Japanese Ammunition Ships

KYUHEIKAN!

(Cargo ship by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")

IJN ARATAMA MARU: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2007 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

18 October 1937:
Yokohama. Laid down at Tsurumi-Nippon Shipbuilding for Tamai Shosen K. K.
23 July 1938:
Launched and named ARATAMA MARU.
4 November 1938:
Completed.
1938-1941:
In service with the Yamashita Kisen Kaisha (steamship) "Y" Line.
26 August 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN. Assigned to Kure Naval District.
4 September 1941:
Kobe. Conversion to a weapons/ammunition ship begins at Kawasaki Zosen.
16 October 1941:
The conversion is completed.
8 December 1941:
ARATAMA MARU attached to Vice Admiral Shimizu Mitsumi’s (former CO of ISE), CINC, Sixth Fleet (Submarines) based at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
5 January 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
17 February 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
6 June 1942:
Departs Kure.
19 August 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
6 October 1942:
Attached to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Daigo Tadashige's (former CO of ASHIGARA) Kure Naval District Force with sub tender RIO DE JANEIRO MARU and SubDiv 19.
23 December 1942:
Departs Kure.
25 December 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
3 January 1943:
Departs Sasebo.
4 January 1943:
Arrives at Pusan. Reconverted to a transport.
7 January 1943: Operation C (HINOE-GO No. 1) - The Reinforcement of New Guinea:
At 1530, ARATAMA MARU departs Pusan for Wewak, New Guinea with transport group "HINOE-GO No. 1" consisting of AIKOKU and GOKOKU MARUs, sub tender YASUKUNI MARU, ex-seaplane tenders SANUKI and SAGARA MARUs, ex-auxiliary HAKOZAKI MARU, ex-gunboats SHINKYO and JUSAN MARUs carrying the IJA's 20th Infantry Division while AIKOKU MARU carries the IJAAF 209th Airfield Construction Unit and 14th Airfield Service Unit.
ARATAMA MARU loads 897 men of the 20th Infantry Division, 6 vehicles and 1200 boxes. Light cruisers KITAKAMI and OI, and destroyers HATSUYUKI and SHIKINAMI provide escort.
15 January 1943:
At 1030, arrives at Rabaul.
19 January 1943:
At 1700, departs Rabaul.
23 January 1943:
Arrives at Wewak, New Guinea. Later departs and sails back to Palau.
28 January - 12 February 1943: Operation C (HINOE-GO No. 3) - The Reinforcement of New Guinea:
The Hinoe Go No. 3 movement departs Pusan for Wewak in three echelons consisting of light cruisers OI (F) and KITAKAMI and transports SANUKI and SAGARA MARUs escorted by destroyers YUGUMO and KAZAGUMO (1st Movement); transports KIYOSUMI, AIKOKU and GOKOKU MARUs escorted by destroyers ASAGUMO and SAMIDARE (2nd Movement); transports KIYOKAWA and YASUKUNI MARUs escorted by destroyers AKIGUMO, ISONAMI and NAGATSUKI (3rd Movement), and transports/cargo ships SHINKYO, JUSAN and ARATAMA MARUs escorted by destroyers YUGURE, SATSUKI and SAMIDARE. The movements depart at different times over 15 days and are escorted by different destroyers on separate legs of the long voyage.
9 February 1943:
Arrives at Tsingtao, China.
21 February 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
22 February 1943:
Departs Palau.
26 February 1943:
After a submarine scare, in which a Kate drops bombs on a shadow in the water, the convoy arrives at Wewak, discharges troops and cargo and departs the same day back to Palau.
21 March 1943:
ARATAMA MARU arrives back at Kure.
30 March 1943:
Departs Kure.
1 April 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo.
3 April 1943:
Departs Sasebo.
13 April 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
25 April 1943:
Arrives at Ujina.
26 April 1943:
Arrives at Saiki.
28 April 1943:
Departs Saiki in convoy K-428 consisting of ARATAMA, MACASSAR, DAINICHI, UME and ENGLAND MARUs and possibly others with an unidentified escort.
6 May 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
8 May 1943:
At 0700, convoy "Wewak No. 4" departs Palau consisting of TEIRYU, YOSHIDA MARU No. 3, TOHO and MAYA MARUs escorted by destroyers URAKAZE and AMATSUKAZE. The ships are carrying 4,000 soldiers of the 41st Infantry Division, munitions, provisions, aircraft and supplies.
9 May 1943:
At 1620, ARATAMA MARU, escorted by subchaser CH-34, join convoy Wewak No. 4.
13 May 1943:
At 0530, arrives at Wewak. At 1150, ARATAMA MARU and CH-34 depart.
17 May 1943:
At 1430, arrives at Palau.
1 June 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
12 June 1943:
Departs Kure.
14 June 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
23 June 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
16 July 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
23 July 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
28 July 1943:
Arrives at Mutsure.
30 July 1943:
Departs Mutsure.
4 August 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
7 August 1943:
Departs Takao.
20 September 1943:
Departs Singapore.
23 September 1943:
Arrives at Saigon.
5 October 1943:
Departs Saigon.
21 October 1943:
ARATAMA MARU departs Manila in a convoy consisting of NAGOYA and KOGYO MARUs escorted by torpedo boat HAYABUSA initially to Cebu, Philippines, then to Palau.
2 November 1943:
At 1600, departs Palau in convoy No. SO-205 consisting of NAGOYA and KOGYO MARUs escorted by three unidentified subchasers.
10 November 1943:
At 1200, arrives at Rabaul.
13 December 1943:
At 0730, convoy 2515 departs Palau consisting of ARATAMA and tanker SHINKOKU MARUs bound for Balikpapan and tankers FUJISAN MARU, OGURA MARU No. 3, HAKUBASAN MARU and small cargo ship SHOYU MARU bound for Tarakan, escorted by patrol boat PB-2 with auxiliary subchasers CHa-26 and CHa-27.
17 December 1943:
At 1700, subchaser CH-6 joins the escort. At midnight, the subchaser and the Tarakan-bound ships split away from the convoy.
19 December 1943:
At 1045, arrives at Balikpapan.
24 December 1943:
Departs Balikpapan
28 December 1943:
Arrives at Surabaya.
7 January 1944:
Arrives at Lombok Straits.
17 February 1944:
150 miles NE of Palau. At about 2200, LtCdr Philip W. Garnett's USS SARGO (SS-188) intercepts convoy 7125 consisting of fleet oiler SATA and tanker HISHI MARU No. 2, ammunition ship NICHIRO MARU and cargo ships KAMIKAZE and KITAGAMI MARUs escorted by destroyer HAMANAMI, subchaser CH-30 and auxiliary subchasers TAKUNAN MARU No. 2 and SHONAN MARU No. 5. Garnett fires eight torpedoes at SATA and gets one hit, but it disables the oiler. At 2206, he fires two torpedoes that hit ammunition ship NICHIRO MARU. She explodes and sinks immediately.
19 February 1944:
ARATAMA MARU, that was not part of the convoy, takes SATA under tow and clears the area.
20 February 1944:
Arrives at Palau towing SATA.
29 February 1944:
Arrives at Truk.
18 March 1944:
Off Guam, Marianas. At about 1400, LtCdr Albert L. Raborn’s USS PICUDA (SS-382), patrolling the Saipan-Palau shipping lanes, torpedoes and damages ARATAMA MARU at 12-36N, 141-17E, but two escorts hold down PICUDA, while ARATAMA MARU escapes. [1]
29 March 1944:
ARATAMA MARU departs Palau in a convoy consisting of MATSUE, KYOEI, KIZUGAWA MARUs and an unidentified ship escorted by destroyer MINAZUKI, YUZUKI, auxiliary subchasers KYO MARU No. 7 and TAKUNAN MARU No. 2 and subchaser CH-30.
5 April 1944:
Off Tanapag, Saipan, Marianas. In the afternoon, the mast tops of the inbound convoy are spotted by lookouts aboard LtCdr (later Captain) Slade D. Cutter’s USS SEAHORSE (SS-304). Cutter attempts to gain a firing position on the convoy, but fails, so he decides to lay off Saipan and wait for the convoy to depart.
7 April 1944:
ARATAMA MARU departs Saipan for Woleai, Carolines in a convoy consisting of MATSUE and KIZUGAWA MARUs escorted by destroyers MINAZUKI, YUZUKI and ASAKAZE, auxiliary subchasers KYO MARU No. 7 and TAKUNAN MARU No. 2 and subchaser CH-30.
8 April 1944:
Marianas, seven miles E of Guam. Cutter’s SEAHORSE intercepts the convoy. At 0127, Cutter fires three torpedoes at overlapping targets. One hits ARATAMA MARU in the bow and another amidships ignites a cargo of gasoline. Flames burst high in the air. Four sailors are KIA. The explosion also damages destroyer ASAKAZE. Shortly thereafter, SEAHORSE’s second spread of torpedoes damages water ship, KIZUGAWA MARU at 13-16N, 145-11E.
YUZUKI and CH-30 counterattack and drop 28 depth charges. They are unsuccessful, but drive SEAHORSE from the vicinity. MINAZUKI tows KIZUGAWA MARU to Guam for repairs. Abandoned by her crew as a total loss, burning ARATAMA MARU drifts for three days before settling on a shallow reef shelf in Talafofo Bay, Guam. [2][3]
1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

Author’s Note:
[1] KASUGA MARU No. 2 reported torpedo tracks, but no apparent damage done.
[2] KIZUGAWA MARU made Guam, but was so damaged by subsequent aircraft attacks she was given up and scuttled in June.
[3] ARATAMA MARU rested on the reef for over a decade, part of her hull and superstructure above the water. Eventually, she was completely submerged by typhoons to a depth of over 50 feet.
- Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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