YOKOSUKA  , a seaport and

naval station of Japan, on the W. shore of Tokyo Bay, 12 M . S. of Yokohama . The town is connected by a branch line with the main railway from Tokyo . The port is sheltered by hills and affords good anchorage . The site was occupied by a small fishing village until 1865, when the shogun's government established a shipyard here . In 1868 the Japanese government converted the shipyard into a naval dockyard, and subsequently carried out many improvements . In 1884 the port became a first-class naval station; and naval barracks, warehouses, offices, hospitals, &c., were established here . The dockyard was first constructed by French engineers ; but after 1875 the work passed entirely into the hands of Japanese engineers .