KUSENTEI!

© 2005-2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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1941:
Laid down at the Harima shipyard.

20 December 1941:
Launched and numbered CH-34.

31 August 1942:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District.

September 1942:
Assigned to the Yokosuka Guard squadron. Patrols Tokyo Bay thereafter.

End of December 1942:
Reassigned to the 2nd Base Force, 8th Fleet at Rabaul.

29 December 1942:
At 1400, CH-34 departs Yokosuka with CH-26 escorting a convoy consisting of SHINSEI MARU No. 18 and TERUSHIMA MARU.

11 January 1943:
At 0530, arrives Saipan.

17 January 1943:
At 1500 arrives Kavieng. TERUSHIMA MARU remains there. SHINSEI MARU No. 18 steams to Rabaul arriving the following day. [1]

6 April 1943:
At 1630, CH-34 departs Palau with destroyers TANIKAZE and AMATSUKAZE and CH-26 escorting convoy "Hansa No. 2B" consisting of TEIRYU, INDIA, TOHO, SYDNEY, TAISEI and TAIYU MARUs.

12 April 1943:
At 0800, arrives at Hansa Bay (near Madang), Eastern New Guinea. At 1530, twenty USAAF B-17s and B-24s of the USAAF 5th Air Force bomb the ships and sink IJA cargo ship SYDNEY MARU at 03-18S, 143-38E.

13 April 1943:
At 0900, departs Hansa Bay.

14 April 1943:
At 0700, TEIRYU and TOHO MARUs, escorted by AMATSUKAZE and CH-34, split from the convoy and head to Palau. The remaining ships sail on to Wewak where they arrive that evening. The following day, while leaving for Palau, INDIA MARU is bombed and sunk. [2]

18 April 1943:
TEIRYU and TOHO MARUs, AMATSUKAZE and CH-34 arrive at Palau. The remaining ships arrive on the 20th.

26 April 1943:
At 0830, CH-34 departs Palau with destroyers URAKAZE and AMATSUKAZE and CH-26 escorting convoy "Wewak No. 3" consisting of SHINSEI MARU No. 1, BUNZAN, HANKOW and HOFUKU MARUs, HAKUTETSU MARU No. 13 and SAN FRANSICO MARU. The ships are carrying 6,000 soldiers of the 41st Infantry Division and ammunition, provisions, aircraft and supplies.

30 April 1943:
At 2205, SAN FRANSICO MARU and CH-34 are detached and head for nearby Kairiru Island.

1 May 1943:
SAN FRANSICO MARU and CH-34 depart Kairiru Island and join the ships returning from Wewak.

6 May 1943:
At 0630 arrives Palau.

8 May 1943:
At 0700, convoy "Wewak No. 4" departs Palau consisting of TEIRYU, YOSHIDA MARU No. 3, TOHO and MAYA MARUs escorted by destroyers URAKAZE and AMATSUKAZE. The ships are carrying 4000 soldiers of the 41st Infantry Division together with shells, provisions, aircraft and supplies.

9 May 1943:
At 1620, CH-34 escorting ARATAMA MARU joins convoy "Wewak No. 4".

13 May 1943:
At 0530, arrives Wewak. At 1150, CH-34 and ARATAMA MARU depart. The rest of the convoy follows later.

17 May 1943:
At 1430, arrives Palau.

20 July 1943:
At 0800, CH-34 departs Palau with minelayer SHIRATAKA escorting convoy "Hansa No. 5" consisting of ADEN, YUBAE, HANKOW, DENMARK, NAGANO MARUs and SHINTO MARU No. 1.

25 July 1943:
Arrives at Hansa Bay, New Guinea at 0125. At 1750, SHIRATAKA departs with three of the ships.

27 July 1943:
The remaining three ships and CH-34 join up with the others.

31 July 1943:
Arrives at Palau at 1151.

2 August 1943:
At 1300, CH-34 departs Palau with minelayer SHIRATAKA escorting convoy "Hansa No. 6" consisting of SHINSEI MARU No. 1, BENGAL, TAIFUKU and MAYA MARUs and YOSHIDA MARU No. 3.

8 August 1943:
Arrives at Hansa Bay at 0800.

9 August 1943:
SHIRATAKA and three marus depart at 1300.

12 August 1943:
At 0625, the other two marus and CH-34 rejoin the convoy.

14 August 1943:
Arrives at Palau at 1400.

20 August 1943:
CH-34 and CH-26 depart Palau escorting convoy "Wewak No. 7" consisting of NAGATO, NAGANO, KANKO, ADEN, SHINYU and YUBAE MARUs.

23 August 1943:
The convoy is ordered back to Palau because of increased Allied air activity over Wewak.

28 August 1943:
At 0945, convoy Wewak No. 7 again departs Palau, less YUBAE MARU.

2 September 1943:
At 0045, the convoy anchors at Wewak. Later that day, the convoy is attacked by about 30 B-25 “Mitchell” medium bombers escorted by P-38 “Lightning” fighters. NAGATO and KANKO MARUs are sunk and ADEN and NAGANO MARUs are damaged.

24 September 1943:
CH-34 departs Palau with minelayer SHIRATAKA escorting convoy "Wewak No. 10" consisting of MAYA, BENGAL and YAMAGATA MARUs.

27 September 1943:
CH-34 and SHIRATAKA rendezvous with convoy "Wewak No. 9" that is returning to Palau. The convoy consists of ADEN and YASUKUNI MARUs escorted by CH-26 and CH-32. CH-34 and SHIRATAKA escort the convoy back to Palau. CH-26 and CH-32 take over the escort of convoy Wewak No. 10.

E 29 September 1943:
Arrives at Palau.

October 1943:
Arrives at Kure and undergoes repairs.

18 October 1943:
Completes repairs.

15 November 1943:
Reassigned to the Ninth Fleet's 2nd Special Base Force with CH-26 and CH-35.

15 January 1944:
Arrives at Palau. At 0630, CH-34 departs Palau with CH 32, 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. ??????? 28 January 1944:
At 1600, CH-34 departs Palau with CH-16, CH-35 and CH-40 and auxiliary submarine chasers CHa-47 and CHa-61 escorting convoy SO-805 consisting of TOEI and HOKKAI MARUs, tanker TAKATORI MARU No. 2, TAIEI and TOKO MARUs. In addition, the convoy is given air cover.

30 January 1944:
At 0150, IJA freighter TOKO MARU, carrying troops of the 31st Infantry Regiment and 4th Field Hospital to Manus Island in the Admiralties, is torpedoed by LtCdr (later Captain) Slade D. Cutter's USS SEAHORSE (SS-304) at 06-20N, 138-08E. TOKO MARU sinks by the stern taking down 457 troops.

1 February 1944:
IJN transport TOEI MARU, carrying drummed gasoline and ammunition, is sunk by SEAHORSE's last torpedoes at 04-24N, 143-15E. LtCdr Cutter makes for Pearl Harbor.

E 4 February 1944:
CH-34 arrives Rabaul.

9 February 1944:
CH-34 departs Palau secorting "Wewak Transportation Yoto No. 1" convoy consisting of KOFUKU and YAGUMO MARUs.

13 February 1944:
YAGUMO MARU splits from convoy and proceeds to Hollandia, New Guinea.

14 February 1944:
KOFUKU MARU and CH-34 arrive at Wewak.

15 February 1944:
Departs Wewak. On the way back to Palau, meets up with YAGUMO MARU again.

20 February 1944:
Arrives at Palau.

March 1944:
Reassigned to the 30th Base Force, Chubu Pacific Ocean fleet at Palau

4 March 1944:
75 miles WNW of Hollandia. LtCdr Paul Van Luenen's USS PETO (SS-265) attacks convoy and sinks army cargo ship KAYO MARU at 01-28S, 138-40E. CH-34 and other escorts depth-charge PETO unsuccessfully.

5 May 1944:
Reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet's 4th Southern Expeditionary Fleet's 28th Special Base Force with CH-26 and CH-35. Escorts convoys to Davao and Cebu, Philippines.

26 July 1944:
At 0700, CH-34 departs Kau, Halmahera with subchasers CH-9, CH-35, auxiliary subchaser CHa-26 and SHONAN MARU Maru No. 17 escorting a convoy consisting of KANTO, TOSHO and KEMBU MARUs.

1 August 1944:
At 1850 arrives at Ambon.

4 August 1944:
At 1330, CH-34 departs Ambon with CH-26 and CH-35 and minesweeper W-12 escorting an unnamed convoy consisting of SHINTAI, KANTO and KURAMASAN MARUs.

5 August 1944:
CH-26 is detached and returns to Ambon.

6 August 1944:
KANTO MARU is detached for Waha, Wangiwangi Island. At 1400, the remainder of the convoy arrives at Staring Bay, Celebes.

23 August 1944 :
At 1500, CH-34 departs Makassar with CH-35 escorting an unnamed convoy consisting of IKUTAGAWA MARU (ex Italian CALITEA II) and TATEBE MARU.

26 August 1944:
At 1800, arrives at Surabaya.

1 October 1944:
Singapore. CH-34 and CH-35 are reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet's 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet's 15th Special Base Force's in Subchaser Division 11. Escorts convoys in the Singapore area.

27 November 1944:
At 0205, CH-34 and CH-35 depart Singapore with kaibokan CD-27, minesweeper W-34 and auxiliary gunboat HUASHAN (KAZAN) MARU escorting convoy SHISA-30 consisting of EININ, TOHO, FUJISAN, HIKACHI (NISSHO), ENRYAKU, TATSUMIYA, YAMAKUNI and DAISHU MARUs.

30 November 1944:
Arrives at Saei (Tsoying). [3]

12 January 1945:
Cam Ranh Bay, Indochina. Vice Admiral John S. McCain's Task Force 38's planes bomb and damage CH-34 and RYUYO MARU.

20 January 1945:
CH-34 departs Singapore with minesweeper W-34 escorting convoy SHISA-34 consisting of one unidentified merchant ship.

23 January 1945:
Arrives at St Jacques.

1 February 1945:
CH-34 and minesweeper W-34 depart St Jacques escorting convoy SASHI-41C consisting of tanker NANSHIN MARU No. 19 and six unidentified merchant ships.

2 February 1945:
At about 2300, LtCdr Francis A. Greenup’s USS HARDHEAD (SS-365) torpedoes and sinks NANSHIN MARU No. 19 at 04-00N 102-36E.

7 February 1945:
Convoy SASHI-41C arrives at Singapore. 14 February 1945:
At 0800, CH-34, CH-20 and CH-35 depart Singapore with kaibokan CD-31 escorting convoy HI-88G consisting of small tankers YAEI MARU No. 1, TAKASAGO MARU No. 2 and NANSHIN MARU No. 30.

21 February 1945:
At 0900, arrives St Jacques, Indochina. NANSHIN MARU No. 30 is detached and probably CH-34.

23 March 1945:
CH-34 departs Penang with CH-63 escorting a convoy consisting of storeship TESHIO MARU and RISHIO MARU (ex-LIPIS) carrying food and supplies for the Andaman and Nicobar garrisons. The convoy's initial destination is Port Blair then Car Nicobar.

25 March 1945:
E of Khota Andaman. At 1030, the convoy is intercepted by Captain (later Admiral Sir) Manley L. Power's 26th Destroyer Flotilla consisting of destroyers HMS SUMAREZ, VIRAGO, VIGILANT and VOLAGE. At 1059, the destroyers open fire on the convoy with gunfire and launch eight torpedoes, all of which miss.

The undamaged convoy makes for the southwest. At 1129, Captain Powers radios for air support. Two RAF Consolidated B-24 “Liberator”bombers soon arrive and in a low-level bombing attack sink TESHIO MARU, but one B-24 is caught in the blast of its own bombs and crashes into the sea.

At 1150, the 26th Destroyer Flotilla renews its attack on the convoy. HMS VOLAGE sinks RISHIO MARU. SUMAREZ rescues the B-24's crew. At 1230, VIRAGO and VIGILANT open fire at long range on CH-34 and CH-63. VIGILANT closes and fires eight torpedoes at the subchasers, one of which hits and sinks CH-63.

CH-34 fights back against VIRAGO and VIGILANT and manages to score a hit on VIGILANT, but at 1630, CH-34 goes down under the guns of the British destroyers at 10-38N, 94-42E.

10 August 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Authors' Notes:
[1] It is unclear if CH-34 was still an escort at this stage.

[2] Rumors persisted that INDIA MARU was carrying gold and other valuables despite no justification. It seems local natives spread the rumour in the hope that stories of gold would attract western divers and stimulate tourism.

[3] One Japanese source (Komamiya) lists the destination as St Jacques rather than Saei, but this is probably an error since it is unlikely the convoy could make Formosa in three days even sailing direct.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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