KUSENTEI!

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

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1943:
Innoshima. Laid down at Hitachi Zosen Co., Ltd's shipyard.

1943:
Launched and numbered CH-46.

30 September 1943:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District. Attached to the Yokosuka Guard Unit.

October 1943:
Attached to the Chichi-Jima Special Base Force. Conducts patrols in the Chichi-Jima area.

December 1943:
CH-46 is reassigned to Vice Admiral Oka Arata's (40) (former CO of KISO) 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet based at Manila with CH-36 and CH-45. Performs guardship duties and escorts convoys to Davao and Palau.

30 December 1943:
At 0800, CH-46 departs Zamboanga, Philippines escorting a convoy consisting of oiler ATAGO MARU and cargo ship SHOZUI MARU. At 1800, the convoy arrives at Jolo.

31 December 1943:
At 0700, departs Jolo. At 1700, arrives at Tawi Tawi.

7 January 1944:
CH-46 and torpedo boat TOMOZURU escort a convoy from Miri, Borneo to Manila consisting of oilers OGURA MARU No. 2 and FUSHIMI MARU No. 3. At 2200, the convoy is attacked by LtCdr Herbert L. Juke's USS KINGFISH (SS-234). Jukes hits and sinks FUSHIMI MARU No. 3 with two of four torpedoes in a radar-assisted attack. TOMOZURU commences an antisubmarine sweep. Meanwhile, CH-46 escorts OGURA MARU No. 2 out of the area.

9 January 1944:
Arrives at Manila.

20 January 1944:
At 0900, CH-46 and patrol boat P-103 depart Manila escorting convoy H-14 to Kau, Halmahera consisting of TONEGAWA, KUROGANE, MOJI, MITSUKI, ADEN, KENWA, UGO and RYOCHI MARUs.

22 January 1944:
At 1150, arrives at Cebu, Philippines.

23 January 1944:
At 0900, departs Cebu.

27 January 1944:
At 1456, arrives at Kau.

30 January 1944:
At 0800, departs Kau for Manila escorting the "M" convoy consisting of KAZUURA, YAMAMIYA, TSUKIKAWA and ODATSUKI MARUs also escorted by patrol boat P-103 and auxiliary subchaser KYO MARU No. 13.

31 January 1944:
Arrives at Cebu.

2 February 1944:
Departs Cebu.

5 February 1944:
Arrives at Manila.

1 April 1944:
CH-46 with minelayer MAESHIMA departs Keelung escorting convoy TAPA-08 consisting of an unidentified merchant ship.

7 April 1944:
Arrives at Palau. A submarine was sighted immediately before arrival.

15 August 1944:
At 0550, CH-46 and minesweeper W-28 depart Manila escorting convoy H-33 (stage 1) consisting of MEXICO, HAVRE, KUNIYAMA, HACHIJIN, OLYMPIA, MISAKI, CHINEZI, TOYO and IWASHIRO MARUs.

17 August 1944:
Arrives at Cebu.

18 August 1944:
At 1830, CH-46, minesweeper W-28 and patrol boat P-105 depart Cebu escorting convoy H-33 (stage 2) consisting of MEXICO, HAVRE, KUNIYAMA and HACHIJIN MARUs.

21 August 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga. Later that day, CH-46, CH-31, minesweeper W-28 and patrol boat P-105 depart Zamboanga escorting convoy H-33 (stage 3) consisting of MEXICO and HAVRE MARUs.

24 August 1944:
Arrives at Jolo Island.

27 August 1944:
At 0625, CH-46, CH-31, minesweeper W-28 and patrol boat P-105 depart Jolo escorting convoy H-33 (stage 4) consisting of MEXICO and HAVRE MARUs en route to Menado.

29 August 1944:
At 0225, LtCdr Arthur E. Krapf's USS JACK (SS-259) torpedoes and sinks MEXICO MARU at 02-15N 122-29E. Krapf launches a second attack and sinks minesweeper W-28.

5 February 1944:
Arrives at Manila.

August 1944:
Philippines. Escorts convoys to Borneo.

9 November 1944:Operation "TA No. 3" - The Reinforcement of Leyte:
In the early dawn, reinforcement convoy TA No. 3 departs Manila consisting of CELEBES, TAIZAN, MIKASA, SAIHO and TENSHO MARUs escorted by destroyers SHIMAKAZE, HAMANAMI, HATSUHARU, TAKE, minesweeper W-30 and CH-46.

10 November 1944:
Bondoc Peninsula. CELEBES MARU runs aground and is left behind. Meanwhile, after convoy TA No. 4 is badly mauled by an American air attack, Admiral Kimura transfers destroyers ASASHIMO, NAGANAMI and WAKATSUKI to join convoy TA No. 3 to augment its AA protection. [1]

That evening, USS PT-321 and PT-324 unsuccessfully attack the convoy, but are driven off by HAMANAMI. The PT-boats seek shelter in San Isidro Bay, but both run aground. To prevent capture, scuttling charges are prepared. PT-321's charges blow her up, but PT-324's charges fail to detonate. The stranded crews, assisted by 100 Philippine guerillas reboard the boat the following day. They eventually refloat her and safely make it back to Allied lines.

11 November 1944:
Task Force 38 launches a total of 347 planes to attack the convoy. At 1050. the first of the attacking aircraft are detected while the convoy is within one mile of its destination - the beach at Ormoc Bay. Over the next few hours, all of the convoy's ships, except ASASHIMO and CH-46, are sunk. At 1630, the last ship, SHIMAKAZE sinks. Of 4,000 troops carried on the four transports only about 500 troops survive. The survivors wading ashore are strafed and killed by American planes that suffer very few casualties in turn.

12 November 1944:
CH-46 and ASASHIMO arrive at Manila.

23 November 1944: Operation "TA No. 5" - The Reinforcement of Leyte:
CH-46 departs Manila escorting convoy TA No. 5's first echelon of landing ships T-111, T-141 and T-160.

24 November 1944:
Masbate Island. Arrives at Port Cataingan early in the morning and takes shelter. Shortly after noon, P-40 "Warhawks" and P-47 "Thunderbolts" fighter-bombers of the 13th Air Force attack and set the three landing ships and their cargos on fire. CH-46 rescues the survivors and heads towards Manila.

25 November 1944:
Carrier aircraft from Task Groups 38.1 and 38.2 find CH-46 enroute back to Manila and sink her at 12-00N, 123-58E.

10 January 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Authors' Note:
[1] CELEBES MARU is later bombed and sunk. Convoy TA No. 4 left Manila before TA No. 3.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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