World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Chinkai Guard District (now Jinhae) was the main Japanese Navy base in Japanese-occupied Korea, responsible for the control of the Straits of Shimonoseki and Korean waters. Already a busy maritime port city, the constructions of military facilities began shortly after the Japanese arrived in 1905. It was upgraded to a Guard District in 1916, but was generally considered a backwater assignment by the Japanese Navy personnel until the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. At the start of the Pacific War, Chinkai was home to destroyers Minekaze, Asagao, Fuyo, and Karukaya; Minesweeper Divisions 48 and 49; and the Chinkai Air Group (six E7K seaplanes). The base also operated the smaller and distant base at Rashin in northern Korea (now Rason) to aid the patrol of the western portions of the Sea of Japan. US Navy Destroyer Squadron 64 occupied Chinkai at the end of WW2, and it would remain a US military base through the time of this writing with varying names such as Field Logistics Center Chinhae and Commander Fleet Activities Chinhae.

Chinkai Guard District Interactive Map

Chinkai Guard District Timeline