© 2006-2012 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 2
1 June 1943:
Osaka. Laid down at Hitachi Zosen Co., Ltd.s Sakurajima
shipyard.
30 October 1943:
Launched and named AWAJI.
15 February 1944:
Completed and registered in the Kure Naval
District. Assigned to the Kure Guard Unit. Cdr Niki Kouzou is Commanding
Officer.
26 February 1944:
Assigned to the General Escort Command's First
Surface Escort Division. That same day AWAJI departs Moji with fleet storeship MUROTO escorting convoy MOTA-06 consisting of SAN PEDRO, GOZAN, ISHIKARI, LONDON, DAISEI, SHIRAHAMA MARUs, and three unidentified merchant ships.
29 February 1944:
Anchors at Ssu Chiao Shan.
1 March 1944:
Departs Ssu Chiao Shan.
4 March 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
18 March 1944:
AWAJI departs Manila with auxiliary submarine chaser KYO MARU No. 2 escorting convoy MATA-13 consisting of six unidentified merchant ships.
21 March 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
24 March 1944:
AWAJI departs Takao for Singapore with subchaser CH-19 and auxiliary gunboat PEKING MARU escorting convoy TASA-13 consisting of NICHIAN, SHOEI, FUKUJU, CHINA, DURBAN, TASMANIA, SETSUZAN, SHONAN MARUs and eight other unidentified merchant ships.
29 March 1944:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Chester W. Nimitz, Jrs (USNA 36) USS HADDO (SS-255) torpedoes and lightly damages NICHIAN MARU at 17-42N 109-57E. The convoy seeks shelter in Baie de Kiquik.
30 March 1944:
Departs Baie de Kiquik.
1 April 1944:
Arrives at St Jacques.
14 April 1944:
At 0800, AWAJI departs St Jacques for Takao, Formosa escorting convoy HI-56 (that had absorbed convoy HI-54) now consisting of NANKAI, ARIMASAN, KYOKUHO, ASANAGI and MIRI MARUs and ASANAGI, OTORISAN, SARAWAK MARUs, NICHINAN MARU No.2 and two unidentified merchant ships escorted by CH 7 and possibly KURETAKE.
19 April 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
4 May 1944:
At 1030, AWAJI departs Miri, Borneo for Moji with torpedo
boat SAGI and patrol boat No. 38 escorting convoy MI-02 consisting of TACHIBANA,
NITTETSU, KENSEI, HAKUBASAN, SANKO, TAKETSU (BUTSU), TAIHEI, AKAGISAN, TENSHIN,
MATSUMOTO, TAIYU, NISSHIN, SHINCHO and KURENAI MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 1 and
YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2.
6 May 1944:
SW of Balabac Island. At 0801, LtCdr (later Captain) Francis D. Walker
Jr's (USNA 35) USS CREVALLE (SS-291) fires torpedoes at the largest ship in the convoy, NISSHIN MARU. Three hit aft and heavy flooding begins. At 0810, she sinks at 07-19N, 116-52E. 15 crewmen are KIA but the fate of her 291 passengers is unknown. The escorts counter-attack and drop 13 DCs, but without success.
10 May 1944:
At 1330, convoy MI-02 arrives at Manila. SEIYO MARU joins
the convoy. KENSEI, AKAGISAN, TAIHEI, TENSHIN, TAIYU and KURENAI MARUs are
detached. Auxiliary gunboats PEKING and CHOJUSAN MARUs join the escort.
13 May 1944:
At 0552, convoy MI-02 departs Manila for Takao.
16 May 1944:
At 1705, the convoy arrives at Takao. SEIYO, HAKUBASAN
and MATSUMOTO MARUs and auxiliary gunboat CHOJUSAN MARU are detached.
17 May 1944:
At 1527, convoy MI-02 departs Takao.
18 May 1944:
At 1520, convoy MI-02 arrives at Keelung. KAMO, CHIKUZEN
and CHOSAN MARUs join the convoy as does old destroyer HASU.
23 May 1944:
At 1700, convoy MI-02 arrives at Moji.
25 May 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo.
29 May 1944:
At 0600, AWAJI departs Moji with escort carrier SHINYO,
light cruiser KASHII, kaibokan CHIBURI and CD-11 and subchasers CH-19 and CH-60
escorting convoy HI-65 consisting of oilers SHIRETOKO, ITSUKUSHIMA, OMUROSAN,
ZUIHO and TOHO MARUs, cargo liners ARIMASAN, MANILA, KASHII and TATSUWA MARUs
and IJA landing craft depot ship SHINSHU MARU.
E 30 May 1944:
Light minelayer TSUBAME joins the convoy's escort from
Kagoshima.
2 June 1944:
Bashi Strait. AWAJI is torpedoed by LtCdr (later Captain) Enrique D. Haskins' (USNA 33) GUITARRO (SS-363) and sinks near Yasho Island at 22-34N, 121-51E. Cdr Niki and 75 crew-members are KIA. CHIBURI and CD-19 rescue the remaining crewmen, but several die of their wounds.
10 July 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
Thanks for assistance go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. Thanks also go to Jeff Donahoo of Iowa for help in identifying kaibokan COs and to Gilbert Casse of France.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Back to
Escort Page
