The Standing Fleet (also known as the Readiness Fleet ) ( 常備艦隊 , Jōbi Kantai ) was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It was the main combat fleet of the Japanese Navy and formed the core of a wartime Combined Fleet organization. It was created from the Standing Small-Fleet in 1889. It was split into the 1st Fleet and the 2nd Fleet in 1903.
18-746: On 24 July 1889 the Fleet Ordinance (Edict No. 100) was enacted as the first independent fleet-related decree of the Japanese Navy, and the fleet was to be composed of three or more warships. On 29 July 1889 the Standing Small-Fleet was reorganized into the Standing Fleet (commander-in-chief: Rear Admiral Inoue Yoshika ). On 19 June 1894, in response to the deterioration of Japan-China relations, all fleet regulations were revised (Edict No. 71), and torpedo boats and transport vessels were attached to
36-685: A foreign advisor to the early Meiji government as chief administrator and constructor of the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal. She was launched on 5 May 1875, with Emperor Meiji personally attending the launching ceremony. She was commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy on 21 June 1876. Lieutenant Commander Inoue Yoshika oversaw the completion of Seiki and was both her chief outfitting officer and first captain. Soon after completion, in November 1878, Inoue took Seiki to Europe, marking
54-467: A key role in the events which led to the opening of Korea to foreign trade and diplomatic relations. Inoue then was assigned to the new corvette Seiki of which he was the chief equipping officer in charge of overseeing her construction. Seiki was the first domestically produced Japanese warship. Despite his admiration for Saigō and some concerns that he might defect with the Seiki , Inoue remained loyal to
72-548: A lieutenant in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy , serving on the Ryūjō , rising to the position of executive officer by 1872, and returning to the Kasuga again as its captain in 1874. Inoue was a supporter of Saigō Takamori and his Seikanron position vis-a-vis Korea . At the time of the Ganghwa Island incident (1875), Inoue was captain of the gunboat Un'yo and played
90-593: A major achievement for Japan. On his return to Japan, Inoue captained a wide selection of ships in the Japanese navy, including the Azuma , Asama , Fusō and Kongō . Inoue was promoted to commander in June 1882 and to rear admiral on 15 June 1886, and appointed Director of the Bureau of Naval Affairs shortly thereafter. He was ennobled with the title of danshaku ( baron ) under
108-476: A wooden-hulled three-masted bark -rigged sloop with a coal-fired triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine with three cylinders and two cylindrical boilers driving a single screw. Her hull was made largely of native keyaki wood. She was laid down at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 20 June 1873 under the direction of Léonce Verny , a French naval engineer initially hired by the Tokugawa shogunate , who stayed on as
126-568: Is in his hometown of Kagoshima . 1895 (Meiji 28) 1915 (Taisho 4) Japanese corvette Seiki Seiki ( 清輝 , Pure Brightness ) was a screw sloop in the early Imperial Japanese Navy , and was the first vessel built by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal after its acquisition by the Meiji government . It was one of the first domestically-produced warships in Japan. Seiki was designed as
144-684: The kazoku peerage system on 24 May 1887. Inoue became first commandant of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy on 16 August 1888. He became Commander-in-Chief of the Readiness Fleet on 29 July 1889, and vice admiral and commander-in-chief of the Sasebo Naval District on 12 December 1892. He remained in charge of reserve forces, and thus did not see any combat during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1895. He
162-793: The Royal Navy and the amount of material damage that only a few vessels were able to inflict on Kagoshima. On recovery, he enlisted in the Satsuma Navy, and he was present at all of the major naval engagements associated with the Boshin War to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate as commander of the Satsuma warship Kasuga . After the Meiji Restoration and the absorption of the various feudal navies into central government control, Inoue reenlisted as
180-519: The Russo-Japanese War , Inoue was elevated to shishaku ( viscount ) on 21 September 1907, and to the largely ceremonial rank of Marshal Admiral on his retirement on 31 October 1911. After retirement, Inoue continued to exert an influence on naval policy, and was a strong proponent of the occupation and annexation of the Caroline Islands during World War I Inoue died in 1929. His grave
198-614: The Meiji government against his former Satsuma clansmen during the Satsuma Rebellion . In October 1877, Inoue was assigned to take Seiki on a voyage to Europe and back. Seiki passed through the Suez Canal , and made a port call at Constantinople , where Inoue was received in an audience by the Ottoman Sultan , and eventually reached London . The voyage was hailed in the foreign press as
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#1732852196827216-516: The Western Sea Fleet. The commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet was also the commander-in-chief of the Standing Fleet, Vice Admiral Ito Sukeyuki , and the staff of the Combined Fleet was also the staff of the Standing Fleet. After the end of the First Sino-Japanese War the Combined Fleet and the Western Sea Fleet were disbanded on 15 November 1895. On 14 October 1897 the Fleet Ordinance
234-641: The coast of Kobe. On 28 December 1903 the Standing Fleet was disbanded and permanently divided into the 1st Fleet and the 2nd Fleet. The last commander-in-chief of the Standing Fleet was Heihachiro Togo . 29 July 1889, organization at the time of creation 19 July 1894, organization as part of the Combined Fleet 31 March 1896, organization after the Sino-Japanese War Organization after special inspection on 22 April 1902 Inoue Yoshika Marshal Admiral Viscount Inoue Yoshika ( 井上 良馨 , 3 November 1845 – 22 March 1929)
252-577: The first long-distance voyage by a domestically-produced Japanese warship. Along the way, Seiki passed through the Suez Canal and made port calls at Constantinople and London , among other places, and was hailed in the western press as the first Japanese-built and Japanese-crewed warship to make such a voyage. Inoue successfully completed the mission, returning to Japan in August 1879. At around 0200 hours on 7 December 1888, Seiki ran aground in Suruga Bay near
270-456: The fleet as specified by the Edict. The edict also stipulated that the staff should be enhanced and that ships could be dispatched outside the patrol areas. On 13 July a Guard Fleet consisting of nine outdated ships and small ships with a flagship Katsuragi was formed, and soon after on 19 July it was renamed the Western Sea Fleet. On the same day a Combined Fleet was formed by the Standing Fleet and
288-578: Was a career naval officer and admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during Meiji-period Japan . Born in what is now part of Kagoshima city , as the son of a samurai retainer of the Satsuma Domain , Inoue took part in the Anglo-Satsuma War as a youth. Although severely injured by shrapnel through his left thigh during the fighting, he was extremely impressed with the firepower of
306-401: Was amended (Edict No. 356) to allow the fleet to consist of two or more warships, including torpedo boat division, mine laying division, and transport vessels. A chief of staff position was also created at this time. On 10 March 1903, during the 4th Great Navy Exercise, the 1st and 2nd Fleets were temporarily formed, and on 10 April 1903 after the exercise, a fleet review ceremony was held off
324-750: Was commander-in-chief of the Kure Naval District from 26 February 1896 to 20 May 1900. In November 1900, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure , 1st class. Inoue was commander-in-chief of the Yokosuka Naval District from 20 May 1901 to 14 January 1905. He was promoted to admiral on 12 December 1901. In November 1905, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun . After
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