KUSENTEI!

© 2008-2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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1942:
Koyagi Island. Laid down at the Kawaminami yard.

1942:
Launched and numbered CH-41

31 January 1943:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District and assigned to the Yokosuka Guard Force. Escorts convoys between Yokosuka and Kobe.

20 October 1943:
At 1400, departs Ominato escorting RYUA MARU.

21 October 1943:
At 1500, arrives at Odomari.

January 1944:
Reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet’s 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet’s 11th Special Base Force at Saigon, Indochina.

23 January 1944:
CH-41 departs Moji with subchaser CH-43 escorting convoy No. 131 consisting of 10 unidentified merchant ships.

28 January 1944:
Arrives at Takao.

31 January 1944 :
CH-41 departs Takao for Cap St Jacques, Indochina with subchaser CH-43 and auxilary gunboat HAUSHAN (KAZAN) MARU escorting convoy No. 357 consisting of TSUKUBA and ANKO MARUs and 11 unidentified merchant ships.

E 7 February 1944:
Arrives at St Jacques.

9 February 1944:
Southern Indochina. At about noon, while TONAN MARU No. 2 is enroute to Nagasaki, LtCdr Thomas W. Hogan’s USS BONEFISH (SS-223) torpedoes and damages her at 11-30N, 109-08E. Hogan claims four hits out of five torpedoes he fires.

Later that day, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message that reads: "Order to Subchasers No. 21, 41, and 43 to attack the submarine that attacked TONAN MARU No. 2."

6 March 1944:
CH-41 departs Takao for Cap St Jacques, Indochina via Yulin, China with subchasers CH-21 and CH-43 and auxilary gunboat PEKING MARU escorting convoy TASA-08 consisting of NICHIREI, LONDON, ISHIKARI and TOYOKUNI MARUs and four unidentified ships.

8 March 1944:
SE of Hong Kong. At 1455, LtCdr Lowell T. Stone’s USS LAPON (SS-260) torpedoes and damages TOYOKUNI MARU. She loses power and goes dead in the water. NICHIREI MARU takes her in tow.

9 March 1944:
At 0150, while NICHIREI MARU is still towing TOYOKUNI MARU, LAPON torpedoes NICHIREI MARU. LtCdr Stone also torpedoes and hits TOYOKUNI MARU again. She floods and sinks. At about 0500, NICHIREI MARU sinks.

10 March 1944:
Arrives at Quinhon, Indochina.

14 March 1944:
Arrives at St Jacques.

23 March 1944:
CH-41 and CH-21 depart St Jacques escorting convoy SATA-12 consisting of six unidentified merchant ships.

27 March 1944:
Arrives at Manila. Both escorts are detached from the convoy.

3 April 1944 :
CH-41 and destroyer ASAGAO depart Takao escorting convoy TASA-16 consisting of eight unidentified merchant ships.

9 April 1944:
Near St Jacques, CH-41 and ASAGAO are detached and join the escort of convoy SATA-17 that departs St Jacques that day consisting of three unidentified merchant ships escorted by kaibokan CD-8, torpedo boat HATSUKARI and one unidentified auxiliary.

10 April 1944:
SATA-17 arrives at Camranh Bay and merges with convoy SATA-14 consisting of six unidentified merchant ships escorted by subchaser CH-19.

11 April 1944:
Departs Camranh Bay.

18 April 1944:
Arrives at Takao.

17 May 1944:
CH-41 and CH-43 depart Manila escorting a convoy consisting of WALES, BIZEN and TOYO MARUs.

20 May 1944:
Arrives at Victoria, Labuan Island.

22 May 1944:
At 0600, departs Victoria.

23 May 1944:
At about 2300, LtCdr Lowell T. Stone's USS LAPON (SS-260) LAPON torpedoes and sinks WALES MARU at 07-20N, 109-03E.

24 May 1944:
At 0244, LAPON torpedoes and sinks BIZEN MARU at 07-30N, 109-08E.

26 May 1944:
Arrives at Saigon.

2 August 1944:
CH-41 and CH-19 depart Saigon escorting convoy SAMA-16 consisting of SHIROGANESAN MARU and two unidentified merchant ships.

6 August 1944:
At 0312, LtCdr (later Captain) Henry G. Munson's USS RASHER (SS-269) torpedoes and sinks SHIROGANESAN MARU at 14-10N, 117-02E.

7 August 1944:
CH-41 arrives at Manila. Later that day, CH-41 departs Manila with kaibokan SHIMUSHU, CD-22 (or CD-26) and minesweeper W-28 escorting convoy MI-11 consisting of TEIRITSU MISAKI, SHICHIYO, MIHO, HACHIJIN, AYAYUKI, AYAKUMO, ENOSHIMA and TAKETOYO MARUs.

12 August 1944:
Arrives at Miri.

16 August 1944:
At 0700, CH-41 departs Miri with kaibokan SHIMUSHU, CD-16 and CD-28 and subchasers CH-30 and CH-33 escorting convoy MI-12 consisting of TAKETOYO, NORFOLK, UGA, KINRYU, GYOKUYO (OYO), JUNGEN GO and GYOSAN MARUs and unknown KAITO MARU and tankers TAKETOYO, TAIEI, SEISHIN and NANSEI MARUs.

18 August 1944:
At 1352, LtCdr William T. Kinsella's USS RAY (SS-271) torpedoes and sinks NANSEI MARU at 08-39N, 116-39E. The convoy is ordered to seek shelter.

20 August 1944:
At 1930, arrives at Paluan Bay, NW Mindoro.

21 August 1944:
At 0556, departs Paluan Bay. Soon after, kaibokan CD-28 attacks an enemy submarine contact. At 0720, a wolfpack consisting of USS GUITARRO, HADDO, HARDER, RAY and MUSKALLUNGE make the first of a series of successful attacks. TAKETOYO MARU is torpedoed and sunk at 13-23N 120-19E and at 0730, NORFOLK MARU is torpedoed and sunk in the same position. At 0800, KINRYU MARU is torpedoed and sunk, and at 0825, UGA MARU is torpedoed and sunk, both at 13-27N 120-17E.

22 August 1944:
At 2200, arrives at Manila.

27 August 1944:
At 0900, CH-41 departs Manila with kaikoban SHIMUSHU, ETOROFU, SHONAN, CD-7 and CD-28 and patrol boat PB-102 (ex-USS STEWART, DD-224) escorting convoy MAMO-02 consisting of KASHI, MAYASAN, NISSHO and NOTO MARUs. At 1548, anchors in Subic Bay.

28 August 1944:
At 0600, departs Subic Bay.

30 August 1944:
Arrives at Takao. CH-41, patrol boat PB-102 and kaibokan CD-7 and CD-28 are detached.

18 September 1944:
At 0630, CH-41 departs Takao for Manila with CH-63 and minesweepers W-17 and W-20 escorting convoy TAMA-26 consisting of MIZUHO, SHIRANESAN, EIMAN, ARABIA, TOSHIKAWA, HOTEN, AWAJI and NICHINAN MARUs and TOYO MARU No. 3.

21 September 1944:
At 0705, Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Glynn R. Donaho's USS PICUDA (SS-382) torpedoes and sinks AWAJI MARU at 18-43N, 120-53E. NICHINAN MARU rescues survivors. At 0835, Cdr Louis D. McGregor's USS REDFISH (SS-395) torpedoes and sinks MIZUHO MARU at 18-37N, 120-41E. 1,313 passengers and crew of the 5,415 persons she was carrying are lost with her.

1 October 1944:
At 2056, arrives at Manila.

6 October 1944:
At 0618, CH-41, CH-28, CH-30 and CH-33 depart N San Fernando with kaibokan CD-8, CD-32 and CD-25, and minesweeper W-20 escorting the combined MATA-28 and MIMA-11 convoys consisting of KOHOKU, HOKUREI, BUNZAN, SHOEI, HOKUSEN, TERUKUNI, HISHIGATA and OMINE MARUs and SHINYO MARU No. 8 with oilers KAMOI and TACHIBANA MARU and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2.

At about 0800, LtCdr Henry C. Stevenson's USS ASPRO (SS-309) attacks the convoy. Stevenson fires three torpedoes by periscope at a tanker and claims one hit, but actually achieves no results. At 1530, LtCdr William C. Thompson's USS CABRILLA (SS-288) torpedoes HOKUREI MARU and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2. YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2 sinks. HOKUREI MARU is badly damaged and beached off Vigan. At 1830, the convoy retires to Lapoc Bay, Philippines.

7 October 1944:
At 0030, the rest of convoy departs for Yulin, Hainan Island, except for TERUKUN and OMINE MARUs and SHINYO MARU No. 8. At 0600, TACHIBANA MARU and KAMOI accompanied by kaibokan CD-8 are detached.

8 October 1944:
At 2325, LtCdr Victor B. McCrea's USS HOE (SS-258) torpedoes and sinks KOHOKU MARU at 18-31N, 116-00E. CH-41 and CD-25 launch an immediate depth charge attack while CD-32 and W-20 shepherd the convoy away from the area.

9 October 1944:
Air raids on Takao are imminent, so at 1600 the convoy is ordered to Hong Kong.

11 October 1944:
At 1013, the convoy arrives at Hong Kong.

1 November 1944:
At 1800, CH-41 departs Takao for Manila with old destroyer KURETAKE, kaibokan CD-7, CD-1 and CD-3, mineweeper W-27 and fleet supply ship KURASAKI escorting convoy MOMA-06 consists of HAMBURG, tanker SHIMOTSU, ASOKAWA, TOTTORI, EIWA, ATLAS, DAITOKU, SHINSHO, KAKOGAWA, SEKIHO and SEIWA MARUs.

2 November 1944:
At 2305, LtCdr John B. Hess’s USS POMFRET (SS-391) torpedoes and damages ATLAS MARU.

3 November 1944:
At 0435, Hess attacks ATLAS MARU again, but misses. At 0500, POMFRET also torpedoes and damages HAMBURG MARU. At 1850, one of the escorts scuttles her.

4 November 1944:
About 1330, ATLAS MARU finally goes aground. Torpedo boat SAGI arrives from Takao and joins the escort.

8 November 1944:
Off Cape Bolinaro, Luzon. LtCdr Guy E. O'Neil, Jr’s USS GUNNEL (SS-253) torpedoes and sinks SAGI. The convoy later arrives at Santa Cruz, Philippines. Warned of a typhoon in the area, the convoy departs the same day and at 2238 arrives at Manila Bay.

9 November 1944:
At 0925, convoy MOMA-06 arrives at Manila harbor.

20 November 1944:
At 1205, CH-41 departs St Jacques, Indochina with minesweepers W-18, W-17 and W-20 escorting convoy SATA-02 consisting of HIDA MARU.

21 November 1944:
At 2030, arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.

22 November 1944:
At 0725, departs Camranh Bay. At 1820, arrives Van Phong Bay.

23 November 1944:
At 0720, departs Van Phong Bay. At 1345, CH-41 is detached from the convoy.

22 February 1945:
French Indochina. CH-41 is damaged by aircraft at 10-15N, 107-15E.

15 August 1945: End of Hostilities:
Singapore. CH-41’s crewmen are notified of the surrender of Japan.

11 July 1946:
S of Singapore. Scuttled at sea.

10 August 1946:
Removed from the Navy List..

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Authors' Notes:

Thanks go to John Whitman for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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