KYURYOKAN
(IJN ARASAKI in 1943)
IJN ARASAKI:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2007-2018 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
Revision 9
10 November 1942:
Osaka. Laid down at Hitachi Zosen’s Sakurajima shipyard.
27 February 1943:
Launched and named ARASAKI. [1]
Reserve LtCdr Matsumoto Shigekura is appointed CO Chief Equipping Officer.
29 May 1943:
Completed and registered in the Maizuru Naval District. LtCdr Matsumoto is appointed CO.
16 June 1943:
Reserve Lt Umehara Tadae is appointed CO.
8 July 1943:
ARASAKI departs Saeki with patrol boat PB-46, auxiliary gunboat HINO MARU No. 5 and minesweeper W-18 escorting convoy O-806 consisting of ASO, EHIME, KAZAN and ZUISHO MARUs .
9 July 1943:
W-18 is detached at 29N. PB-46 and HINO MARU No. 5 remain escorting the convoy.
16 July 1943:
At 1200, the convoy, except straggler KAZAN MARU, arrives at Palau.
17 July 1943:
At 1620 PB-46, presumably escorting KAZAN MARU, arrives at Palau.
7 August 1943:
At 1100, ARASAKI departs Rabaul in a convoy consisting of NICHIYO and SUMIYOSHI MARUs and HINO MARU No. 5 escorted by subchasers CH-10 and CH-24.
9 August 1943:
Arrives at Shortland, Bougainville.
17 August 1943:
At 0900 departs Rabaul in convoy also consisting of storeship TAKUNAN MARU.
27 August 1943:
At 1100 arrives at Davao.
1 September 1943:
At 0900 departs Davao in convoy also consisting of storeship TAKUNAN MARU.
9 September 1943:
At 0600 arrives at Rabaul.
19 September 1943:
Departs Rabaul transporting foodstuffs to New Ireland and escorting LYONS MARU.
11-12 October 1943:
Surabaya. Re-provisions frozen fresh meat from auxiliary storeship HAKUREI MARU.
19 November 1943:
Arrives at Surabaya, Java. Drydocked.
4 December 1943:
Undocked. Departs Surabaya.
14 December 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul. Engages in replenishment duty.
5 January 1944:
At 1245 ARASAKI and tanker KOKUYO MARU in position 04-04N 125-12E meets up with convoy NE-202 consisting of GENYO MARU being escorted by patrol boat PB-2.
7 January 1944:
At 1320 arrives at Balikpapan.
23 February 1944:
Departs Surabaya. Later, engages in replenishment duties at Palau and Davao.
5 March 1944:
At 1650 patrol boats PB-102 and PB-36 depart Balikpapan escorting convoy O-502 consisting of tanker NASUSAN MARU and cargo ship HAVRE MARU.
6 March 1944:
At 1800 HAVRE MARU and PB-102 separates from the convoy. At some point storeship ARASAKI joins the convoy. The convoy is renumbered O-601.
7 March 1944:
At 1820 NASUSAN MARU and PB-36 arrives at Tarakan.
9 March 1944:
ARASAKI and HAVRE MARU are enroute from Balikpapan, Borneo to Palau, escorted by PB-102 (ex-USS STEWART, DD-224). At 2336, an unidentified submarine attacks the convoy. One torpedo passes 20 meters behind PB-102’s stern; the second hits port side aft of the bridge, but does not explode.
12 March 1944:
At 1000 arrives at Palau.
15 March 1944:
At 0845 departs Palau in a convoy consisting of storeships ARASAKI and KITAKAMI MARU escorted by patrol boat PB-102.
18 March 1944:
At 0855 arrives at Davao.
7 April 1944:
Davao. Provisioned by auxiliary storeship KITAKAMI MARU.
24 April 1944:
Departs Surabaya. ARASAKI transports food stores to Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s (37) Mobile Fleet at Lingga and later at Tawi Tawi.
1 June 1944:
Departs Surabaya escorting tankers JAMBI and SEIAN MARUs as the sole escort. Two hours after departure, JAMBI MARU strikes a mine that explodes under hold No. 4 and returns to Surabaya. The others later arrive safely at Balikpapan.
3 June 1944:
ARASAKI arrives at Balikpapan in a convoy with fleet oiler SHIOYA and tanker SEIAN MARU escorted by torpedo boat HAYABUSA.
9 June 1944:
Destroyer WAKAZUKI meets up with storeship ARASAKI and tanker RYOEI MARU inbound from Tawi Tawi.
10 June 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.
27 August 1944:
Arrives at Singapore. Undergoes repairs at Seletar Naval Base’s No. 101 Repair Facility.
1 September 1944:
Reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet.
10 September 1944:
Departs Singapore for Saigon, Lingga and Brunei.
26 January 1945:
Surabaya. Undergoes repairs at the IJN's No. 102 Repair Facility. After completing work, transports stores to Bali island.
30 January 1945:
W of Surabaya, Java. LtCdr John M. Hyde's (USNA ’34) USS BERGALL (SS-320) torpedoes and damages ARASAKI at 08-26S, 115-40E.
1 February 1945:
Departs Surabaya, but contacts a magnetic mine laid by an Australian PBY “Catalina” flying boat.
1 April 1945:
Surabaya. Under repairs.
18 April 1945:
At 0955, departs port briefly for trials. Returns at 1610.
20 April 1945:
At 1106, departs Surabaya with auxiliary patrol boat SHONAN MARU No. 17 as escort.
21 April 1945:
At 1813, arrives at Benoa (near Denpassar, Timor).
23 April 1945:
At 0700, departs Benoa escorted by SHONAN MARU No. 17.
24 April 1945:
At 0700, arrives at Surabaya.
27 April 1945:
At 1400, departs Surabaya and at 1807 arrives at Probolingga. Remains there for the rest of the month.
15 August 1945:
Surabaya. ARASAKI, an unidentified minelayer and minesweeper W-8’s
crews are notified of the termination of the war.
5 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
15 November 1945:
Lt Ono Shimpei (68) (former CEO / CO of HA-111) is appointed CO.
28 December 1945:
Reserve LtCdr Yamazaki Minoru is appointed CO.
30 January 1946:
Departs Singapore for Japan. Probably carries repats but not officially taken over until 20 February.
11 February 1946:
Arrives at Otaka. Probably disembarks troops and passengers.
20 February 1946:
Drydocked at Maizuru for repairs. Assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service as a demobilization transport. [2]
20 March 1946:
Undocked.
24 March 1946:
Departs Maizuru.
27 March 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo and departs later that day.
4 April 1946:
Arrives at Saigon. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
10 April 1946:
Arrives at Bangkok. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
15 April 1946:
Departs Bangkok.
25 April 1946:
Arrives at Otaka. Disembarks troops and passengers.
3 May 1946:
Departs Kure.
10 May 1946:
Arrives at Saigon. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
11 May 1946:
Departs Saigon.
14 May 1946:
Arrives at Bangkok. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
15 May 1946:
Departs Bangkok.
23 May 1946:
Arrives at Otaka. Disembarks troops and passengers.
27 May 1946:
Arrives at Osaka Zosen Sakurajima for repairs.
14 June 1946:
Repairs are completed.
17 June 1946:
Departs Kure.
22 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
25 June 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
27 June 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
21 July 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
24 July 1946:
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
26 July 1946:
Departs Korojima.
30 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
13 August 1946:
Departs Hakata.
21 August 1946:
Arrives at Singapore. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
27 August 1946:
Departs Singapore.
5 September 1946:
Arrives at Otaka. Disembarks troops and passengers.
8 September 1946:
Arrives at Mitsui Tamano shipyard for repairs.
23 September 1946:
Repairs are completed.
25 September 1946:
Departs Kure.
6 October 1946:
Arrives at Bangkok. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
25 October 1946:
Departs Bangkok.
29 October 1946:
Arrives at Palembang, Sumatra. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
31 October 1946:
Departs Palembang.
5 November 1946:
Arrives at Singapore. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
6 November 1946:
Departs Singapore.
8 November 1946:
Arrives at Palembang. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
10 November 1946:
Arrives at Singapore. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
15 November 1946:
Departs Singapore.
22 November 1946:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
27 November 1946:
Departs Manila.
1 December 1946:
Arrives at Otaka. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 December 1946:
Enters Kure Dockyard for repairs.
10 January 1947:
Repairs are completed.
April 1948:
Becomes a fishery training ship and is probably renamed UMITAKA MARU. [3][4]
August 1955:
Discarded.
1957:
Sold to Kowa Shokai Y. K., Onomichi. Converted to a dry cargo vessel and renamed KOCHI MARU.
1959:
Sold to Kansai Kisen K.K. Osaka. Retains the same name.
1963:
Renamed NANIWA MARU by the same owners.
June 1969:
Deleted from Lloyds' Confidential Index without explanation. Likely scrapped. [5]
Authors' Notes:
[1] ARASAKI was often referred to as ARASAKI MARU; officially renamed so at an unknown date.
[2] Allied occupation forces were responsible for the return of six million Japanese military personnel and civilians from Japan's defunct far-flung Empire. In addition, there were over a million Korean and about 40,000 Chinese prisoners and conscript laborers and approximately 7,000 Formosans and 15,000 Ryukyu Islanders to be repatriated.
Some Allied and many former IJN warships, from aircraft carriers to kaibokan, were used to facilitate the enormous repatriation effort. Japanese vessels and crews were used to the fullest extent possible to conserve Allied manpower and accelerate demobilization. Each ex-IJN ship first had to be demilitarized; guns removed or, in the case of large warships, barrels severed, ammunition landed, and radar and catapults removed, if fitted. Repatriation of the Chinese on Japanese ships began early in October from Hakata, but U.S. guard detachments had to be placed on many ships to prevent disorder because the Japanese crews could not control the returnees.
Japanese-run repatriation centers were established at Kagoshima, Hario near Sasebo, and Hakata near Fukuoka. Other reception centers were established and operated at Maizuru, Shimonoseki, Sasebo, Senzaki, Kure, Uraga, Yokohama, Moji and Hakodate. Allied line and medical personnel supervised the centers. Incoming Japanese were sprayed with DDT, examined and inoculated for typhus and smallpox, provided with food, and transported to his final destination in Japan.
[3] The name does not show in Lloyds' Register until 1954.
[4] Thereafter, transferred to the Ministry of Education, Japan under the same name.
[5] From about 1967, small Japanese ships scrapped were not reported to Lloyds' Register, so the final fates of many are unknown in the west.
Thanks to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France and Mr. Matthew Jones of USA.
- Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
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