Four Former Imperial Navy Ports

Below is the symbol for the four Japanese port cities which hosted major bases and shipyards for the Japan Imperial Navy (JIN).

They are: Yokosuka, Sasebo, Kure, and Maizuru.

In Sasebo, Kure, and Maizuru, the former JIN shipyards, maintenance facilities and dry-docks were taken over by private companies.

In the case of Yokosuka, however, things remained under U.S. Navy control and managed as a Naval Ship Repair Facility: https://www.srf.navy.mil/

The U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility Japan Regional Maintenance Center (SRF-JRMC)’s proud tradition and "root" were firmly implanted in 1865 under the patronage of the Tokugawa Shogunate when the "Yokosuka Iron Works" was established.  Since that time, the shop and waterfront facilities have been extensively developed and expanded.  During World War II, the shipyard was one of the largest shipbuilding and repair sites of the Imperial Japanese Navy, employing over 40,000 people and building over 100 combatant ships.  Among these were the 62,000 ton carrier Shinano, along with 10 other aircraft carriers, the 33,800 ton battleship Mutsu, and six other battleships, six cruisers and 20 submarines.

The facility was opened by U.S. Forces on Apr. 28, 1947 as the "Ship Repair Department" Fleet Activities, Yokosuka, with an Officer-in-Charge and a staff of 75 U.S. Navy personnel and 576 former Japanese Imperial Navy employees.  At that time the facility occupied about 72 acres, approximately one quarter of the former Imperial Japanese Naval Shipyard.

On Aug. 15,1951, the facility was officially designated the "U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility" by the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, and a Commanding Officer was assigned. 

Today the facility employs both U.S. military and U.S. civilian personnel as well as over 2,000 full-time Japanese Nationals who are assigned throughout the organization, including top management.

Dry-docking facilities can support timely dry-docking of most ships in the U.S. Navy inventory. Facilities include six dry docks with a combined displacement of 530,000 tons, 19 wet berth locations, 10 industrial buildings with combined workshop space of 730,000 square feet, and 15,300 combined feet of pier to support maintenance.