FUSETSUKAN!

Stories and Battle Histories of the IJN's Minelayers

14 November 2009

By Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

Discussion & Questions



(TSUGARU by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")
The IJN employed several types of minelayers (Fusetsukan) in World War II, but only five minelayers were purpose-built. They were ITSUKUSHIMA, OKINOSHIMA, TSUGARU, SHIRATAKA and YAEYAMA.

TOKIWA was a converted old armored cruiser with a capacity of over 500 mines.

The SOKUTEN and HIRASHIMA classes were minelaying boats (Fusetsutei) and rated as auxiliary warships (Tokumu Kantei). The TSUBAME, SARUSHIMA, AJIRO and KAMISHIMA classes belonged to the same type.

The HATSUTAKA-class were classified as minelayers, but were actually netlayers (Kyusetsukan) that could perform the minelayer role when required. TENYO MARU was a large cargo ship that was converted to an auxiliary minelayer just before Pearl Harbor.

To the extent of available data, this page will cover movements of 22 of the IJN's Fusetsukan.

Japanese Minelayers: Tabular Records of Movement (TROMs)

(Minelayer Classes link to specifications summaries)

Tsugaru Class

Tsugaru(revised 6/14/2007)

Shirataka Class

Shirataka(revised 5/30/2009)

Okinoshima Class

Okinoshima(revised 6/14/2007)

Itsukushima Class

Itsukushima(posted 12/28/2007)

Yaeyama Class

Yaeyama (revised 5/30/2009)

Tokiwa Class

Tokiwa (posted 4/21/2008)

Tsubame Class

Tsubame (revised 5/30/2009)
Kamome (posted 7/4/2009)

Nasami Class

Natsushima (posted 7/5/08)

Sarushima Class

Sarushima (posted 7/26/08)

Shinko Maru Class

Shinko Maru

Sokuten Class

Sokuten (revised 5/30/2009)
Ukishima (posted 12/6/08)

Kyosai (revised 5/30/2009)
Takashima (posted 8/1/2009)
Saishu (posted 8/29/2009)

Hirashima Class

Nuwajima (revised 5/30/2009)

Maeshima (revised 5/30/2009)
Niizaki (revised 5/30/2009)
Ishizaki (posted 3/28/2009
Yurijima (posted 9/19/2009

Hatsutaka Class

Hatsutaka(revised 5/30/2009)

Aotaka (posted 10/3/2009
Wakataka (revised 10/31/2009

Ajiro Class

Ajiro (posted 10/24/2009

Kamishima Class

Kamishima(posted 11/14/2009

Awashima

Tenyo Maru Class

Tenyo Maru

Bibliography of Sources

About the Authors

Mr. Robert Hackett is a military historian and researcher. Retired from the United States Air Force and later from the aerospace industry, he resides in Florida.

Mr. Sander Kingsepp, a native of Estonia, is also a military historian and researcher. A talented linguist, Sander's translations of Japanese source materials have greatly enhanced these TROMs.

Mr. Peter Cundall is a historian and researcher. He specializes in merchant ships and resides in Australia.

Questions to the authors concerning these TROMs should be posted on the Discussion and Questions board.