DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
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Online Library of Selected Images:
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Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, Japanese Navy, (1886-1944).

Chuichi Nagumo, born in 1886, graduated from the Japanese Naval Academy in 1908. He was a torpedo specialist and had extensive seagoing experience. While commanding Japan's carrier striking force, he executed the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and January-April 1942 raids in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. His force was decisively defeated on 4 June 1942, during the Battle of Midway, losing all four carriers present.

Vice Admiral Nagumo retained command of the remaining Japanese aircraft carriers into November 1942, leading them in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in August and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October. He was later placed in charge of naval forces in the Marianas Islands area. In keeping with Japanese military traditions, he died by his own hand on 6 July 1944, during the final stages of the defense of Saipan.

This page features our only view of Vice Admiral Nagumo.

If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: NH 63423 Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, Imperial Japanese Navy Portrait photograph, taken circa 1941-42, when he was commander of the First Air Fleet. Original photograph was in the files of Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, USNR. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 82KB; 600 x 765 pixels

2 May 1999