© 2006-2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
5 October 1943:
Tokyo Bay. Laid down at Yokosuka Navy Yard's Marine Arsenal.
15 January 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-12.
22 March 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN.
28 April 1944:
At 0600, CD-12 departs Tokyo with kaibokans NOMI,
CD-18, CD-22 and submarine chasers CH-16 and CH-18 escorting "Higashi Matsu"
Convoy No.7 (outbound) consisting of TATSUHARU, MITAKESAN, ASAHISAN, OKINAWA,
YAMATAMA, BINGO, MEIRYU, MOJI and MIHO MARUs bound for Saipan; ASAKA MARU and
landing ships T.128 and T.150 for Palau; KOSHIN and BOKUYO (MUTSUYO) MARUs for
Yap and TAITO MARU for Chichijima.
E 5 May 1944:
CD-12, ASAKA MARU, landing ships T.128 and T.150 arrive
at Palau.
18 May 1944:
At 0500, CD-12 departs Palau for Saipan with auxiliary
minesweeper FUMI MARU No. 2, auxiliary SHOHO MARU and auxiliary subchasers
CHa-62 and URUPPU MARU escorting the "Asaka Maru" convoy consisting of ASAKA,
JINZAN, TENRYUGAWA and BOKUYO MARUs.
21 May 1944:
At 0925, LtCdr Vernon C. Turner's USS BILLFISH (SS-286)
torpedoes and damages BOKUYO MARU. TENRYUGAWA MARU takes BOKUYO MARU in tow
covered by CD-12.
23 May 1944:
At 0012, URUPPU MARU joins CD-12 escorting the towing
group. At daybreak, aerial cover is provided from Saipan.
24 May 1944:
The main body of the convoy arrives at Saipan.
27 May 1944:
At 2137, CD-12, URUPPU MARU and the towing group arrive
at Saipan.
31 May 1944:
At 0600, CD-12 departs Saipan for Yokosuka with destroyer
HATAKAZE, minelayer SARUSHIMA, minesweeper W-20, auxiliary minesweeper FUMI MARU
No. 2 and auxiliary store ship TAKUNAN MARU escorting convoy No. 4530 consisting
of HAKUSAN, JINZAN, EIKO, NATSUKAWA, SHUNSEN, KAIKO and CHIYO MARUs and UNYO
MARU No. 8.
2 June 1944:
250 miles W of Uracas Island. At 2207, CHIYO MARU is
attacked by LtCdr Edward N. Blakely’s USS SHARK (SS-314) and hit by two
torpedoes port side under the rear of the bridge. About ten minutes later, CHIYO
MARU sinks at 21-00N 140-30E. CD-12 and the other escorts counter-attack and
drop a total of 39 depth-charges, but without damage to SHARK.
4 June 1944:
317 miles WSW of Iwo-Jima. At 0405, HAKUSAN MARU is
attacked by LtCdr John D. Crowley’s USS FLIER (SS-250) and hit port side by two
of three torpedoes torpedoes he fires. At 0415, HAKUSAN MARU’s stern rises
vertically and she sinks at 22-37N 136-50E. CD-12 and the other escorts
counter-attack and drop 34 depth-charges, but without damage to FLIER.
8 June 1944:
At 0800, the remainder of the convoy arrives at Yokosuka.
10 July 1944:
At 0500, CD-12 departs Yokosuka for Iwo-Jima and
Chichi-Jima with destroyers WAKABA and HATSUHARU, kaibokan AMAKUSA, minesweeper
W-27 and auxiliary subchaser FUMI MARU escorting convoy No. 3710 consisting of
NISSHU, TAISEI, TONEGAWA, DAIJI and EIKO MARUs and TOKAI MARU No. 4.
12 July 1944:
At 1500, CD-12 and AMAKUSA are detached with NISSHU,
TAISEI and TONEGAWA MARUs and head for Iwo Jima.
14 July 1944:
Arrives at Iwo-Jima. The merchants unload and depart.
15 July 1944:
Arrives at Chichi-Jima.
July 1944:
CD-12 departs Chichi-Jima for Tateyama escorting an
unidentified convoy. Arrives safely at Tateyama.
29 July 1944:
CD-12 departs Tateyama for Chichi-jima with destroyer
escort MATSU, flagship of the 2nd Convoy Escort Group's Commander Rear Admiral
Takahashi Ichimatsu (40)(former CO of TSUGARU), destroyer HATAKAZE, kaibokan
CD-4 and subchaser CH-51 escorting convoy No. 4804 consisting of SHOGEN,
TONEGAWA, ENJU and RYUKO MARUs and UNKAI MARU No.7. Light carrier ZUIHO,
escorted by destroyer FUYUTSUKI, provides air and anti-submarine cover.
1 August 1944:
Arrives at Futami Harbor, Chichi-jima. Upon arrival,
some of the cargo ships depart for Iwo Jima. Bad weather causes delays in
unloading. ZUIHO and FUYUTSUKI, after maintaining position near the lzu Shichi
Islands, make for Kure.
4 August 1944:
About 0930, an air raid warning is received from Tokyo.
All ships proceed to sea. From 1030 on, the convoy is attacked by three waves of
aircraft of Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Joseph J. Clark's (former CO of
YORKTOWN, CV-10) Task Group 58.1. The first wave attacks the convoy 20 miles NW
of Chichi-Jima. Destroyer HATAKAZE suffers rudder damage. At about 1100, CD-4 is
near-missed by bombs fore and aft to starboard. She suffers slight damage with
two men KIA. The Japanese claim shooting-down several aircraft.
In the second raid, ENJU MARU is sunk. The third strike occurs between
1600 and 1630, during which the majority of the ships succumb to torpedo attacks
from both sides of the convoy. CD-12 incurs some damage. After organizing the
rescue of the convoy’s survivors, flagship MATSU leads the still intact escort
group and TONEGAWA MARU, the lone surviving cargo ship, northwards.
At 1254, Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Laurance T. DuBose's Task Unit
58.1.6 consisting of CruDiv 13’s USS SANTA FE (F) (CL-60), MOBILE (CL-63),
BILOXI (CL-80) and OAKLAND (CL-95), DesDiv 100’s COGSWELL (DD-651), INGERSOLL
(DD-652) and KNAPP (DD-653) and DesDiv 91’s IZARD (DD-589), CHARRETTE (DD-581),
BURNS (DD-588) and BROWN (DD-546) is detached to sink the cripples.
At 1800, CD-4 sights DuBose's warships closing from the south. Rear
Admiral Takahashi orders CD-4 to protect TONEGAWA MARU and continue fleeing
while his flagship MATSU attempts to draw off the Americans. At 1930, MATSU is
taken under fire and sunk by shell fire of COGSWELL, INGERSOLL and KNAPP at
27-40N, 141-48E. Rear Admiral Takahashi is KIA as are all but six of MATSU's
crew. He is promoted Vice Admiral, posthumously. Later, the Americans overtake
and sink TONEGAWA MARU. CD-12, CD-4, HATAKAZE and subchaser CH-51 escape.
E 9 August 1944:
Arrives at Tateyama.
6 September 1944:
CD-12 departs Yokosuka for Haha-Jima with light
cruiser YASOJIMA (ex-Chinese P'ING HAI) and kaibokan HACHIJO and CD-4 escorting
convoy No. 3905 consisting of SHORYU and TOKIWASAN MARUs.
E 7 September 1944:
Arrives at Tateyama.
9 September 1944:
At 1520, the convoy departs Tateyama. At about
1600, shortly after the ships leave port, LtCdr Anton R. Gallaher's USS BANG
(SS-385) torpedoes and sinks both TOKIWASAN and SHORYU MARUs at 28-58N, 137-45E.
11 September 1944:
The escorts arrive at Chichi-Jima.
12 December 1944:
At 1415, CD-12 departs Tateyama for Chichi-Jima with
CD-6, minesweeper W-29 and subchaser CH-42 escorting convoy No. 3209 consisting
of JUZAN, YAEI, KAIKO and SHOTO MARUs.
13 December 1944:
The convoy encounters bad weather and at 1136 puts into Hachijo-Jima. At 1653, the same day, it departs.
16 December 1944:
At 0229, LtCdr Robert R. Williams Jr’s USS FINBACK
(SS-230) torpedoes and sinks JUZAN MARU at 27-24N, 141-44E. Williams fires
several torpedoes at W-29 and CH-42, but misses. There is no counter-attack.
Later that day, the convoy arrives at Chichi-Jima and unloads.
17 December 1944:
The convoy, now numbered No. 4217, departs
Chichi-Jima.
22 December 1944:
At 0314, the convoy arrives at Tateyama.
1 January 1945:
At 1700, CD-12 departs Chichi-Jima for Tateyama with
minesweeper W-29 and subchaser CH-42 escorting convoy No. 4101 consisting of
SHIBAZONO, YONEYAMA, YAEI and NANYO MARUs.
3 January 1945:
At 2030, LtCdr Talbot E. Harper’s USS KINGFISH
(SS-234) torpedoes and sinks SHIBAZONO MARU at 30-21N, 142-15E. Harper also
torpedoes and sinks small freighter YAEI MARU. CD-12 and subchaser CH-42
counterattack, but their attack is not recorded by KINGFISH.
6 January 1945:
At 0918, the convoy arrives at Tateyama.
16 January 1945:
At 1200, CD-12 departs Tateyama for Chichi-Jima with
kaibokan CD-56, subchasers CH-42, CH-47 and minesweeper W-29 escorting convoy
No. 3115 consisting of KURETAKE, YONEYAAMA and NANYO MARUs and UNYO MARU No. 6.
19 January 1945:
At 1046, the convoy is attacked by a group of large American aircraft, but the attack is beaten off. Arrives at Futami, Chichi-Jima.
20 January 1945:
At 0013, CD-12 departs Chichi-Jima for Tateyama with
kaibokan CD-56, and minesweeper W-29 escorting convoy No. 4119 consisting of
KURETAKE and NANYO MARUs.
23 January 1945:
At 0100, the convoy arrives at Tateyama.
27 May 1945:
Korea Strait, off Geomundo Island. Kaibokan AGUNI and
OKINAWA are attacked by two Consolidated PB4Y-2B "Privateers"of Patrol Bombing
Squadron VPB-109. Lt Leo E. Kennedy launches a radar-guided “Bat” glide bomb.
The bomb's 1,000-lb warhead explodes off AGUNI’s starboard bow demolishing the
whole foredeck area. CD-12 is dispatched to assist in rescuing AGUNI’s crew, but
despite the heavy damage AGUNI remains navigable and proceeds stern first to
Pusan, Korea.
15 August 1945:
CD-12’s crew receives notification of the termination
of war.
30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
1 December 1945:
Assigned to minesweeping duties by the Allied
Occupation Forces. [1]
5 September 1947:
Ceded to the United States as a war reparation.
30 November 1947:
Scrapped.
Authors' Note:
[1] In 1945, the U. S. Army Air Force launched a five-phased campaign known as “Operation Starvation” to mine Japan’s home waters. The USAAF used 80 to 100 B-29 “Super Fortress” heavy bombers of the 21st Bomber Command based at Tinian in the Marianas. The B-29s could carry seven 2,000 lb. or twelve 1,000 lb. mines.
Beginning on 27 March 1945 and continuing until 5 August 1945, the B-29s flew 1,529 nighttime radar sorties and laid 4,900 magnetic, 3,500 acoustic, 2,900 pressure and 700 low-frequency mines for a total of more than 12,000 mines laid in Japanese waters. These mines sank 294 ships, damaged 137 beyond repair and damaged another 239 that could be repaired. The total was 1, 250,000 tons sunk or damaged or about 75 percent of Japanese shipping available in March 1945. Only 15 B-29s were lost during the mining campaign.
Postwar, removal of these mines posed a major challenge for the Allied Occupation Forces. They pressed 269 Japanese ships of various types into mine sweeping service to augment their own efforts.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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