KUSENTEI!

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

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1944:
Hokkaido. Laid down at the Hakodate Dockyard Co., Ltd’s shipyard.

1944:
Launched and numbered CH-57.

28 October 1944 :
Completed and registered in the Kure Naval District.

November 1944:
Assigned to the Kure Guard Unit. Undergoes training.

December 1944:
Assigned to the First Southern Expeditionary Fleet in Special Base Force 11 at Saigon, Indochina. Escorts convoys to Singapore.

14 January 1945:
At 0700, CH-57 and CH-19 depart Moji escorting convoy MOTA-32 consisting of DAIKYO, TENSHO, SAMARANG AIZAN, SHUNSHO and DAISHUN MARUs, TAMON MARU No. 16 and five unidentified merchants, possibly including TETSUYO and TATSUHARU MARUs, escorted by kaibokans CD-31, CD-132, CD-144, MANJU and destroyer SHIOKAZE.

21 January 1945:
That evening, anchors at Sanmen Inlet, China coast.

22 January 1945:
At dawn, departs Sanmen Inlet. In late afternoon, arrives at Namkwan (Namquan) Bay. At 1600, convoy TAMO-38 consisting of DAINAN, BINGO, TOYOKAWA, RASHIN, SHINNO, TATSUWA MARUs and NICHIYU MARU No.7 escorted by kaibokan CD-26, CD-39, CD-112 and IKUNA heading north arrives and the two convoys merged at anchor.

23 January 1945:
At 0402, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Eugene B. Fluckey's USS BARB (SS-220) penetrates the outer escort screen on the surface and enters the harbor. An unbroken line of ships at anchor, 4200 yards in length, is clearly visible. Fluckey fires a total of eight torpedoes into the target line. DAIKYO MARU is hit and her cargo of munitions detonates in a massive explosion. SAMARANG and DAISHUN MARUs, TAMON MARU No. 16 and SHUNSHO MARU are all damaged. [1]

At 0600, the rest of the convoy departs Namkwan.

25 January 1945:
Arrives at Kirun, Formosa where the convoy is dissolved.

16 February 1945:
At 2100, CH-57 departs Singapore with convoy HI-88-H consisting of HONAN MARU, oilers EISHO and NICHIYOKU MARUs also escorted by kaibokans YAKU and CD-13.

22 February 1945:
At 1045, NICHIYOKU MARU is torpedoed and sunk by LtCdr Henry D. Sturr's USS BECUNA (SS-319) at 11-30N 109-06E. The escorts counterattack dropping 65 depth charges, but are unsuccessful. At 1900, the convoy seeks refuge in Nha Trang Bay.

23 February 1945:
In the morning, departs Nha Trang Bay. At 1210, kaibokan YAKU is torpedoed and sunk by LtCdr George H. Laird's USS HAMMERHEAD (SS-364) at 12-44N, 109-29E.

25 February 1945:
At 0500, convoy HI-88-H arrives at Tourane and merges with convoy HI-88-G. The new convoy consists of HONAN MARU and oilers EISHO MARU, YAEI MARU No. 1 and TAKASAGO MARU No. 2 escorted by kaibokans CD-13, CD-31 and subchasers CH-20 and CH-57.

27 February 1945:
At 0800, departs Tourane.

28 February 1945:
At 1600, arrives at Yulin. Takes on water.

1 March 1945:
At 1100, departs Yulin. At 2300, the convoy is attacked by a single large bomber. At 2314, EISHO MARU is bombed and sunk at 18-32N, 108-16E.

2 March 1945:
Arrives at Linkao Bay, Hainan Island.

3 March 1945:
At 0115, while still in Linkao Bay preparing to leave, three aircraft attack. YAEI MARU No. 1 is bombed and sunk at 20-10N, 109-31E.

17 March 1945:
At 0300, arrives at Moji.

13 May 1945: “Operation Sho” – The Evacuation of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
The Nicobar evacuation group, comprised of auxiliary supply ship KUROSHIYO MARU No. 2 (ex-landing ship T-149) and CH- 57, arrives at Nancowry Island, Nicobar Islands. Four hundred fifty troops are embarked.

14 May 1945: In the afternoon, the evacuation group departs Nancowry Island for Penang. Within hours of departure KUROSHIYO MARU No. 2 and CH- 57 are sighted by a patrolling RAF Consolidated "Liberator" bomber of No. 222 Group 4 at Ceylon.

18 May 1945:
Penang, S channel. CH-57 is lightly damaged by a mine laid by British submarine HMS PORPOISE on 9 Jan ‘45 at 05-20N, 100-08E.

12 June 1945:
Off Rondo Island, 20 miles N of Sabang, Sumatra. Alerted by submarine HMS TRIDENT, the Royal Navy's Destroyer Flotilla 10’s HMS TARTAR, ESKIMO and NUBIAN intercept CH-57 and KUROSHIO MARU No. 2. During the ensuing action, KUROSHIO MARU No. 2 is hit by torpedoes from HMS ESKIMO and explodes. CH-57 is sunk by gunfire at 06-20N, 94-45E. [2]

At 0932, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from the CO of the Sabang Base Force that reads: “KUROSHIO MARU No. 2 and CH-57 were shelled by 3 ---- ships and sank at (0915?) in position bearing ----- degrees (25?) kilometers from Sabang.”

13 June 1945:
At 1731, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message that reads: “Action Summary: - CH-57 and KUROSHIO MARU No. 2 , while outward bound on 2nd phase Shoo operations (withdrawal of Army forces from Andaman Islands) screened by Army plane at 0820 approximately 20 miles N of Sabang encountered 3 enemy destroyers. They engaged the enemy, were shelled and torpedoed, and sank at 0855. --.”

10 August 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Authors' Notes:
[1] The light damage the Marus sustained suggests they were hit by flying debris rather than torpedoes. Why Fluckey's other torpedoes missed remains a mystery.

[2] This was the last surface action by the Royal Navy against Axis shipping during WW2.

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

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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