© 2007-2009 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 2
15 December 1943:
Tsurumi. Laid down at Nippon Kokan K. K.’s shipyard.
26 February 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-17.
13 April 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN.
13 May 1944:
CD-17 departs Moji with kaibokan ETOROFU and CD-2 escorting convoy MOTA-19 consisting of 23 unidentified merchant ships.
20 May 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
22 May 1944:
CD-17 departs Takao with kaibokan ETOROFU and CD-2 and auxiliary gunboat CHOJUSAN MARU escorting convoy TAMA-19 consisting of tanker MATSUMOTO MARU and 21 unidentified merchant ships.
26 May 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
29 May 1944:
CD- 17 departs Manila with kaibokan ETOROFU escorting convoy MASHI-01 consisting of eight unidentified merchant ships.
6 June 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
13 June 1944:
CD- 17 departs Singapore with kaibokan ETOROFU escorting convoy SHIMA-01 consisting of SAN PEDRO and MEDAN MARUs and five unidentified merchant ships.
22 June 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
24 June 1944:
At 0630, CD-17 departs Manila with kaibokan CD-8 and
ETOROFU escorting convoy MATA-23 consisting of tankers SAN PEDRO, MEDAN and
RIKKO MARUs and cargo ships KAMO, USSURI, NICHIZUI, TASMANIA, KAZAN and TOUN
MARUs and six unidentified ships.
25 June 1944:
At 0430, SAN PEDRO MARU is torpedoed and sunk by LtCdr
Arthur E. Krapf's USS JACK (SS-259) at 16-09N, 119-41E. NICHIZUI MARU rescues
survivors. Convoy leader ETOROFU orders evasive manuevers.
27 June 1944:
At 0517, MEDAN MARU is torpedoed and sunk with no
survivors by LtCdr (later Captain) Slade D. Cutter's USS SEAHORSE (SS-304) at
21-10N, 120-31E. Later that day, at 1518, SEAHORSE again attacks. USSURI MARU is
hit on the port bow and damaged. At 2245, a B-24 "Liberator" bombs USSURI MARU,
but misses.
28 June 1944:
At 0315, straggler USSURI MARU is bombed and sunk at
23-45N, 119-57E. Shortly after, at 0335, RIKKO MARU is slightly damaged by air
attack.
29 June 1944:
At 0900, the convoy arrives at Keelung.
30 June 1944:
At 0600, CD-17 departs Keelung with minesweeper
NUWAJIMA and kaibokan ETOROFU escorting convoy TAMO 20B consisting of KAMO,
MANSHU, KONZAN, YAMAHAGI, SHIROTAE, TOUN and TASMANIA MARUs.
3 July 1944:
At 2300, LtCdr Donald F. Weiss' USS TINOSA (SS-283)
torpedoes and sinks KAMO and KONZAN MARUs at 32-25N, 128-50E.
4 July 1944:
At 1930, arrives at Moji.
13 July 1944:
At 1600, CD-17 departs Mutsure for Manila with Rear
Admiral Sato Tsutomu (former ComSubRon 1) Eighth Escort Convoy Command’s escort
carrier SHINYO, light cruiser KASHII and kaibokan CHIBURI, SADO, and CD-7
escorting convoy HI-69 consisting of escort carriers KAIYO and TAIYO each loaded
with aircraft, KIMIKAWA, AKI, ASAMA, SAIGON, KACHIDOKI (ex-PRESIDENT HARRISON),
MANKO MARUs and tankers KOEI, HAKKO, OTOWASAN, OMUROSAN, KUROSHIO, HARIMA,
SERIA, TENEI MARUs and possibly MANJU MARU.
18 July 1944:
Near Takao, Formosa. About 0600, LtCdr John J. Flachsenhar's USS ROCK (SS-274) fires four torpedoes at HARIMA MARU, but misses. Cdr Alan Banister's USS SAWFISH (USS 276) then fires nine torpedoes at the convoy. HARIMA MARU is hit by a single torpedo, but remains able to steam. At 1055, LtCdr Roger M. Keithy's USS TILEFISH (SS-307) torpedoes and heavily damages CD-17. The convoy continues to Manila without stopping at Takao as originally planned, but damaged CD-17 and HARIMA MARU do put into Takao.
22 July 1944:
At 1532, USN codebreakers decrypt a message from the CO of CD-17 that reads: “At 1055 on the 18th received torpedo attack from enemy submarine and since there was very great danger of sinking all secret publications with the exception of those listed below were weighted and thrown into the sea -----.”
25 July 1944:
At 0530, CD-17 departs Manila for Singapore with escort
carrier SHINYO, light cruiser KASHII and kaibokan SADO, CHIBURI, CD-7, CD-9 and
CD-13 escorting convoy HI-69 that consists of KIMIKAWA, HAKKO, OTOWASAN,
OMUROSAN, KUROSHIO, SERIA, KACHIDOKI and TENEI MARUs.
31 July 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
E August 1944:
CD-17 undergoes repairs at Sasebo.
26 October 1944:
Convoy HI-79 departs Moji for Singapore consisting of
TENEI, MATSUSHIMA, KAGU, MELBOURNE, ARIMASAN MARU and fleet supply ship MAMIYA
escorted by light cruiser KASHII (F) with Rear Admiral Yoshitomi Setsuzo (39),
CO, 5th Escort Group embarked and kaibokan NOMI and UKURU, minelayers NIIZAKI.
27 October 1944:
CD-17 joins the escort of HI-79.
28 October 1944:
Minesweeper W-21 joins the escort of HI-79.
29 October 1944:
CD-17 and UKURU are detached from the convoy to
escort MELBOURNE MARU close to Kirun, then both rejoin the convoy.
30 October 1944:
Convoy HI-79 arrives at Takao. MAMIYA, KAGU MARU and
minesweeper W-21 are detached. Later, the convoy departs for Singapore. Kaibokan MANJU joins the escort.
2 November 1944:
E of Hainan. At 1432, the convoy is bombed by a B-24 "Liberator" heavy bomber from high altitude. No damage is incurred.
9 November 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
17 November 1944:
CD-17 departs Singapore with light cruiser KASHII (F), kaibokan MANJU, NOMI, KASADO, MIYAKE, UKURU, CD-23 and CD-51 and minelayer NIIZAKI escorting convoy HI-80 consisting of tankers TENEI, MATSUSHIMA, RYOEI, MUNEKATA, ARIMASAN, KUROSHIO, NICHINAN and KAIHO MARUs and transport ARIMASAN,
MARU.
20 November 1944:
At 1240, CD-17 is detached for Saigon. Rebunkers.
E 21 November 1944:
Departs Saigon.
E 23 November 1944:
CD-17 from Saigon joins the escort of a convoy
southbound from Manila, probably in the area of the Palawan Passage. The convoy
consists of fleet oiler YUHO MARU, loaded with avgas, escorted by kaibokan
CHIBURI and CD-19.
26 November 1944:
Off Miri, Sarawak. LtCdr David B. Bell's USS PARGO
(SS-264) torpedoes YUHO MARU at 04-55N, 114-06'E. All three kaibokan
counterattack the submarine with depth charges, causing moderate damage. CHIBURI
takes YUHO MARU in tow to Miri, but the oiler sinks inside the port on 2
December.
2 December 1944:
CD-17 departs Manila for Singapore with destroyer KISHINAMI and minelayer YURIJIMA escorting oiler HAKKO MARU.
4 December 1944:
NW of Palawan Island. About 1300, LtCdr (later Captain) George W. Grider’s USS FLASHER (SS-249) torpedoes and sinks destroyer KISHINAMI at 12-54N, 116-27 E and damages HAKKO MARU that begins burning. At about 1900, FLASHER returns again and torpedoes and sinks HAKKO MARU at 13-12N, 116-37E. CD-17 and YURISHIMA rescue survivors of the sinkings.
E 18 December 1944:
Departs Indochina for San Fernando, Philippines
with destroyer KARI escorting fleet supply ship MAMIYA.
20 December 1944:
S China Sea, about 450 miles NE of Camranh Bay. At
2040, LtCdr Charles F. Putman’s SEALION (SS-315) torpedoes and damages MAMIYA at
17-48N, 114-09E. Putman evades the escorts.
21 December 1944:
S China Sea. At 0137, SEALION carries out a second
attack on MAMIYA and sinks her at 17-55N, 114-11E.
3 January 1945:
CD-17 and CD-19 depart Singapore with kaibokan CHIBURI escorting a convoy consisting of tanker NICHIEI MARU carrying 13,000 tons of oil.
4 January 1945:
CD-17, CD-19 and CHIBURI are reassigned to SW Area
Fleet with their division.
6 January 1945:
Gulf of Thailand, 60 miles NE of Kota Bharu, Malaya.
LtCdr Thomas L. Wogan’s USS BESUGO (SS-321), patrolling the mouth of the Gulf,
picks up a target on SJ radar. In a night surface attack, LtCdr Wogan fires six
torpedoes; three strike home and sink NICHIEI MARU at 06-57N, 102-57E. CD-19,
CD-17 and CHIBURI rescue the survivors. Captain Okano and 40 of the crew are
KIA. Okano is promoted Rear Admiral, posthumously.
10 January 1945:
CD-17, CD-19 and CHIBURI land NICHIEI MARU's
survivors at Cap St. Jacques.
12 January 1945:
Off Cape St. Jacques. Aircraft of Vice Admiral (later
Admiral) John S. McCain, Sr’s Task Force 38 attack shipping, airfields and other
shore installations in the Saigon area. Planes from USS LEXINGTON (CV-16),
HANCOCK (CV-19) and HORNET (CV-12) sink kaibokan CD-17, CD-19 and CHIBURI at
10-20N, 107-50E.
10 March 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors’ Note:
Thanks go to John Whitman for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages.
-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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