YUSOSEN!

(IJN ASHIZURI colorized photo by Irootoko Jr)


IJN ASHIZURI:
Tabular Record of Movement


© 2005-2012 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

Revision 2

8 July 1941:
Nagasaki. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. shipyard as a 7, 951-ton aviation gasoline tanker.

1 March 1942:
Named ASHIZURI.

16 May 1942:
Launched. Captain Kuribayashi Kesakiti is posted the Commanding Officer.

30 January 1943:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District. Classified as a transport warship.

10 February 1943:
Attached directly to the Combined Fleet.

3 March 1943:
Departs Kobe for Balikpapan, Borneo.

29 March 1943:
Joined by patrol boat PB-31 and escorted to Fukajima.

30 March 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama; unloads fuel oil then moves to Yokohama.

10 April 1943:
Joined by patrol boat PB-31 off Fukajima and escorted to 133E.

15 June 1943:
Departs Sasebo for Balikpapan.

1 July 1943:
Departs Singapore.

4 July 1943:
At 1230, arrives at Palembang, Sumatra.

9 July 1943:
At 1900 departs Palembang with SUNOSAKI.

18 August 1943:
Arrives at Osaka.

24 August 1943:
At 1400, ASHIZURI departs Singapore in convoy HI-06 consisting of oilers TATEKAWA MARU and RYUEI MARUs and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2 and KAGU MARU escorted by kaibokan MATSUWA.

3 September 1943:
At 0930, arrives at Moji, then departs for Tokuyama.

15 September 1943:
Departs Moji for Singapore with destroyer SANAE escorting convoy SA-13 consisting of TEIKO (ex-French liner D’ARTAGNAN), SEISHIN, TEIFU (ex French cargo liner BOUGAINVILLE) and USSURI MARUs. En route south heavy weather is encountered and the convoy is dispersed.

22 September 1943:
Departs Singapore with subchaser CH-19 escorting convoy SA-12 consisting of transports TEIKO (ex-French liner D’ARTAGNAN) and USSURI MARUs and tankers SEISHIN and KIRISHIMA MARUs.

25 September 1943:
Alerted by nearby USS BILLFISH (SS-286) on her first war patrol, LtCdr (later Cdr) Joseph H. Willingham’s (USNA ’26) USS BOWFIN's (SS-287) lookouts sight the convoy. At 1310, BOWFIN, also on her first war patrol, torpedoes and sinks tanker KIRISHIMA MARU at 09-53N 112-10E. 14 crewmen are KIA. CH-19 counterattacks, but is unsuccessful.

24 October 1943:
At 0700, departs Tokuyama for Yokosuka.

4 November 1943:
Departs Yokosuka for Moji to assemble in a convoy for Singapore.

10 November 1943:
Departs Mutsure for Singapore with patrol boat PB-36 escorting convoy SA-17 consisting of tankers KYOKUTO, OKIGAWA and MIRI MARUs, IJA landing craft depot ships NIGITSU and MAYASAN MARUs and cargo-passenger ship USSURI MARU.

14 November 1943:
Arrives at Takao. Steams to Mako later that day.

10 December 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama.

17 December 1943:
Nagasaki. Drydocked. Undergoes repairs.

20 December 1943:
Undocked.

31 December 1943:
At 0600, convoy HI-29 departs Moji consisting of tankers KUROSHIO and (ex cargo) GOYO MARUs, cargo passenger ships KACHIDOKI (ex-PRESIDENT HARRISON) and ASOSAN MARUs escorted by kaibokan SADO. That same day, ASHIZURI and sister fleet oiler SHIOYA depart Sasebo and join the convoy.

4 January 1944:
At 1600, convoy HI-29 arrives at Takao. ASHIZURI and SHIOYA are detached.

6 January 1944:
At 1315, ASHIZURI, fleet oiler SHIOYA and tanker OKIKAWA MARU depart Takao in the Rinji (special) M convoy escorted by kaibokan SADO and patrol boat PB-36. This convoy accompanies convoy HI-29 to Manila.

9 January 1944:
At 1530, convoy HI-29 arrives at Manila. The Rinji M convoy is detached.

10 January 1944:
At 1840, ASHIZURI, SHIOYA and OKIKAWA MARU depart Manila escorted by patrol boat PB-36.

13 January 1944:
At 1840, arrives at Tarakan, Borneo.

14 January 1944:
At 0340, departs Tarakan.

15 January 1944:
At 1450, arrives at Balikpapan. SHIOYA is detached.

26 January 1944:
ASHIZURI and OKIKAWA MARU arrive at Singapore.

2 February 1944:
At 1300, departs Singapore with kaibokan KANJU escorting convoy HI-38 consisting of transports KAGU, KACHIDOKI (ex-PRESIDENT HARRISON), tankers AMATSU, OTOWASAN, OMINESAN, NICHINAN and OKIKAWA MARUs.

8 February 1944:
At 1700, arrives at Takao.

9 February 1944:
At 1000, departs Takao.

13 February 1944:
At 1430, arrives at Moji. Later that day arrives at Tokuyama. Discharges her cargo of light oil.

16 February 1944:
At anchor at Tokuyama. Departure date unknown.

21 February 1944:
Departs Moji for Manila, Takao and Balikpapan. Transports gasoline to Saipan.

30 March 1944:
Arrives at Yap Island, Carolines.

15 April 1944:
At 1100 departs Takao in convoy TAMA-16 also consisting of MATSUMOTO, TAKETSU (BUTSU), OMINE, YAMAKO (SANKO), HAKUBASAN, BIZEN, NITTETSU, TOSHO MARUs, YOSHIDA MARU No.3, OGURA MARU No.1 and one unidentified merchant ship escorted by the light cruiser KISO, destroyer HASU, torpedo boats SAGI and HAYABUSA and auxiliary sub-chasers CHa 9 and TAKUNAN MARU No.3. The convoy sails at 8.5 knots.

19 April 1944:
Arrives at Manila.

22 April 1944:
At 0615, departs Manila with patrol boat PB-38 escorting convoy MI-02 (outward) consisting of tankers TACHIBANA, NITTETSU, HAKUBASAN, SANKO (YAMAKO), TAKETSU (BUTSU), MATSUMOTO MARUs and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2 and OGURA MARU No. 1.

23 April 1944:
At 2000, arrives at Pagdanan Bay, Palawan.

25 April 1944:
At 1925, arrives at Marudu Bay, North Borneo.

26 April 1944:
At 0800, departs Marudu Bay. At 1755, arrives at Jesselton, Borneo.

27 April 1944:
At 0915, departs Jesselton.

28 April 1944:
At 0045, arrives Brunei Bay, Borneo. Later that day, arrives at Miri at 1325.

12 May 1944:
Departs Saipan for Balikpapan with auxiliary gasoline tanker TAKASAKI after delivering 3700 kiloliters of gasoline for the First Air Fleet.

1 June 1944:
Departs Yap for Balikpapan.

5 June 1944:
Sulu Sea. N end of Sibutu Passage, off Tawi Tawi, Philippines. LtCdr Frank G. Selby’s (USNA ‘33) USS PUFFER (SS-268) attacks a convoy of three tankers. Selby torpedoes and sinks both ASHIZURI and TAKASAKI at 06-44N, 120-55E.

10 July 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

Thanks to Gilbert Casse of France.

- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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