KUSENTEI!

IJN Subchaser CH-4:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2005-2021 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

Revision 7

1 January 1938:
Osaka. Laid down at the Sakurajima Zosensho shipyard.

13 September 1938:
Launched and numbered CH-4.

28 December 1938:
Completed and registered in the IJN.

7 December 1941: Operation "M" - The Invasion of the Northern Philippines:
Assigned to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hirose Sueto's (39) (former CO of AOBA) 2nd Base Force of Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo's (36) (former CO of KIRISHIMA) Third Fleet. Attached to the Philippines Seizure Force in Cdr Ota's SubChasDiv 21 with CH-5, CH-6, CH-16, CH-17 and CH-18. At 1630, departs Mako, Pescadores.

10 December 1941:
Participates in the landings at Vigan, Philippines. Assigned to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Nishimura Shoji's (39) 2nd Raiding Force consisting of light cruiser NAKA (F), destroyers HARUSAME, MURASAME, YUDACHI and SAMIDARE (DesDiv 2); ASAGUMO, MINEGUMO and NATSUGUMO (DesDiv 4), MinesweepDiV 21 consisting of minesweepers W-9, W-10, W-11 and W-12; MineSweeping Div 30 consisting of W-17 and W-18, SubChaserDiv 31 consisting of CH-10, CH-11 and CH-12. CH-4 is attacched to SubChaserDiv 21 consisting of CH-4, CH-5, CH-6, CH-16, CH-17 and CH-18. This force escorts a total of 6 transports namely OIGAWA, BRISBANE, TAKAO, HAWAII, SHUNKO and SANKO MARUs.

January 1942:
Conducts anti-submarine patrols from Davao, Philippines.

18 February 1942:
With destroyer KAWAKAZE, escorts EHIME and HAVANA MARUs from Balikpapan through Macassar Strait.

22 February 1942:
At 0700 departs Balikpapan escorting EHIME and LIVERPOOL MARUs.

8-12 March 1942:
Participates in the capture of Surabaya, Java.

10 March 1942:
Assigned to Vice Admiral Takahashi's Southwest Area Fleet's newly formed Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet in Special Base Force 22 organized at Surabaya with CH-5 and CH-6. Escorts convoys to Balikpapan, Borneo.

13 June 1942:
At 1200 arrives at Balikpapan.

25 June 1942:
At 1100 CH-4 departs Balikpapan escorting convoy No. 004 consisting of one unidentified merchant ship.

1 July 1942:
At 1200 arrives at Manila.

4 July 1942:
At 0900 CH-4 departs Manila with CH-3 and auxiliary subchaser KYO MARU No. 2 escorting convoy No. 903 consisting of two unidentified merchant ships.

10 July 1942:
At 1200 arrives at Balikpapan.

15 July 1942:
At 0800 CH-4 departs Balikpapan escorting convoy No. 006 consisting of one unidentified merchant ship.

19 July 1942:
At 1000 arrives at Manila.

2 May 1943:
Departs Balikpapan but returns later that day.

3 May 1943:
At 0750 departs Balikpapan.

6 May 1943:
At 0800 arrives back at Balikpapan.

10 May 1943:
At 1200 departs Balikpapan.

15 May 1943:
At 1000 arrives at Palau.

19 May 1943:
At 1100 CH-4 departs Palau escorting convoy No. 2502 consisting of YONEYAMA, MIYAURA, MILAN MARUs, BANSHU MARU No.15 and one unidentified merchant ship.

26 May 1943:
At 0800 arrives at Balikpapan.

1 June 1943:
At 0900 departs Balikpapan.

6 June 1943:
At 1100 arrives at Palau.

8 June 1943:
At 0900 departs Palau.

9 June 1943:
At 1500 arrives back at Palau.

11 June 1943:
At 1500 CH-4 departs Palau escorting convoy No. 2504 consisting of two unidentified merchant ships.

19 June 1943:
At 0115 arrives at Balikpapan.

20 June 1943:
At 0700 departs Balikpapan but at 1110 returns to Balikpapan.

22 June 1943:
At 0900 CH-4 departs Balikpapan escorting convoy No. 2602 consisting of fleet oiler TSURUMI.

28 June 1943:
At 1500 arrives at Palau.

30 June 1943:
At 1500 departs Palau with torpedo boat HATO escorting convoy FU-105 consisting of SHINYUBARI, ARIMASAN and TAITO MARUs and Naval oiler TSURUMI. The convoy apparently assembles in the roadstead.

1 July 1943:
At 0600 the convoy departs Palau atoll. From 0900 USS GURNARD lauches several unsuccesful attacks on the convoy and nearby hospital ship MURO MARU. CH-4 was detached at this point to hunt the submarine and arrives at 165° and 45 nautical miles from the Palau West Entrance to search for enemy submarine.

3 July 1943:
At 1215 arrives back at Palau.

5 July 1943:
Departs Palau escorting NAGOYA MARU.

10 July 1943:
At 0900 arrives at Balikpapan.

23 July 1943:
At 0900 CH-4 departs Balikpapan escorting convoy No. 2604 consisting of three unidentified merchant ships.

29 July 1943:
At 1200 arrives at Palau.

4 August 1943:
CH-4 departs Palau escorting convoy No. 2507 consisting of two unidentified merchant ships.

9 August 1943:
Arrives at Balikpapan.

20 August 1943:
At 0900, CH-4 and CH-5 depart Balikpapan escorting convoy No. 2606 consisting of AMAGISAN, NICHIAI and YAMAYURI MARUs and fleet oiler TSURUMI.

23 August 1943:
YAMAYURI MARU and CH-5 are detached for Menado and then NICHIAI MARU is detached.

E 25 August 1943:
Departs Menado in the convoy still consisting of IJN transports AMAGISAN and IJA transport NICHIAI MARU escorted by subchaser CH-4.

26 August 1943:
Off Palau. LtCdr (later Cdr) John A. Scott's (USNA ’28) USS TUNNY (SS-282) unsuccessfully attacks a convoy consisting of transport AMAGISAN MARU and fleet oiler TSURUMI escorted by CH-4 at 07-30N, 134-20E. CH-4 depth charges and damages USS TUNNY. Scott is forced to terminate his patrol.

27 September 1943:
At 1215 off Menado W-22 and submarine chaser CH-4 sight and attack an enemy submarine.

20 October 1943:
CH-4, destroyer WAKATAKE and auxiliary subchaser CHa-41 escort convoy No. 2609 consisting of Naval tanker TSURUMI and merchant ships HIMALAYA, DAI, SENKO, KENZAN, MACASSAR, EIKO MARUs, OGURA MARU No. 3 and DAIGEN MARU No. 3 from Macassar, Celebes and Balikpapan to Palau.

29 October 1943:
At 0600, departs Palau escorting SENKO MARU via Menado to Balikpapan.

5 November 1943:
At 1000, departs Balikpapan escorting auxiliary submarine tender SANTOS MARU.

6 November 1943:
At 1500, at Cape Seratan, detaches.

30 December 1943:
CH-4 departs Surabaya for Kupang, Timor, with CH-3 escorting convoy "T" consisting of HEIMEI, NICHINAN (41, 2742), TENSHO and NICHIEI MARUs and one unidentified ship.

2 January 1944:
Arrives at Nangahale, Flores where NICHINAN (2742 gt) and TENSHO MARUs and the unidentified ship are detached. The remainder of the convoy departs the next morning.

3 January 1944:
Departs Nangahale with CH-3 for Kupang, still escorting convoy “T” now consisting of IJA transport HEIMEI MARU and auxiliary transport NICHIEI MARU.

4 January 1944:
At 1200, arrives at Kupang. About 1700, the anchorage is attacked by B-25 “Mitchell” medium bombers at low level. One B-25 strikes HEIMEI MARU and crashes into the sea. Its bomb load lands on the ship, which later has to be scuttled by shore-based gunfire. Two crewmen are KIA.

22 March 1944:
At 0745, CH-4 and patrol boat PB-102 (ex-USS STEWART, DD-224) depart Tarakan escorting a convoy consisting of NANSUSAN, SEITO, ANJO and SHONAN MARUs.

24 March 1944:
At 1150, arrives at Balikpapan.

18 April 1944:
Kendari, Celebes. CH-4 runs aground in Staring Bay and sustains medium damage. Later, she undergoes repairs at Surabaya.

13 June 1944:
Repairs are completed. Thereafter, escorts convoys from the Philippines to Balikpapan.

7 August 1944:
At 0630, CH-4 and patrol boat PB-2 depart Tawi Tawi escorting TATSUHARU MARU to Balikpapan, Borneo.

11 August 1944:
At 2030, arrives at Balikpapan.

25 August 1944:
At 0630 departs Bongao with patrolboat PB-2 escorting fleet oiler SHIRETOKO.

26 August 1944:
At 2000 arrives at Tarakan.

28 August 1944:
At 0628 departs Tarakan.

30 August 1944:
At 1032 arrives at Balikpapan.

31 August 1944:
At 1339 departs Balikpapan with patrolboat PB-2 escorting Navy transports T-102 and T-131 bound for Jolo.

4 September 1944:
At 1711 arrives at Jolo.

7 September 1944:
At 0116 (?) departs Jolo with patrol boat PB-2 escorting Navy transport T-131.

8 September 1944:
At 1031 arrives at Tarakan.

9 September 1944:
At 1147 departs Tarakan.

11 September 1944:
At 1825 arrives at Balikpapan.

30 October 1944:
Salvage ship HOREI MARU departs Balikpapan apparently escorted by submarine chaser CH-4.

2 November 1944:
At 1704 the ships temporarily anchor 1 km south of Rangasa Island.

3 November 1944:
At 0700 depart anchorage. At 1246, HOREI MARU is attacked by aircraft off Endhill Point. At 1251, a near miss disables the rudder. After repairs are completed by 1310, proceeds to Dent Haven, and arrives at 1530 and leaves soon after at 1558.

4 November 1944:
At 0515 the ships arrives at Tarakan Island and departs later that day, at 1102.

6 November 1944:
At 2214 arrives at Cabulauan Island and anchors 78 degrees to south about 2 nautical miles off the island.

7 November 1944:
At 0455 the ships depart Cabulauan Islands.

8 November 1944:
At 0425 arrives at Manila. At 1900, CH-4, three unidentified subchasers and patrol boat PB-2 depart Manila for Balikpapan escorting convoy B-02 consisting of MANYO MARU and tankers HISHI MARU No. 2 and KYOEI MARU.

9 November 1944:
Mindoro Strait. At 1530, LtCdr Franch C. Lynch's USS HADDO (SS-255) torpedoes and sinks HISHI MARU No. 2 at 12-24N 120-45E. The escorts counterattack with depth charges, but Lynch evades and escapes.

E 11 November 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.

1 December 1944:
On that day, FRUMEL provides the following information:
"Vessels for transporting troops between Jolo and Tarakan (Minesweepers 12 and 8 and Subchaser 4), will leave Balikpapan at 1830 on 3rd and arrive Jolo at 1700 on 5th. 880 men of NADA Force comprise the troops to be transported."

5 December 1944:
At 1830 departs Balikpapan on the transport mission with W-8 and W-12.

7 December 1944:
At 1730 arrives at Jolo.

9 December 1944:
At 0700 arrives at Tarakan.

10 December 1944:
At 1800 arrives back at Balikpapan.

2 March 1945:
Surabaya. CH-4 undergoes repairs and servicing and then returns to convoy escort duties.

26 July 1945:
Departs Macassar with auxiliary minesweeper Wa-8 escorting former tanker NANSHIN MARU No. 17. The former tanker is carrying 416 POWs.

29 July 1945:
Arrives at Surabaya.

13 August 1945:
Surabaya Channel. CH-4 hits a mine and is damaged.

August 1945: Cease Fire:
Bandjermasin, Borneo. CH-4 is turned over to Allied Forces. Later, she is sold to an unknown party.

3 May 1947:
Removed from the Navy List.

Thanks to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France for assistance.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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