KUSENTEI!

© 2005-2008 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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10 January 1938:
Laid down at Tama Shipbuilding.

9 August 1938:
Launched and numbered CH-8.

30 November 1938:
Completed and registered in the IJN.

November 1941:
Camranh Bay, Indochina. CH-8 is assigned to SubChasDiv 11 with CH-7 and CH-9 in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hiraoka Kumeichi's (former CO of HIEI) Ninth Base Force of Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s Southern Fleet.

8 December 1941: Opening of Hostilities with the Western Allies:
CH-8 is at sea off Singora, Siam (Thailand) escorting the Malay Invasion Force.

January 1942:
South China Sea. CH-8 participates in the capture of the Dutch island of Natuna Besar.

9 February 1942: Operation "L" - The Invasion of Palembang, Sumatra:
SubChasDiv 11's CH-8 and CH-7 depart Camranh Bay for Palembang with kaibokan SHIMUSHU and MineSweepDiv 1's W-1, W-2, W-3, W-4 and W-5 escorting eight transports. Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hashimoto Shintaro's DesRon 3's light cruiser SENDAI with DesDiv 11's FUBUKI, HATSUYUKI and SHIRAYUKI and DesDiv 20's ASAGIRI provide close cover.

16 February 1942:
The transports land troops near Palembang.

March 1942:
Arrives at Penang, Malaya.

April 1942:
Escorts convoys between Penang and Singapore.

14 July 1942:
Singapore. CH-8 is assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet's 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet in the 10th Special Base Force's SubChasDiv 11 with CH-7 and CH-9.

September 1942:
Escorts convoys between Singapore and Penang.

9 January 1943:
CH-8 departs Singapore for Rangoon, Burma with auxiliary netlayer CHOKO MARU escorting convoy S-23 consisting of MOJI and NICHIMEI MARUs carrying IJA troops.

15 January 1943:
170 miles NW of Mergui, Burma. Convoy S-23 is attacked several times by Allied bombers. NICHIMEI MARU suffers several bomb hits and near misses. At 1550, she sinks. 97 troops and five crewmen and gunners are lost.

19 January 1943:
Arrives at Rangoon.

3 November 1943:
At 1400, CH-8 departs Penang escorting fleet oiler KAMOI.

5 November 1943:
Indian Ocean. At 1900, arrives at Port Blair, Andaman Islands with KAMOI.

E 19 December 1943:
CH-8 escorts KAMOI between Sabang, Sumatra and Singapore.

7 November 1944:
At 2000, CH-8 departs Manila for Singapore with CH-7 escorting convoy MASHI-03 consisting of tankers NICHINAN MARU No. 2 and SHIMOTSU MARU.

8 November 1944:
At 2257, after the convoy avoids one torpedo attack, LtCdr Marshall H. Austin's USS REDFIN (SS-272) torpedoes and sinks NICHINAN MARU No. 2 at 14-10N 116-37E. The forepart of the wreck sinks at 1030 the following day.

9 November 1944:
At 0055, LtCdr Irvin S. Hartman's USS BARBERO (SS-317) torpedoes and sinks SHIMOTSU MARU 14-32N, 116-53E. The convoy is dissolved.

March 1945:
CH-8 departs Sabah, Sumatra escorting an unidentified convoy.

4 March 1945:
85 nms S of Penang. Working together, British LtCdr (later Vice Admiral, Sir) Arthur R. Hezlet’s submarine HMS TRENCHANT and British Lt Robert H. H. Brunner’s submarine HMS TERRAPIN jointly attack and sink CH-8 by gunfire in the central Malacca Strait, 04-04N, 110-35E.

3 May 1947:
Removed from the Navy List. P>

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Author's Notes:
[1] Little data were found detailing CH-8's movements for 1943 and 1944. Readers with access to additional data are requested to post the information on the Discussion and Questions board or at j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message Board

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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