© 2009-2016 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 2
18 August 1944:
Tokyo. Laid down at Ishikawajima Ship Building, Ltd.
20 October 1944:
Reserve Lt Yasunaga Fumitomo is appointed Chief Equipping Officer.
23 October 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-72.
25 November 1944:
CD-72 is commissioned and registered in the IJN. Attached to Yokosuka Naval District. Lt Yasunaga is the Commanding Officer.
1 February 1945:
Under repair at Kure.
12 February 1945:
Departs Kure.
13 February 1945:
At 0720 arrives at Moji.
14 February 1945:
At 1100 CD-72 together with kaibokan UKU, CD-150, sub-chaser CH-60 and minesweeper W-21 depart Moji escorting MOTA-37 convoy consisting of DAIKO, DAIIKU MARUs and three unidentified merchant ships.
18 February 1945:
At 1700 arrives at Ssu Chiao Shan. W-21 is detached.
19 February 1945:
At 0800 departs Ssu Chiao Shan. At 1800 arrives at Niubi Shan.
20 February 1945:
Departs Niubi Shan.
21 February 1945:
Off Wenchow, China. CD-150 and CD-72 are damaged in a collision.
22 February 1945:
Arrives at Tanshui, Formosa.
23 February 1945:
At 0700 departs Tanshui and at 1200 arrives at Kirun (Keelung).
28 February 1945:
At 0300 departs Kirun with UKU and submarine chaser CH-21 escorting TAMO-46 consisting of DAIKO, BRAZIL, TAIFU (?), TENRYU and JUZAN MARUs and at 1930 arrives at Tungta Tao.
1 March 1945:
At 0745 departs Tungta Tao. At 1400 arrives at Mazu Shan.
3 March 1945:
At 0000 departs Mazu Shan.
4 March 1945:
At 1800 arrives at Ssu Chiao Shan.
5 March 1945:
At 0500 departs Ssu Chiao Shan.
9 March 1945:
At 1200 arrives at Mutsure. Docked at Mitsubishi Zosen's Hikoshima yard for repairs.
18 March 1945:
At 1100 departs Hikoshima and at 1200 arrives at Hesaki. Soon after returns to Moji and at 1730 departs Moji.
1 April 1945:
CD-72 and KANJU Undertakes a submarine sweep in 33-50N 130-01E.
10 April 1945:
CD-72 and kaibokan IKUNA are ordered to rendezvous off Tsuzu (Tsutsu) Bay, Tsushima (36-06N, 129-11E) at 1800, patrol that night, and enter port the next morning.
Tsushima Strait. SW of Iki Island (between Kyushu and Tsushima). At about 2200, LtCdr Everett H. Steinmetz’s (USNA ’35) USS CREVALLE (SS-291) torpedoes and damages IKUNA at 33-38N, 129-13E.
11 April 1945:
At 0350, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from kaibokan IKUNA that reads:
“Received torpedo attack by enemy submarine. Bow damaged. Neither anchor usable. Scheduled to arrive Sasebo ---- 1600.”
At 0357, the codebreakers intercept another message from IKUNA that reads: “This vessel, in company with CD-72, was patrolling P Section when at 2228 in position 33-38 N, 129-13 E detected radar interference and made contact bearing 90 degrees (270 degrees). We headed toward it using ---- and were attacked when we sighted three torpedoes off the bow. One of them hit bow and exploded under chain locker and magazine. We are able to navigate, but received following damage. 1. Bow is badly damaged and both anchors unusable. 2. No. 1 gun will not revolve. 3. ---- and ranging devices are damaged. 4. One man slightly wounded.”
29 April 1945:
At 1800 SHINNAN and CD-72 depart Imari Wan.
20 June 1945:
CD-72 departs Seito (Tsingtao) with kaibokan OKI and an unidentified minesweeper escorting convoy TAFU consisting of DAIUN MARU No. 1, KONRI GO (sometimes called KONRI MARU ex Chinese KWEN LEE), SHINNEISHO GO, CHOKO MARU and an unidentified ship.
1 July 1945:
Yellow Sea. W coast of Korea, near Changshan. At about noon, in dense fog, CD-72 and an unidentified warship are escorting cargo ships KONRI GO (ex KONRI MARU), DAIUN MARU No. 1 with a cargo of rock salt and dried eggs, and probably SHINNEISHO GO in shallow water. Suddenly, the cargo ships explode and sink [1]. Losses are 17 crewmen, eight guards and six passengers on KONRI GO and eight crewmen on DAIUN MARU No. 1 and two crewmen on SHINNEISHO GO. As the fog lifts, CD-72’s crew is able to make out a surfaced submarine approaching at high speed on a reciprocal course. CD-72 opens fire with all guns.
Cdr Frank C. Lynch's (USNA ’38) USS HADDO (SS-255) passes the kaibokan and crash dives in only 80 feet of water. With only about two fathoms below his keel, Lynch fires two Mark 27 “Cutie” acoustic torpedoes at each of the escorts. One hits CD-72 in the stern. She blows up and sinks at 38-08N, 124-38E. The other escort breaks off to begin rescuing survivors. Lt Yasunaga is KIA and posthumously promoted LtCdr. USS HADDO escapes.
8 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
[1] SHINNEISHO GO is shown in some sources as sunk by air attack on this date.
Thanks for assistance go to Mr. Iwasaki Yutaka of Japan and Mr. Matt Jones of Ohio, USA. Thanks also go to the late John Whitman of the USA for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages and to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany for info on
KONRI GO (KWEN LEE) and to Mr Gilbert Casse of France.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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