KUSENTEI!

© 2005-2006 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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19 June 1933:
Tokyo. Laid down at the Uraga dockyard.

23 December 1933:
Launched and numbered CH-1.

28 December 1938:
Completed and registered in the IJN.

8 December 1941:
CH-1 is in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kubo Kyuji’s (38) (former CO of KAGA) 1st Base Force of Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo’s (35)(former CO of YAMASHIRO) Third Fleet. CH-1 is attached to Takahashi's Philippines Seizure Force in LtCdr Okawara Hajime’s SubChasDiv 1 with CH-2 and CH-3.

9 January 1942: Operation "H" - The Invasion of Celebes, Netherlands East Indies:
Light cruiser NAGARA, patrol boats P-1, P-2, P-34, MineSweepDiv 21's W-7, W-8, W-9, W-11 and W-12 and SubChasDiv 1's CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3 depart Davao escorting eight transports carrying Captain (later Vice Admiral) Mori Kunizo's (former CO of AO SATA) Sasebo No. 1 Combined Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) and Rear Admiral Kubo's 1st Base Force.

11 January 1942: The Invasion of Menado, Celebes Dutch East Indies:
Rear Admiral Kubo’s 1st Base Force with NAGARA, MineSweepDiv 21, patrol boats and SubChasDiv 1’s CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3 provides escort for the Menado invasion force of eight transports carrying Captain Mori's Sasebo No. 1 Combined SNLF.

At 0300, the SNLF lands on Kema, Celebes. At 0400, they land on Menado. Later, 334 men of Cdr (later Captain) Horiuchi Toyoaki's (later XO of TAKAO) Yokosuka No. 1 SNLF (Air) are dropped successfully from Mitsubishi G3M1-L "Nell" converted transport aircraft in the Menado-Kema area. The paratroops seize Langoan airfield.

23-24 January 1942: The Invasion of Kendari, Celebes:
DesRon 10’s light cruiser NAGARA, DesDiv 15’s HAYASHIO, KUROSHIO, OYASHIO and NATSUSHIO, DesDiv 16’s TOKITSUKAZE, HATSUKAZE, AMATSUKAZE and YUKIKAZE, Minesweeper Div 21’s W-7, W-8, W-9, W-11 and W-12 and Subchaser Div 1’s CH-1 and CH-2 provide escort for Rear Admiral Kubo's Kendari Invasion Force consisting of six troop transports carrying Captain Mori’s Sasebo Combined SNLF. The 11th Seaplane Tender Division’s CHITOSE and MIZUHO provide distant support.

31 January 1942: The Invasion of Ambon Island, Netherlands East Indies:
The invasion convoy includes ten transports carrying 820 men of Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hatakeyama Kouichiro's (former CO of KINUGASA) Kure No. 1 SNLF, elements of the Sasebo SNLF and the 228th Infantry Regiment.

The convoy's escort is provided by Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Tanaka Raizo in light cruiser JINTSU with DesDiv 8's DesDiv 15 and DesDiv 16, MineSweepDiv 21, SubChasDiv 1 CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3 and patrol boats P-34 and P-39. The convoy's air cover is provided by CarDiv 11's MIZUHO and CHITOSE. CruDiv 5's NACHI and HAGURO, DesDiv 6's IKAZUCHI and DesDiv 7's USHIO and SAZANAMI provide the covering force.

5-10 February 1942: The Invasion of Makassar, Celebes:
Rear Admiral Kubo’s 1st Base Force with NAGARA, MineSweepDiv 21, SubchasDiv 2 and SubChasDiv 1’s CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3 provides escort for the Makassar invasion force of six transports carrying Mori's Sasebo Combined SNLF.

10 March 1942:
Assigned to Vice Admiral Takahashi's Southwest Area Fleet's newly formed Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet in Special Base Force 21's SubChasDiv 1 organized at Surabaya.

1 May 1942:
SubChasDiv 1 is disbanded. CH-1 is reassigned to SubChasDiv 2 in the Yokosuka Naval District with CH-2 and CH-3.

May 1942-October 1944:
CH-1 escorts convoys. [1]

1 November 1944:
CH-1, CH-19, CH-26 and CH-36 depart Singapore for Manila escorting convoy SIMA-04 consisting of HACHIJIN, AYAGIRI, ATSUTA and TOYO (YUTAKA) MARUs.

2 November 1944:
225 miles E of Singapore. At 1717, Lt (later Vice Admiral Sir) Hugh "Rufus" MacKenzie's British submarine HMS TANTALUS attacks the convoy. In heavy weather, MacKenzie torpedoes and sinks cargo ship HACHIJIN MARU and damages CH-1 at 00-45N, 107-441E.

14 November 1944:
Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Frederick C. Sherman, in temporary command of Task Force 38, launches air strikes against shipping in the Philippines. Off Sablayan Island, Mindoro, convoy SIMA-04 is attacked by F6F “Hellcat” fighter-bombers from USS YORKTOWN (CV-10). The Hellcats sink merchant oiler AYAGIRI MARU at 12-40N, 120-41E and damage IJA cargo ship TOYO MARU and CH-1, CH-19, CH-26 and CH-36.

November-December 1944:
Singapore. CH-1 undergoes repairs.

16 July 1945:
W of Surabaya, Java. About 0500, CH-1 is escorting gunboat NANKAI (ex-Dutch minelayer REGULUS) when they are attacked by LtCdr William H. Hazzard's USS BLENNY (SS-324). Hazzard fires a total of 12 torpedoes in a night surface radar attack and claims four hits that sink NANKAI at 05-26S, 110-33E.

At about 0700, Hazzard finds and shells CH-1 with his 5-inch deck gun. BLENNY gets two hits that set CH-1 afire at 05-16S, 110-17E.

11 July 1946:
Singapore. CH-1 is scuttled by the Royal Navy.

10 August 1946:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Author's Notes:
[1] No data were found by the authors detailing CH-1's movements during May 1942-October 1944. Readers with access to such data are requested to post the information on the Discussion and Questions board or at j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message Board

Thanks for assistance go to Cdr John D. Alden, USN-Ret.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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