburō Hyakutake	Coast defence ship Yakumo, Asama, Izumo	North America (West coast)
10 November 1925 – 6 April 1926		Coast defence ship Iwate	Southeast Asia, Australia
30 June 1926 – 17 January 1927	Vice-Admiral Eisuke Yamamoto	Coast defence ship Yakumo, Izumo	Mediterranean Sea
30 June 1927 – 16 December 1927	Vice-Admiral Osami Nagano	Coast defence ship Iwate, Asama	North America (East coast)
23 April 1928 – 3 October 1928	Vice-Admiral Seizō Kobayashi	Coast defence ship Yakumo, Izumo	Southeast Asia, Australia
1 July 1929 – 27 December 1929	Vice-Admiral Kichisaburō Nomura	Coast defence ship Iwate, Asama	North America (East coast)
5 March 1931 – 15 August 1931	Vice-Admiral Seizō Sakonji	Coast defence ship Yakumo, Izumo	Mediterranean Sea
1 March 1932 – 14 July 1932	Vice-Admiral Shinjirō Imamura	Coast defence ship Iwate, Asama	Southeast Asia, Australia
6 March 1933 – 26 July 1933	Vice-Admiral Gengo Hyakutake	Coast defence ship Iwate, Yakumo	North America (West coast), Central America (West coast)
15 February 1934 – 26 July 1934	Vice-Admiral Hajime Matsushita	Coast defence ship Iwate, Asama	Mediterranean Sea
20 February 1935 – 22 July 1935	Vice-Admiral Kamezaburō Nakamura	Coast defence ship Asama, Yakumo	Southeast Asia, Australia, Hawaiian Islands
9 June 1936 – 20 November 1936	Vice-Admiral Zengo Yoshida	Coast defence ship Yakumo, Iwate	North America (East coast)
7 June 1937 – 19 October 1937	Vice-Admiral Mineichi Koga		Mediterranean Sea
6 April 1938 – 29 June 1938	Rear-Admiral Shirō Takasu		Southeast Asia, South Pacific
16 November 1938 – 30 January 1939	Vice-Admiral Umatarō Tanimoto		Southeast Asia
4 October 1939 – 20 November 1939	Vice-Admiral Yorio Sawamoto		Hawaiian Islands, South Pacific
7 August 1940 – 28 September 1940	Vice-Admiral Mitsumi Shimizu	Cruiser Katori, Kashima	Sea of Japan, East China Sea

Bibliography

• Monthly Ships of the World, "Kaijinsha". (Japan)
  • No. 441, Special issue Vol. 32, "Japanese cruisers", September 1991
  • No. 500, Special issue Vol. 44, "Ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy", August 1995
  • No. 754, Special issue Vol. 101, "History of Japanese cruisers", January 2012
• The Maru Special, "Ushio Shobō". (Japan)
  • Japanese Naval Vessels No. 44, "Cruiser Tone-class and Katori-class", October 1980
  • Japanese Naval Vessels No. 53, "Japanese support vessels", July 1981
• Rekishi Dokuhon, Special issue No. 33 Overview of admirals of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Shin-Jinbutsuōraisha, October 1999
• The Japanese Modern Historical Manuscripts Association, Organizations, structures and personnel affairs of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy, University of Tokyo Press, January 1971 ISBN 978-4-13-036009-8