KOSEKI UMPANSEN

(Type 1K ore carrier underway)

DAIZEN MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement


© 2011-2017 Bob Hackett
Revision 1

E 1943:
Tsurumi, Yokohama Laid down at Nippon Kokan K.K as a 5,396-ton Type 1K Standard Merchant cargo ship (ore carrier) for Osaka Shosen (OSK) K.K., Osaka.

1943:
Launched and named DAIZEN MARU.

August 1943:
Completed.

8 March 1944:
DAIZEN MARU departs Moji in convoy MOTA-09 also consisting of liner TEIRITSU MARU (ex-French LECONTE DE LISLE) and cargo ships BATOPAHAT, TAKETOYO, HAMBURG, KYOKUZAN, MATSUE, MURORAN, CHUYO, BUNZAN, TAIYU, SHOEI MARUs, HINO MARU No. 1 and tankers OGURA MARU No. 2 and SAN LUIS MARU escorted by destroyer WAKATAKE and patrol boat PB-38. Later that day, arrives at Tomie Bay, Goto Retto, Fukue-Jima.

9 March 1944:
Convoy MOTA-09 departs Tomie Bay for Takao.

E 10 March 1944:
Patrol boat PB-38 joins the escort of MOTA-09.

11 March 1944:
CHUYO MARU No. 2 develops engine trouble. At 0950, PB-38 is detached to find her, but is unsuccessful and later rejoins the convoy.

13 March 1944:
At 1844, an enemy submarine is detected at 25-58N, 121-34E. The escorts drop 50 depth charges and drive it off.

14 March1944:
PB-38 detects another enemy submarine and drives it away by dropping three depth charges. Convoy MOTA-09 arrives at Mako.

15 February 1944:
Departs Mako. At 1845, arrives at Takao.

18 June 1944:
DAIZEN MARU departs Manila in convoy MI-05 now consisting of cargo/transports ARIMASAN, HIDA, NIPPO (ex-Chinese NINGPO), TATSUJU, URAKARUTA, TEIFU, ROKKO, HINAGA, MIIKESAN, NICHIYO and SEIWA MARUs, fleet oiler NOTORO and tankers TACHIBANA, JINEI, SAN DIEGO, BAIEI, KENZUI, ATAGO, AYANAMI, CERAM, OEI and TOKUWA MARUs, YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2, and KYOEI MARU No. 8.

23 June 1944:
At 1257, arrives at Miri.

25 June 1944:
At 1915, DAIZEN MARU departs Miri for Singapore in convoy MISHI-03 also consisting of fleet oiler NOTORO and SAN DIEGO, NICHIYO, JINEI, FUYUKAWA, AYANAMI, KYOEI No. 8, BAIEI, and cargo/transports TEIFU (ex-BOUGAINVILLE), SEIWA, NIPPO, HIDA, SURAKARTA, HINAGA, MANILA, ARIMASAN, ROKKO, TATSUTAMA (ex-American SS Admiral Y. S. WILLIAMS), TOA and KENZUI MARUs escorted by kaibokan CD-18, torpedo boat SAGI, minesweeper W-17, subchaser CH-21 and auxiliary minesweepers CHOUN MARU No. 6 and TOSHI MARU No. 2.

28 June 1944:
South China Sea, off Singapore. At 2100, Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Rueben T. Whitaker’s (USNA '34) USS FLASHER’s (SS-249) radar picks up the convoy. Whitaker, operating in relatively shallow water (150 feet), decides to wait until after the moon sets to make a surface attack on the convoy’s two largest ships.

29 June 1944:
At 0111, Whitaker torpedoes freighter NIPPO MARU. Then he torpedoes oiler NOTORO. At 0117, two or three torpedoes hit NIPPO MARU and two or three torpedoes hit NOTORO. NIPPO MARU breaks in two and sinks by the bow. 12 crewmen and 75 out of 598 troops and 30 other passengers are KIA. NOTORO remains afloat, but goes dead in the water. The escorts begin blindly dropping depth charges. Whitaker, still on the surface, leaves the area on four engines.

30 June 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.

E 18 July 1944:
DAIZEN MARU departs Miri for Moji in convoy MI-10 also consisting of HIDA, HINAGA, SHIMOTSU and FUYUKAWA MARUs and tankers HAKUBASAN, SHUNTEN, TAKETSU (BUTSU), CHIYODA MARUs plus 19 unidentified ships escorted by destroyer ASAKAZE, minelayer MAEJIMA, kaibokan YASHIRO and CD-3 and auxiliary gunboats PEKING and KAZAN (HUASHAN) MARUs.

E 23 July 1944:
Arrives at Manila. Convoy MI-10 is joined by tankers OEI MARU and KYOEI MARU No. 6 and KAKOGAWA, TSUKUBASAN, ROKKO, RASHIN, KUROGANE, FRANCE, MYOGI MARUs and UNYO MARU No.7.

27 July 1944:
At 1100, reconstituted convoy MI-10 departs Manila.

28 July 1944:
At 1040, LtCdr Francis D. Walker's (USNA ’35) USS CREVALLE (SS-291) torpedoes and sinks HAKUBASAN MARU at 1305 at 16-28N, 119-38E. Three men are KIA.

2 August 1944:
Arrives at Takao. ASAKAZE and YASHIRO are detached. KUROGANE, FRANCE and RASHIN MARUs are probably also detached.

E 3 August 1944:
Departs Takao.

E 10 August 1944:
Arrives at Moji.

11 September 1944: At 1500, DAIZEN MARU departs Moji for Takao in convoy MOTA-26 also consisting of GASSAN, SEIZAN, HAKUSAN, HOTEN, MURORAN, MANILA, MACASSAR, DAIIKU, DAIKYO, NANKING, FUYUKAWA, PEKING, HIDA and JUNHO MARUs and NICHIYU MARU No. 2 and tanker DAISHO MARU escorted by destroyer HARUKAZE, kaibokan CD-9 and CD-26 and subchaser CH-56.

16 September 1944:
GASSAN, SEIZAN and HAKUSAN MARUs split from the convoy and later that day arrive at Keelung, Formosa.

17 September 1944:
At 1300, arrives at Takao.

8 October 1944:
At 0700, DAIZEN MARU departs Manila for Miri, Borneo in reorganized convoy MI-19 also consisting of SAN DIEGO, SAN LUIS, HIDA, NITTETSU, EIKYO, TOKUWA, SHUNTEN, TATSUBATO, DAISHU and YOSHU MARUs escorted by kaikoban CD-18 and CD-26, patrol PB-105, subchaser CH-19 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-56.

9 October 1944:
About 1700, LtCdr Henry D. Sturr’s (USNA ’35) BECUNA (SS-319) torpedoes and damages SAN LUIS MARU, but she is able to continue. LtCdr Francis W. Scanland’s (USNA ’34) HAWKBILL (SS-366) also torpedoes tanker SAN LUIS MARU about the same time. At 1804, BECUNA torpedoes and sinks TOKUWA MARU. 10 crewmen are KIA.

10 October 1944:
SHUNTEN MARU and two of the escorts are detached with damaged SAN LUIS MARU and head for Sandakan, Borneo,

12 October 1944: Palawan Passage. LtCdr (later Captain) David H. McClintock’s (USNA ’35) DARTER (SS-227) fires four torpedoes at two ships in the convoy, but inflicts no damage.

14 October 1944:
Balabac Strait. At 0208, LtCdr (later Captain) Bladen D. Claggett’s (USNA ’35) DACE (SS-247) torpedoes and sinks tanker NITTETSU MARU and damages DAIZEN and EIKYO MARUs.

17 October 1944:
Arrives at Miri, Borneo.

October 1944 -February 1945:
DAIZEN MARU arrives at Kuching, Sarawak, NW Borneo. Undergoes temporary repairs.

18 February 1945:
At 0800, DAIZEN MARU departs Kuching for Singapore in a convoy also consisting of KANTO and NANKAI MARUs escorted by auxiliary NITTO MARU No. 16, auxiliary netlayer TOKACHI MARU and an unidentified escort. DAIZEN MARU is carrying 350 men of the Southern Area Fuel Workshop, the 70th Mooring Place unit and a cargo of ammunition.

20 February 1945:
Mid-way between the W coast of Borneo and Singapore, LtCdr Francis W. Scanland, Jr’s (USNA ’34) USS HAWKBILL (SS-366) fires six torpedoes at DAIZEN MARU. Hit by three torpedoes, she sinks in 30 seconds at 00-42N, 106-18E. 48 passengers and 31 crewmen are KIA.

Author’s Note:
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany for additional info on convoy MOTA-09.

Photo credit and thanks go to Gilbert Casse of France.

-Bob Hackett

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