KUSENTEI!

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

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10 May 1938:
Yokohama. Laid down at at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. shipyard.

15 October 1938:
Launched and numbered CH-9.

9 May 1939:
Completed and registered in the IJN.

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

Off Kota Bharu, Malaya. That same day, Japanese forces land on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. RAF Lockheed "Hudson" light bombers attack the invasion shipping and set IJA cargo ships AWAJISAN and AYATOSAN MARUs afire. Several Hudsons are shot down. CH-9 and destroyers AYANAMI and SHIKINAMI take off AWAJISAN MARU's crew. Later, RAF Bristol "Blenheim" medium bombers sink AWAJISAN MARU, but several Blenheims are also shot down.

December 1941-March 1942:
Conducts patrols in the Malacca Straits.

15 February 1942: Operation "T" - The Invasions of Northern Sumatra and Sabang:
CH-9 participates in the landings at Banka and Palembang, Sumatra of the IJA's 229th Infantry Regiment and a battalion of the 230th Infantry Regiment.

23 March 1942: Operation "D" - The Invasion of the Andaman Islands:
CH-9 participates in the unopposed landing of a battalion of the IJA's 18th Infantry Division at Port Blair, Andaman Islands.

22 May 1942:
CH-9 departs Singapore for Kure escorting repair ship (ex-battleship) ASAHI.

25 May 1942:
100 miles SW of Cape Paderan, Indochina. LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Eugene B. McKinney's USS SALMON (SS-182) makes a night submerged approach on a large warship. McKinney misidentifies his target as the light cruiser YUBARI. He fires four torpedoes of which two hit ASAHI. At 0103, moments after being hit, ASAHI is abandoned and sinks at 09-37N, 109-50E. CH-9 rescues 583 crewmen, but 16 are KIA and several go MIA.

June 1942:
Escort convoys from Singapore.

14 July 1942:
CH-9 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-8. [1]

21 July 1942:
CH-9 departs Mako with minelayer HOKO escorting convoy No. 321 consisting of nine unidentified merchant ships.

28 July 1942:
Arrives at St Jacques.

3 May 1943:
CH-9 departs St Jacques escorting convoy No. 492 consisting of KYOKKO MARU and eight unidentified merchant ships.

9 May 1943:
Arrives at Takao.

23 May 1943:
CH-9 departs St Jacques escorting convoy No. 497 consisting of 10 unidentified merchant ships.

29 May 1943:
Arrives at Mako.

4 June 1943:
CH-9 departs St Jacques escorting convoy No. 401 consisting of nine unidentified merchant ships. The convoy split into two shortly after departing port.

9 June 1943:

The first section arrives at Takao.

10 June 1943:
The second section arrives at Takao.

10 July 1943:
CH-9 departs St Jacques escorting convoy No. 409 consisting of MACASSAR, TATSUNO, KOZUI, NORWAY and KASHU MARUs and six unidentified merchant ships.

16 July 1943:
Arrives at Takao.

17 July 1943:
At 1800, CH-9 and torpedo boat SAGI depart Moji escorting a convoy consisting of HAKONE, ARIMASAN, DURBAN and TACHIBANA MARUs, oilers HOYO and TAKESTSU (BUTSU) MARUs and three unidentified ships.

22 July 1943:
At 1320, arrives at Takao, Formosa. Later that day, arrives at Mako, Pescadores. Still later, departs for Singapore.

2 October 1943:
CH-9 departs St Jacques escorting convoy No. 430 consisting of five unidentified merchant ships.

12 October 1943:
Arrives at Takao.

12 October 1943:
CH-9 departs Takao with destroyer ASAGAO and torpedo boat TOMOZURU escorting convoy No. 329 consisting of tanker KIYO MARU and 19 unidentified merchant ships.

18 October 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques, Indochina.

20 November 1943 :
CH-9 departs St Jacques with unidentified warships escorting convoy No. 443 consisting of seven unidentified merchant ships. The convoy splits into two sections after departing port.

26 November 1943:
The first section arrives at Takao.

28 November 1943:
The second section arrives at Takao.

25 December 1943:
CH-9 departs St Jacques escorting the Rin convoy consisting of three unidentified merchant ships.

29 December 1943:
Arrives at Miri.

19 April 1944:
CH-9 departs Singapore for Saigon escorting convoy SHISA-17 consisting of cargo ship LONDON MARU, transport NAGATA MARU, oilers KORYU and NISSHIN MARUs and merchant oiler YAMAMIZU MARU No. 3.

22 April 1944:
Off Cape St. Jacques, Indochina. At 1945, seven B-24 "Liberator" heavy bombers of the 14th Air Force's 308th Bomb Group make a low-level attack on anchored convoy SHISHA-17. The B-24s sink NAGATA, KORYU and LONDON MARUs and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 3. They also damage NISSHIN MARU. One B-24 is damaged. Only CH-9 escapes without damage.

July 1944:
Reassigned to the 9th Special Base Force at Penang.

26 July 1944:
At 0700, CH-9 departs Kau, Halmahera with CH-34, CH- 35, auxiliary subchasers CHa-26 and SHONAN MARU No. 17 escorting a convoy consisting of KANTO, TOSHO and KEMBU MARUs.

1 August 1944:
At 1850, arrives at Ambon.

5 March 1945:
CH-9 departs Singapore for Moji with CH-20, CH-33, ASW detection vessel TATEISHI (fitted with special cable to detect submerged subs), auxiliary subchaser KAINAN MARU escorting convoy HI-88-I consisting of YAMAKUNI and HOSEN MARUs, NANSHIN MARU No. 21, FUSHIMI MARU No. 2, TAKASAGO MARU No. 6 and an unidentified ship.

15 March 1945:
Arrives at Cape St. Jacques, Indochina. The convoy is reorganized.

19 March 1945:
CH-9 departs Cape St. Jacques with CH-33, cable-layer TATEISHI, auxiliary subchaser KAINAN MARU and subchaser CH-20 escorting convoy HI-88-I consisting of HOSEN MARU, FUSHIMI MARU No. 2, MOTOYAMA MARU No. 1, NANSHIN MARU No. 21 and TAKASAGO MARU No. 6.

20 March 1945:
50 miles S of Camranh Bay, Indochina. At about 0100, convoy HI-88-I is attacked by LtCdr Benjamin C Jarvis' BAYA (SS-318). Jarvis torpedoes and sinks KAINAN MARU at 12-00N, 109-17E. CH-9 counterattacks BAYA and drops 21 depth charges. Although damaged by the depth charges, BAYA remains on patrol.

That same afternoon, at about 1720, the convoy is attacked by LtCdr William H. Hazzard's USS BLENNY (SS-324). Hazzard torpedoes and sinks small oilers NANSHIN MARU No. 21 and HOSEN MARU.

21 March 1945:
Off Nha Trang, Indochina. At about 1120, convoy HI-88-I is attacked by Fifth Air Force B-25 "Mitchell" medium-bombers of the 345th Bomb Group that sink CH-33, cargo vessels MOTOYAMA MARU No. 1 and FUSHIMI MARU. The B-25's also damage CH-9, small oiler TAKASAGO MARU NO. 6 and cable-layer TATEISHI. Damaged CH-9 and CH-20 take refuge at Nha Trang.

At 1120 ,USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from CH-33 that reads: “Engaging 15 B-25s. CH-33 and FUSHIMI sank.”

Codebreakers decrypt another message that reads: “At 1100 in position 12-03N, 109-00E convoy HI-88I . . .” CH-33 sunk and “CH-9 is to ---anchor off Natoran at 1200----. Killed in battle: Captain and 7 others. Wounded: 222 men.” A later Japanese report amends the location of this attack to 12-30.7N., 109-14.3E.

27 March 1945:
Nha Trang. CH-9 and CH-20 join convoy HI-88-J from Singapore, the last oil convoy in Operation "Minami-Go"(South).

29 March 1945:
CH-9 is damaged by 345th Bomb Group B-25 "Mitchell" medium bombers at 15-10N, 109-26E.

At 1120, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from CH-9 that reads: “Am engaging 15 B-24s (sic) in position 15-10 N, 109-26 E.” 30 March 1945:
At 1000, the escorts arrive at Yulin, Hainan Island.

4 April 1945:
At 1700, CH-9 departs Hong Kong en route to Shanghai with CH-20, destroyer AMATSUKAZE, kaibokan CD-1 and CD-134 escorting convoy HOMO-03 consisting of TOKAI MARU No. 2 and KINE MARU.

5 April 1945:
Pinghai Bay, China. USN Martin PBM-5 "Mariner" maritime patrol flying boats attack convoy HOMO-03 and sink TOKAI MARU No. 2 at 22-24N, 116-10E. Later, 5th Air Force B-24 "Liberators", B-26 "Marauders" and P-38 "Lightnings" attack the convoy and sink KINE MARU at 22-24N, 115-28E. The convoy is dissolved. CH-9 and CH-20 return to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong. That same day, Far East Air Force B-24s bomb and damage CH-9, CH-20, fleet oiler KAMOI and kaibokan CD-1 and CD-52 at 22-45N, 116-10E.

July 1945:
Returns to the Inland Sea.

15 August 1945:
Kure. CH-9's crew is notified of the termination of hostilities with the Allied Powers.

20 December 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

1945-1947:
CH-9 is used as a troop demobilization transport with the Allied Repatriation Service.

3 October 1947:
Tsingtao, China. CH-9 is handed over to the Chinese Nationalist Government. The Republic of China Navy renames CH-9 FU LING, then HAI TA and finally MIN CHIANG. 1960s:
Discarded.

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Author's Notes:
[1] No data were found detailing CH-9's movements during June 1942 to June 1943. Readers with access to such data are requested to post the information on the Discussion and Questions board or at j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message Board

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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