page_title: Kure Naval Arsenal
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Kure Naval Arsenal / History
caption_attribution_description: English: US Navy Historical Center caption&#160;: "Japanese Type D ("Koryu") Midget Submarines In a drydock at Kure Naval Base, Japan, 19 October 1945. There are at least four different types of midget submarines in this group of about eighty-four boats, though the great majority are of the standard "Koryu" type. The two boats at right in the second row appear to have an enlarged conning tower and shortened hull superstructure. The two boats at left in that row are of the earlier Type A or Type C design, as are a few others further back in the group."
context_page_description: Kure Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
context_section_description: The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands. Along with the establishment of the navy base, a ship repair facility was also constructed, initially by moving the equipment from the Onohama shipyards near Kobe. Construction was supervised by the French engineer Louis-Émile Bertin. The first warship constructed at Kure, Miyako, was launched in 1897. The "Kure Shipyards" were officially renamed the "Kure Naval Arsenal" in 1903.
  Kure developed into one of the largest shipbuilding facilities in the Empire of Japan, capable of working with the largest vessels. The Arsenal included a major steel works (built with British assistance), and also facilities for producing naval artillery and projectiles. The battleships Yamato and Nagato were designed and constructed at Kure.
  The facilities of the Kure Naval Arsenal were repeatedly bombed by the United States Navy and United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific War, and over 70% of its buildings and equipment was destroyed.
  After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Kure Naval Arsenal was turned over to civilian hands.
caption: Midget submarines in a drydock at Kure.
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