KUSENTEI!

IJN Subchaser CH-48:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2005-2017 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

Revision 9

10 September 1942:
Niigata. Laid down at the Niigata Engineering Co., Ltd. factory.

5 March 1943:
Numbered CH-48. Tentatively attached to Yokosuka Naval District.

9 April 1943:
Launched and numbered CH-48.

31 July 1943:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District. Atached to the Yokosuka Guard Force. Conducts patrols at the mouth of Tokyo Bay.

24 August 1943:
Departs Yokosuka for Nojimazaki

24 October 1943:
At 0850 hits a mine 148 degrees and 3.4 miles off Kaketsuka lighthouse.

22 March 1944:
Tokyo Bay. CH-48 departs Kisarazu for Saipan and Palau with light cruiser YUBARI, DesDiv 5's HATAKAZE, DesDiv 6's IKAZUCHI and DesDiv 32's TAMANAMI, torpedo boat OTORI, kaibokan NOMI and HIRADO and subchasers CH-51 and CH-54 escorting troop reinforcement convoy Higashi-Matsu No. 3 consisting of supply ship HAYASAKI and KOJUN, MEIRYU, TATSUURA, KENAN, TOMITSU, CHOHAKUSAN and NANYO MARUs and HOSHI MARU No. 11 (JUICHISEI MARU) and NISSEI MARU No. 1.

25 March 1944:
The convoy is attacked by LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Bafford E. Lewellen's (USNA ’31) old USS POLLACK (SS-180). Lewellen torpedoes and sinks subchaser CH-54 (casualties unknown) and claims damage to several transports.

30 March 1944:
Arrives at Saipan

3 April 1944:
At 0001, CH-48 departs Saipan with destroyer UZUKI and four unidentified warships escorting convoy Higashi Matsu No. 3 (return voyage) consisting of TATSUTAGAWA, MEIRYU, SEIRYU MARUs and an unidentified ship.

10 April 1944:
Arrives at Yokosuka.

5 May 1944:
Transport SANYO MARU departs Yokosuka escorted by destroyer HATAKAZE and submarine chaser CH-48.

8 May 1944:
SANYO MARU arrives at Moji. CH-48 and HATAKAZE have already detached.

9 May 1944:
CH-48 and destroyer HATAKAZE pass through Kii Suido escorting transport HAKUSAN MARU to Tokyo Bay.

12 May 1944:
Arrives at Yokosuka.

17 May 1944:
At 0616, CH-48 departs Tateyama, Japan with destroyer HATAKAZE, kaibokan CD-16, MIKURA and MIYAKI, mineweeper W-20, minelayer SARUSHIMA and auxiliary netlayer KOA MARU No. 2 escorting convoy No. 3515 consisting of HAKUSAN, NIPPONKAI, TOYO, KINSHU, HINKO, REIKAI, EIKO, NATSUKAWA, SEIGA, AKISHIMA and CHIYO MARUs and UNYO MARU No. 8.

20 May 1944:
Assigned to escort force B commanded by fifth escort fleet commander under confidential Yokosuka naval district instruction No. 398.

23 May 1944:
At about 0900, W-20 is detached from the convoy.

25 May 1944:
At 0708, the convoy arrives safely at Saipan.

29 May 1944:
CH-48 departs Saipan with kaibokan MIKURA, auxiliary submarine chaser URUPPU MARU and auxiliary patrol boat SHOHO MARU escorting a convoy consisting of NIPPONKAI, TOHO and KINSHU MARUs.

1 June 1944:
At 0345, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message that reads: “Subchaser No. 53 proceed immediately to present position NIPPONKAI MARU convoy which sustained a torpedo attack this morning at 0345 in position 18-04N, 141-18E, and engage in escort of this convoy--.”

At 1800 CH-53 departs Saipan and later joins the convoy.

4 June 1944:
At 1000 arrives at Palau.

June 1944:
Arrives at Yokosuka. Reassigned to the General escort Command’s First Surface Escort Division.

30 June 1944:
At 1030, CH-48 departs Cebu with kaibokan CD-6, CD-16 and CD-19 and subchasers CH-12 and CH-35 escorting convoy SEPA-01/SEDA-01 consisting of TAMA, OYO and AZUCHISAN MARUs.

1 July 1944:
TAMA MARU separates with CD-6, CD-16, CH-12 and CH-35 and heads for Palau. OYO and AZUCHISAN MARUs and CD-19 head for Davao.

4 July 1944:
At 0230, a friendly aircraft crash lands in the sea. CH-35 is detached to rescue its crew and falls behind. At 0352, LtCdr Carl Tiedeman's (USNA ’33) USS GUAVINA (SS-362), in the second of two attacks, torpedoes and sinks TAMA MARU at 07-50N 133-40E. 11 crewmen, three gunners and 321 troops and other passengers are KIA.

5 July 1944:
The escorts arrive at Palau alone. It is probable CH-48 has returned to Davao.

7 July 1944:
At 1000 departs Davao escorting convoy DAMA-01 consisting of unidentified merchant ships also escorted by kaibokan MIKURA, CD-19, torpedo boat HIYODORI, and minelayers KYOSAI and YURIJIMA.

9 July 1944:
At 1700 arrives at Cebu.

11 July 1944:
At 0700 departs Cebu still escorting DAMA-01.

13 July 1944:
At 1800 arrives at Manila.

16 July 1944:
CH-48 departs Manila with kaibokan CD-10, auxiliary netlayer KISHIN MARU and auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 8 and an unidentified warship escorting convoy MATA-25 consisting of HAKOZAKI, SHINFUKU, SHINSUI and SEIGA MARUs and NISSHO MARU No. 18 and two unidentified merchant ships.

28 July 1944:
Arrives at Takao.

31 July 1944:
CH-48 departs Takao with destroyer SHIOKAZE, kaibokan CD-10 and minelayer YURIJIMA escorting convoy TAMO-22 consisting of TATSUWA, HAKUROKU (HAKUSHIKA) MARUs and five unidentified merchant ships.

1 August 1944:
At 1300 arrives at Keelung.

4 August 1944:
At 1200 departs Keelung.

8 August 1944:
Arrives at Fukuoka Wan with minelayer YURIJIMA and possibly the convoy.

9 August 1944:
At 1400 arrives at Moji.

August 1944:
Attached to the Yokosuka Guard Force. Escorts convoys to Onagawa Bay, Miyagi Prefecture, N Honshu.

12 August 1944:
Repairs commenced and continue throughout August and early September.

17 September 1944:
Repairs are completed and later that day arrives at Onagawa.

22 September 1944:
Departs Onagawa but later that day returns to port.

27 September 1944:
Departs Onagawa.

30 September 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

6 October 1944:
At 0830 departs Onagawa with minesweeper W-33.

9 October 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa and departs later that day.

16 October 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

18 October 1944:
Departs Onagawa.

21 October 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

27 October 1944:
At 0830 departs Onagawa with auxiliary patrol boat KIMPO MARU.

30 October 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

4 November 1944:
Departs Onagawa.

7 November 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

12 November 1944:
Departs Onagawa.

13 November 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

14 November 1944:
Departs Onagawa.

17 November 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

20 November 1944:
Departs Onagawa.

21 November 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

23 November 1944:
Departs Onagawa.

26 November 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

1 December 1944:
Departs Onagawa.

4 December 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa.

8 December 1944:
Departs Onagawa.

11 December 1944:
Arrives at Onagawa and departs later that day.

13 December 1944:
Arrives at Shiogama.

15 December 1944:
Drydocked for repairs for rest of December.

31 December 1944:
Arrives back at Onagawa.

1 January 1945:
Departs Onagawa.

4 January 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa.

10 January 1945:
At 0830 departs Onagawa for Onahama with auxiliary subchaser CHa-88.

13 January 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa.

16 January 1945:
Departs Onagawa.

19 January 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa.

25 January 1945:
At 0830 departs Onagawa with auxiliary minesweeper MISAGO MARU No. 1 and auxiliary picket boat SUYAMA MARU No. 1.

28 January 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa with auxiliary minesweeper MISAGO MARU No. 1.

26 April 1945:
Extensive repairs at Onagawa completed.

28 April 1945:
Departs Onagawa.

29 April 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa.

4 May 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa.

5 May 1945:
Departs Onagawa.

6 May 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa.

8 May 1945:
Departs Onagawa.

9 May 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa and departs later that day.

20 May 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa.

22 May 1945:
Departs Onagawa.

23 May 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa.

28 May 1945:
Departs Onagawa.

14 July 1945:
Off Kamaishi Bay, Honshu. Sunk by Vice Admiral (Admiral posthumously) John S. McCain's (USNA'06) Task Force 38 carrier-based aircraft at 39-20N, 141-58E.

15 September 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

Thanks for assistance to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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