'' under construction at Kure Naval Arsenal, 1941 in a
drydock at Kure, 1945 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. ==Current facilities==