KUSENTEI!

© 2005-2008 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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1941:
Tsurumi. Laid down at the Nippon Kokan K.K shipyard.

22 May 1942:
Launched and numbered CH-32.

19 August 1942:
Completed. Registered in the Yokosuka Naval District. Attached to the Yokosuka Guard Unit. Conducts patrols in Tokyo Bay and escorts convoys off the Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures.

23 October 1942:
Rabaul. CH-32 and CH-31 are bombed and damaged by USAAF B-17s.

1 March 1943:
Reassigned to the Fourth Fleet’s 4th Base Force at Truk.

28 April 1943:
At 0800, arrives at Truk escorting SEIA MARU and an unidentified ship.

10 June 1943:
At 1500, CH-32 departs Wake Island for Kwajalein with auxiliary subchaser KYO MARU No. 3 escorting a convoy consisting of YAMAKUNI MARU.

14 August 1943:
CH-32 is escorting SHINYUBARI MARU when an unidentified submarine attacks SHINYUBARI MARU three times at 19-40N 147-21E. CH-32 counterattacks, but without success.[1]

5 September 1943:
CH-32 and CH-30 depart Truk for Rabaul escorting a convoy consisting of YAMAFUKU, SHOUN, SAN FRANCISCO, KYOWA and CHIYO MARUs.

E 15 September 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul.

19 September 1943:
CH-32 and CH-26 depart Palau escorting convoy "Wewak No. 9" consisting of ADEN, TAISEI and YASUKUNI MARUs.

23 September 1943:
Arrives at Wewak. The convoy unloads its cargo.

27 September 1943:
CH-32 and CH-26 en route from Palau to Weak join the escort of convoy"Wewak No. 10" consisting of MAYA, BENGAL and YAMAGATA MARUs.

28 September 1943:
Arrives at Wewak.

29 September 1943:
Departs Wewak with convoy Wewak No. 10,

4 October 1943:
Arrives at Palau.

7 November 1943:
CH-32 joins CH-26 escorting convoy "Hollandia No. 2" consisting of ASO, RYUWA and KIZUGAWA MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 5.

10 November 1943:
Arrives at Palau.

21 November 1943:
CH-32 departs Wewak with auxiliary subchaser CHa-3 escorting convoy Wewak No. 13 consisting of KAMOI, MAYA, TAIYU and YASAKUNI MARUs.

26 November 1943:
At 0932, LtCdr's Lawrence R. Daspit's USS TINOSA (SS-283) torpedoes and sinks KAMOI MARU at 06-22N, 134-48E. Daspit also hits and heavily damages TAIYU MARU at about the same time and location. Later that day, the remainder of the convoy arrives Palau.

17 December 1943:
CH-32 departs Palau with minelayer SHIRATAKA and auxiliary subchaser CHa-3 escorting convoy Wewak No. 15 consisting of KAYO, SAMARANG, UMEGAWA and YAMAGIKU MARUs.

21 December 1943:
Arrives at Wewak.

22 December 1943:
The convoy departs Wewak.

27 December 1943:
Arrives at Palau.

1 January 1944:
Truk. Lt Shioda Ryohei’s CH-32 is in the 4th Fleet’s 4th Base Force.

3 January 1944:
CH-32 departs Palau for Hollandia and Wewak with auxiliary subchaser CHa-10 escorting convoy "Hollandia /Wewak No. 7" consisting of IKOMA, YASUKUNI and KAYO MARUs. Enroute, IKOMA and YASUKUNI MARUs are detached and escorted by CHa-10 to Hollandia.

9 January 1944:
Arrives at Wewak.

10 January 1944:
Departs Wewak.

15 January 1944:
Arrives at Palau. At 0630, CH-32 departs Palau with CH-34, CH-35 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-10 escorting convoy Wewak No. 17 consisting of ASO, TAIEI, KIBI, CHINZEI MARUs.

19 January 1944:
Arrives at Wewak.

20 January 1944:
Departs Wewak.

25 January 1944:
Arrives at Palau. [2]

31 January 1944:
At 0700, a convoy consisting of TAIHO and SANKISAN MARUs departs Yokosuka for Truk escorted by three unidentified warships. At some point enroute, CH-32 joins the escort.

13 February 1944:
At noon, arrives at Truk.

24 March 1944:
At 0700, CH-32, CH-17 and CH-31 depart Saipan with destroyers NOWAKI and ASAKAZE, kaibokan MANJU and minelayer KYOSAI escorting convoy HIGASHI MATSU No. 2 (return) consisting of fleet supply ship SOYA and TAKUNAN, NACHI, AWA (ex-WAWA), DAITEN, MIHO, BINGO, RYUKA, TAKAOKA, HIBI, TAMAHOKO, TATSUHARU and SHINFUKU MARUs and an unidentified ship.

1 April 1944:
At 1000, the convoy arrives at Tokyo.

4 May 1944:
At 1400, CH-32, CH-31 and CH-52 depart Tateyama with destroyers ASANAGI, MINATSUKI, torpedo boat OTORI, kaibokan OKI, CD-24 and auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 8 escorting convoy 3503 consisting of KEIYO, HAKOZAKI, HIYORI (NICHIWA), ENOSHIMA, MINO, OSAKA, TAIKOKU, FUKKO, TATSUTAGAWA, SHINFUKU, FUKOKU, KOHO, KOJUN and SHUNSEN MARUs.

10 May 1944:
420 miles NW of Saipan. At 1743, LtCdr Russell Kefauver’s USS TAMBOR (SS-198) torpedoes and damages KEIYO MARU at 19-27N 140-00E.

14 May 1944:
Arrives at Saipan.

16 May 1944:
At 1630, CH-32 and CH-31 depart Saipan for Palau escorting a convoy consisting of FUKKO, NICHIWA, TAIKOKU and OSAKA MARUs.

17 May 1944:
At about 0030, LtCdr Malcolm E. Garrison's USS SANDLANCE (SS-381) torpedoes and sinks TAIKOKU MARU. That same day, at 1840, LtCdr John A. Scott's USS TUNNY (SS-282) torpedoes and sinks NICHIWA MARU. At 2120, Garrison's SANDLANCE strikes again and torpedoes and sinks FUKKO MARU. OSAKA MARU is ordered back to Saipan.

E 18 May 1944:
Arrives at Saipan.

3 June 1944:
At 1600, CH-32 departs Truk with CH-20, CH-31 and CH-51, kaibokan CD-6 and auxiliary sub chaser CHa-66 escorting a convoy consisting of MOJI, IMIZU, TATSUTAGAWA, KOJUN MARUs, and oilers NITCHO, KYOEI and NANKO MARU No. 1 and 13 other unidentified ships.

7 June 1944:
At 1140, arrives at Saipan.

18 July 1944:
Manila. Reassigned to the 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet.

12 August 1944:
At 0600, CH-32 departs Manila with CH-19, minesweeper W-18 and four unidentified auxiliary gunboats escorting convoy MASA-10 consisting of DURBAN, TEIRITSU, RISSHUN and YAMABUKI MARUs. At 2000, anchors at Lucanin, Bataan Peninsula.

13 August 1944:
Departs Lucanin, but the weather worsens and late that day the convoy returns to Lucanin.

14 August 1944:
At 1700, departs Lucanin. In poor weather, the four auxiliary gunboats lose contact with the convoy.

20 August 1944:
At 1810, arrives Camranh Bay.

21 August 1944:
At 0800, departs Camranh Bay. At 0951, LtCdr Michael P. Russillo's USS MUSKALLUNGE (SS-262) torpedoes DURBAN MARU. Although DURBAN MARU is taken under tow by new arrival OYO MARU, she eventuually sinks at 11-45N 109-46E. Later that day, the convoy arrives at Saigon

2 September 1944:
At 2052, CH-32 departs Cap St Jacques with CH-19 and minesweeper W-18 escorting convoy SAMA-12 consisting of RISSHUN and YAMABUKI MARUs. 11 September 1944:
At 0900, arrives at Manila.

21 September 1944:
Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Marc A. Mitscher's (former CO of HORNET, CV-8) Task Force 38 begins strikes on shipping in Manila and Subic Bays, Cavite Navy Yard and Clark and Nichols Air Fields. Task Group 38.1, TG 38.2 and TG 38.3's planes sink over 20 ships at Manila and damage many more. Vice Admiral Mikawa Gunichi, (former CO of KIRISHIMA), CINC, Southwest Area Fleet, advises the Supreme Commander of Japanese Forces in the Southern Area, Field Marshal Count Terauchi Hisaichi, CINC, Southern Army, to transfer all supply ships from Manila to the relative security of Coron Bay off Palawan Island, Philippines. Terauchi so orders.

24 September 1944:
At 0550, 96 Grumman F6F “Hellcat” fighters and 24 Curtiss SB2C “Helldiver” dive-bombers of Vice Admiral Mitscher’s Task Group 38.3’s Air Group 18 from INTREPID (CV-11), AG-31 from CABOT (CVL-28) and AG-19 based on Mitscher's flagship LEXINGTON (CV-16) take off to attack the anchorage at Coron Bay, Busuanga Island, Palawan, 340 miles away.

Mindoro. Mitscher’s aircraft find and sink CH-32 at the southern tip of the island at 12-15N, 121-50E.

10 November 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Author's Note:
[1] According to SORG, the submarine probably was LtCdr Charles F. Brindupke's USS TULLIBEE (SS-284).

[2] One Japanese source has CH-32 departing Palau for Hollandia and Wewak on 20 Jan 1944 escorting "Wewak Independent Transport Convoy No. 8" , but this is probably incorrect.

21 January 1944:
At 2137, LtCdr (later Captain) Slade D. Cutter's USS SEAHORSE (SS-304) torpedoes and sinks IKOMA MARU, and at 2142, SEAHORSE torpedoes and sinks YASUKUNI MARU. Both ships sink at 03-25N, 137-06E.

E 23 January 1944:
Arrives at Palau.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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