Maizuru Naval Arsenal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maizuru Naval Arsenal (舞鶴海軍工廠 Maizuru Kaigun Kosho?) was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Maizuru Naval District was established at Maizuru, Kyoto in 1889, as the fourth of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands. After the establishment of the navy base, a ship repair facility was established in 1901 with a dry dock. With the addition of equipment and facilities for ship production by 1903, the Maizuru Naval Arsenal was officially established.
Additional dry docks were completed in 1904 and 1914. When the No.3 dry dock was completed in 1914, it was the largest in Japan at the time.
In 1923, after the Washington Naval Treaty, there were discussions within the Navy Ministry about closing the facility, and it was largely mothballed until 1936. Afterwards, it reopened and expanding, specializing mostly in destroyer-size and smaller vessels.
In the post-World War II period, the shipyards were purchased by a private firm, Iino Industries, which operated them to 1963, when it was purchased by Hitachi Shipbuilding and Engineering. In 2002, Hitachi spun the shipyards out into a new joint venture company with JFE Engineering called Universal Shipbuilding Corporation.
The former head office and some warehouses associated with the shipyards are preserved as commemorative museums by the Maizuru city government. The pre-war dry docks and one of the large cranes are still in use today.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Chamberlain, Basil Hall (1905). Things Japanese: Being Notes On Various Subjects Connected With Japan, For The Use Of Travelers And Others. Tuttle.
- Samuels, Richard J. (1996). "Rich Nation, Strong Army": National Security and the Technological Transformation of Japan. Cornell University Press. ISBN 0801499941.
