3rd Carrier Division (Imperial Japanese Navy)
| Third Carrier Division | |
|---|---|
 Zuikaku in Autumn 1944 | |
| Active | June 1, 1936 – November 15, 1944 |
| Country | Empire of Japan |
| Allegiance | Axis Powers of World War II |
| Branch | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Type | Naval aviation unit |
| Role | Aircraft carrier support |
| Engagements | Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Leyte Gulf |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Kakuji Kakuta |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol | Kamoi Kamoi (カモヰ) Notoro Notoro (ノトロ) Zuihō in 1941-42 CI-xxx Hōshō in 1941-42 CII-xxx Chitose in early 1944 331-xxx Chiyoda in early 1944 332-xxx Zuihō in early 1944 333-xxx late 1944 653-xxx |
The 3rd Carrier Division (第三航空戦隊,, Dai San Kōkū Sentai, "San Kōsen") was primarily a seaplane tender unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet.
Organization
| Date | Higher unit | Ships and air units |
|---|---|---|
| 1 June 1936 (original) | Combined Fleet | Kamoi, Destroyer Squadron 28 : Asanagi, Yūnagi |
| 1 December 1936 | disbanded | |
| 27 August 1937 | 3rd Fleet | Kamoi |
| 20 October 1937 | China Area Fleet | Kamoi, Notoro |
| 1 December 1937 | 3rd Fleet | Kamoi, Kagu Maru, Kamikawa Maru |
| 1 February 1938 | 5th Fleet | Kamoi, Kagu Maru, Kamikawa Maru |
| 15 December 1938 | disbanded | |
| 15 November 1940 | 1st Fleet | Ryūjō, Hōshō, Destroyer Division 34 : Akikaze, Tachikaze, Hakaze |
| 11 August 1941 | Zuihō, Hōshō, Mikazuki, Yūzuki | |
| 1 April 1942 | disbanded | |
| 1 February 1944 | 3rd Fleet | Chitose, Chiyoda, Zuihō, 653rd Naval Air Group[1] |
| 15 August 1944 | Zuikaku, Chitose, Chiyoda, Zuihō, 653rd Naval Air Group | |
| 15 November 1944 | disbanded | |
Commander
| Rank | Name | Date | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R.ADM | Takamoto Togari | 1 June 1936 | |
| x | disbanded | 1 December 1936 | ||
| 2 | Capt./R.ADM | Kōkichi Terada | 27 August 1937 | Rear-Admiral on 1 December 1937 |
| x | disbanded | 15 December 1938 | ||
| 3 | R.ADM | Kakuji Kakuta | 15 November 1940 | |
| 4 | R.ADM | Torao Kuwabara | 1 September 1941 | |
| x | disbanded | 1 April 1942 | ||
| x | vacant post | 1 February 1944 | ||
| 5 | R.ADM | Sueo Ōbayashi | 15 February 1944 | |
| 6 | vacant post | 1 October 1944 | ||
| x | disbanded | 15 November 1944 |
Footnotes
Bibliography
- "Monthly The Maru" series, and "The Maru Special" series, "Ushio Shobō". (Japan)
- "Monthly Ships of the World" series, "Kaijinsha". (Japan)
- "Famous Airplanes of the World" series and "Monthly Kōku Fan" series, Bunrindō (Japan)
