RIKUGUN YUSOSEN
(FUJIKAWA MARU, prewar)
FUJIKAWA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2018 Bob Hackett
1 November 1942:
Osaka. Laid down at Osaka Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. as a 2,829-ton Wartime Standard 1C cargo ship for Kawasaki Kisen Kaifu Co., Ltd., Kobe.
3 August 1943:
Launched and named FUJIKAWA MARU.
E 1943:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army (IJA) as a troop transport. Alloted IJA No. 1125.
21 October 1943:
Completed.
26 November 1943:
Off Davao, Philippines. FUJIKAWA MARU joins convoy H-6 consisting of CHINKAI, HAMBURG, TATSUHARU, NANREI, RYUSEI and TATSUHARU MARUs escorted by patrol boat PB-103
29 November 1943:
At 0815, arrives at Kau, Halmahera.
16 January 1944:
FUJIKAWA MARU departs Takao in convoy No. 235 also consisting of BOKO (ex-British SAGRES), HAMBURG, HORAI, KUMAGAWA, MISAKI, NICHIREI and RIZAN MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 1 escorted by destroyer KURETAKE.
23 January 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
22 February 1944:
FUJIKAWA MARU departs Takao in convoy TAMA-05 also consisting of CHINKAI, FUYO, FUJIKAWA, HOZAN, KACHOSAN, TAIKOKU, TEIYU (ex-Italian CARIGNANO) and ZUIYO MARUs and NISSHO MARU No. 16 escorted by minesweeper W-17, auxiliary netlayer TOKACHI MARU, auxiliary TERUKUNI MARU and two other unidentified small escorts.
26 February 1944:
At 1800, arrives at Manila.
3 March 1944:
FUJIKAWA MARU departs Manila in an H series convoy also consisting of HOZAN, CHINKAI, FUYO and FUJIKAWA MARUs escorted by subchaser CH-45.
5 March 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga.
6 March 1944:
Departs Zamboanga.
10 March 1944:
Arrives at Kau.
11 March 1944:
Departs Kau.
14 March 1944:
Arrives at Davao.
21 March 1944:
Departs Davao.
24 March 1944:
Arrives at Halmahera.
28 March 1944:
FUJIKAWA MARU departs Wasili, Halmahera for Manowari, N. New Guinea carrying 212 passengers and freight.
30 March 1944:
At 0210, Cdr (Rear Admiral-Ret) William S. Stovall's (USNA '29) USS DARTER (SS-227) fires six torpedoes and gets four hits that blow the stern off FUJIKAWA MARU and sets her afire. At 0215, She sinks at 01-50N, 133-25E. 12 men are KIA.
Author's Note:
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.
Bob Hackett
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