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U.S. Marine Corps. Via ibiblio.org
Sasebo (129.735E
33.168N) is a port city located in western Kyushu,
with a population of approximately 300,000 persons in 1941. Although
the city was located in an agricultural area with relatively poor
communications with the rest of Japan, its
well-protected anchorage had room for over 100
warships, and it was one of the major
bases of
the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Special Naval Landing
Forces. Sasebo hosted one of the four largest naval construction yards in
Japan, specializing in light cruisers and constructing destroyers and submarines as well. The fourth Yamato was laid down here but was never completed.
Sasebo was headquarters of 3 Naval District, and at the time war broke out Sasebo Air Group operated 16 A5M Claude fighters, 6 E13A Jake floatplanes, and 15 H6K Mavis flying boats at the naval air station.
On 29 June 1945 the city was subject to its only B-29 raid of the war, which killed 1000 persons and left 60,000 homeless, but failed to do much damage to the Navy yard.
References
Shaw (1968; accessed 2011-5-1)
"U.S. Naval Technical Mission to Japan" (accessed 2011-5-1)
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