© 2006-2011 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
Revision 3
15 October 1943:
Kobe. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard.
15 January 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-9.
10 March 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN.
25 March 1944:
Assigned to the General Escort Command’s First Surface
Escort Division.
1 April 1944:
CD-9 departs Moji with escort carrier KAIYO, kaibokans
IKI, ETOFORU, CD-8 and torpedo boat SAGI escorting convoy HI-57 consisting of
oilers ITSUKUSHIMA, OTOWASAN, RYOEI and OMUROSAN MARUs troop transports SHINSHU
and MAYASAN MARUs and probably ZUIHO and SHINCHO MARUs and an unidentified ship.
2 April 1944:
The convoy encounters extremely severe weather and
returns to Moji.
3 April 1944:
At 0600, the unchanged convoy departs Moji.
7 April 1944:
At 1450, arrives at Takao.
8 April 1944:
At 1000, departs Takao.
12 April 1944:
At 1930 arrives at Camranh Bay.
13 April 1944:
At 1200, departs Camranh Bay.
16 April 1944:
At 1240, arrives at Singapore.
21 April 1944:
At 0700, CD-9 departs Singapore with escort carrier
KAIYO, kaibokans IKI, ETOFORU and CD-8 escorting convoy HI-58 consisting of
oilers ITSUKUSHIMA, RYOEI, OMUROSAN and OTOWASAN MARUs, troop transport SHINSHU
MARU, and probably ZUIHO and MAYASAN MARUs.
3 May 1944:
HI-58 arrives at Moji.
13 May 1944:
At 0400, CD-9 departs Moji for Singapore with Rear Admiral, the Baron, Ijuin Matsuji’s (43)(former CO of KONGO) 1st Escort Convoy Command’s kaibokan IKI (F), MATSUWA and CD-15 escorting convoy HI-63 consisting of cargo liners/transports SANUKI, SANYO, AWA, TEIA, TAMATSU, KIBITSU, USSURI and NISSHO MARUs, tankers KYOKUHO, RYOEI and OTOWASAN MARUs.
SANUKI MARU and the other transports, except TAMATSU, KIBITSU and NISSHO MARUs, carry
troops bound for Burma.
18 May 1944:
At 1800, arrives at Manila. SANUKI, SANYO, AWA, TEIA, USSURI and NISSHO MARUs are detached. TAMATSU, KIBITSU and NISSHO MARUs are detached for Cagayan, Philippines.
20 May 1944:
At 2000, the remaining eight ships in HI-63 depart Manila with the same escort.
24 May 1944:
150 miles W of Sarawak, Borneo. At about 0220 (JST), LtCdr James W. Davis' USS RATON (SS-270) torpedoes and sinks IKI. 160 sailors, including Rear Admiral Ijuin and IKI’s skipper Cdr Nakao Kusuo are KIA. 18 are rescued by ETOROFU. Ijuin is promoted Vice Admiral, posthumously. LtCdr Davis
also torpedoes and lightly damages MATSUWA at 01-17N 107-53E. The rest of HI-63 escapes unscathed.
27 May 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
6 June 1944:
At 0730, CD-9 and kaibokan MATSUWA depart Singapore escorting convoy HI-64 consisting tankers OTOWASAN MARU and probably NIYO and EIYO MARUs and passenger ship TEIA MARU (ex-French liner ARAMIS).
15 June 1944:
At 0600, arrives at Moji.
23 June 1944:
CD-9 departs Moji for Miri Borneo with torpedo boats TOMOZURU and HATO, minelayer NUWAJIMA and auxiliary gunboats PEKING and KAZAN MARUs escorting convoy MI-09 consisting of SAIHO, SAINEI, CHILE, SHIOMOTSU, CHIYODA, SHUNTEN, SHIROUMA (HAKUBA), NORFOLK, KINRYO, KENSEI, UGA, TATSUHARU, HIROTA MARU and KYOKUZAN MARUs and 13 other merchant ships.
29 June 1944:
At 1300, arrives at Takao.
30 June 1944:
At 1300, departs Takao.
3 July 1944:
At 2000, arrives at Manila. CD-9 is detached.
15 July 1944:
CD-9 and torpedo boat HATO depart Miri escorting convoy MISHI-05 consisting of five unidentified merchant ships.
19 July 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
24 July 1944:
At 0730, CD-9 departs Singapore for Moji via Manila with torpedo boat HATO escorting convoy SHIMA-02 consisting of TENSHIN MARUHINAGA, KENEI and SIBERIA MARUs and seven unidentified merchant ships.
31 July 1944:
At 2103, LtCdr Lowell T. Stone's USS LAPON (SS-269) torpedoes and sinks TENSHIN MARU at 08-51N, 116-46E and also torpedoes and damages HINAGA MARU.
3 August 1944:
At 1442, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message that reads:“HIJUN MARU while proceeding north in SIMA-02 received a torpedo attack (amidships) at ---- on 31st in position 08-51N, 116-45E and was subsequently lost touch with. CD-9 searched for her until noon on the 2nd but was not (seen?)
5 August 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
8 August 1944:
CD-9 departs Manila with kaibokan CD-5, CD-6 and CD-16, subchaser CH-58 and an unidentified warship escorting convoy MATA-26 consisting of TAKETSU (BUTSU), IKOMASAN, ASAKA MARUs and 18 other unidentified merchant ships.
14 August 1944:
In the eye of a major typhoon, war built tanker TAKETSU (BUTSU) MARU breaks up, though whether a result of the weather or a drifting mine is unclear. Ikomasan IKOMASAN and ASAKA MARUs are both stranded on islands in the Bashi Island Group, North of Luzon. Both are later refloated.
17 August 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
20 August 1944:
CD-9 departs Keelung with kaibokan CD-5, CD-6, CD-18, subchaser CH-58 and auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU escorting convoy TAMO-23 consisting of KIYOKAWA MARU andTONAN MARU No. 2 and 12 unidentified merchant ships.
22 August 1944:
LtCdr (later Admiral/CINCPACFLT) Bernard A. Clarey’s USS PINTADO (SS-387) torpedoes and sinks TONAN MARU No. 2 at 29-53N, 125-9E.
26 August 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
11 September 1944:
At 1500, CD-9 departs Moji for Takao with destroyer HARUKAZE, kaibokan CD-26 and subchaser CH-56 escorting convoy MOTA-26 consisting of GASSAN, SEIZAN, HAKUSAN, HOTEN, MURORAN, MANILA, MACASSAR, DAIKU, DAIKYO, NANKING, FUYUKAWA, PEKING, DAIZEN, HIDA and JUNHO MARUs and NICHIYU MARU No.2, and tanker DAISHO MARU.
16 September 1944:
GASSAN, SEIZAN and HAKUSAN MARUs split from the convoy and later that day arrive at Keelung.
17 September 1944:
At 1300, arrives at Takao.
25 September 1944:
At 1400, departs Takao with destroyer HARUKAZE, kaibokan CD-6, CD-9, CD-16 subchaser CH-56 and stores ship KURASAKI escorting convoy TAMA-27 consisting of DAIBIN, SAN DIEGO MARUs and nine unidentified merchant ships.
30 September 1944:
An enemy submarine contact is made.
2 October 1944:
At 1700, CD-9 departs Singapore for Moji with escort carrier SHINYO and kaibokan KANJU, DAITO, MANJU, MIYAKE, KURAHASHI, CD-28 and torpedo boat HIYODORI escorting convoy HI-76 consisting of oilers NICHIEI, NICHINAN, RYOEI, FUJISAN, KUROSHIO, TARAKAN and TOHO MARUs, ex-seaplane tender KIMIKAWA MARU and cargo ship TEIHOKU MARU.
3 October 1944:
Arrives at Masinloc.
4 October 1944:
At 0630, departs Masinloc. At 0855, Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Rueben T. Whitaker's USS FLASHER (SS-249) torpedoeds and sinks DAIBIN MARU, which had detached with KURASAKI, at 15-15N, 119-50E. Late that day, the remaining ships arrive at Manila.
8 October 1944:
South China Sea. At 0100, LtCdr Henry D. Sturr’s USS BECUNA (SS-319) attacks the convoy at 14-12N, 115-53E. Sturr fires four torpedoes and claims two hits on KIMIKAWA MARU. She is detached from the convoy and heads for Manila escorted by HIYODORI and CD-28.
17 October 1944:
Early in the morning, MANJU and MIYAKE are detached with RYOEI MARU and head for Mako.
18 October 1944:
Off Samah. Kaibokan CD-25 and CD-32 join the escort. Oilers FUJISAN, NICHINAN and NICHIEI MARUs are detached and remain at Samah. Tanker TENEI MARU joins the convoy. KANJU is now flagship.
20 October 1944:
KURAHASHI and CD-25 are detached to escort NICHIEI MARU to Coron Bay.
22 October 1944:
At 1200, arrives Mako. KUROSHIO and TOHO MARUs and kaibokan CD-32 are detached and YASHIRO joins.
24 October 1944:
TENEI MARU has an engine breakdown and falls behind, but later rejoins.
26 October 1944:
At 1130, arrives Moji. SHINYO was detached to Kure prior to arrival.
10 November 1944:
At 1530, CD-9 departs Miike for Manila with kaibokan
CD-8, CD-28, CD-54, auxiliary subchasers CHa-24 and an unidentified warship
escorting convoy MOMA-07 consisting of KENJO, NARUO, GYOKUKO, JINYO, FUKUYO,
TATSUAKI (TATSUSHO), MINO, SHIROUMA (HAKUBA), MIHO and SHINFUKU MARUs and KONAN MARU No. 1.
11 November 1944:
Near Cape Ose Sea, Goto Archipelago. At 0906, Cdr
(later Rear Admiral) Charles E. Loughlin’s USS QUEENFISH (SS-393) fires four
torpedoes and hits MIHO MARU in the bow. Unable to keep up with the convoy, she heads for Sasebo. The escorts drop 55 depth-charges on QUEENFISH, but she
remains undamaged.
12 November 1944:
400 kilometers SW of Nagasaki. At 0420, LtCdr (later
Rear Admiral/MOH) Eugene B. Fluckey’s USS BARB (SS-220) torpedoes NARUO and GYOKUYO MARUs at 31-30N 125-57E. NARUO MARU, hit by one or more torpedoes, blows up and sinks instantly. She was carrying 20,000 shells and army troops.
GYOKUYO MARU is hit by a torpedo in the engine spaces. She goes dead in the water and begins to drift. Later, JINYO MARU attempts to tow the cripple,
but the towline parts. The passengers are to transfered to other ships. The escorts drop seven depth-charges on BARB and she suffers slight damage.
At about 0620, LtCdr Robert H. Caldwell’s USS PETO (SS-265) torpedoes TATSUAKI MARU at 31-46N, 125-40E. One strikes No. 2 hold, a huge explosion
occurs and she lists over, then explodes. JINYO MARU rushes to the area where the attack came from and drops depth-charges.
13 November 1944:
At 0950, arrives at the Shushan Islands, E of Shanghai.
14 November 1944:
155 miles E of Shanghai. About midnight, LtCdr Gordon W. Underwood’s (USNA ‘32) USS SPADEFISH (SS-411) fires five torpedoes by radar bearings at GYOKUYO MARU being towed by kaibokan CD-8 towards Shanghai. Hit by several torpedoes, GYOKUYO MARU sinks at 31-04N, 125-58E. Casualties are unknown, but most passengers and crew had been taken off before the sinking.
19 November 1944:
At 1200, the convoy arrives at Takao, Formosa and is dissolved.
24 November 1944:
Mako, Pescadores. CD-9 arrives at Mako.
27 November 1944:
CD-9 departs Mako for Singapore with kaibokan CD-61, KUME, ETOROFU and escort destroyer KASHI escorting convoy HI-81 now consisting of ARITA, HASHIDATE, OTOWASAN and TOA MARUs.
4 December 1944:
HI-81 arrives at Singapore.
10 December 1944:
Reassigned to the First Escort Fleet.
12 December 1944:
At 1600, CD-9 departs Singapore with kaibokan ETOROFU, SHONAN and KUME escorting convoy HI-82 consisting of tankers OTOWASAN, OMUROSAN, ARITA, PALEMBANG and HASHIDATE MARUs.
17 December 1944:
Arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.
19 December 1944:
Departs Camranh Bay.
22 December 1944:
At 0550, OTOWASAN, OMUROSAN and ARITA MARUs are all
torpedoed by LtCdr (later Captain) George W. Grider's USS FLASHER (SS-249). All three burst into flames and sink at 15-02N, 109-08E.
24 December 1944:
At 0900, the surviving ships arrive at Takao. CD-9 and CD-19 are detached.
9 January 1945:
Aircraft of Vice Admiral (later Admiral) John S. McCain’s Sr. (USNA '10) Task Force 38 support the landings at Lingayen Gulf, Philippines with attacks on Formosa. Off Saei (Tsoying), they damage CD-9, CD-13, and CD-60.
3 February 1945:
CD-9 and kaibokan AGUNI and CD-18 depart Hong Kong escorting convoy HOMO-01 consisting of five unidentified merchant ships.
14 February 1945:
Yellow Sea. W of Cheju (Quelpart) Island, Korea. At about 2100, LtCdr Richard M. Farrell’s USS GATO (SS-212) makes a night surface
attack. Farrell fires four torpedoes by radar bearings and gets two hits that sink CD-9 at 32-43N, 125-37E.
4 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro and Mr. Motoyuki Iwashige of Japan. Thanks also go to John Whitman for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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