YUSOSEN!
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(Oiler by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings
of Japanese Warships")
IJN GENYO MARU: Tabular Record of Movement
© 1998-2006 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Revision 2
12 June 1937:
Kobe. Laid down as a 10,018-ton merchant tanker by Kawasaki for Asano Bussan, Tokyo.
30 December 1937:
Launched and named GENYO MARU.
28 April 1938:
Completed.
2 November 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN and registered in the Sasebo Naval District.
23 November 1941:
Sasebo Naval Yard. Begins conversion to a naval auxiliary.
15 December 1941:
The conversion is completed. Attached to Vice Admiral Ibo Takahashi's Third Fleet.
18 December 1941:
Departs Sasebo.
9 January 1942:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores.
17 January 1942:
Departs Takao.
1 February 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
6 February 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
20 February 1942:
Formosa Strait. Collides with and damages Army cargo ship DAKAR MARU. Later that day, arrives at Mako.
27 February 1942:
Departs Mako.
28 March 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
1 April 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
22 May 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
30 May 1942: Operation "MI" - The Battle
of Midway:
Departs Sasebo in Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Kondo Nobutake's (former CO of KONGO) Second Fleet, Midway Invasion Force with Captain Murao Jiro's Supply Group’s oilers SATA, TSURUMI and KENYO MARU and repair ship AKASHI.
4 June 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
13 June 1942:
Reassigned to the Northern Naval Force's (Fifth Fleet) 2nd Group.
24 June 1942:
Arrives at Ominato.
28 June 1942:
Departs Ominato.
13 July 1942:
Arrives at Hiroshima Bay.
2 August 1942:
Departs Kure.
7 August 1942: American Operation “Watchtower” – The Invasion of Guadalcanal, Solomons:
Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Richmond K. Turner's Amphibious Task Force 62, covered by Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Frank J. Fletcher’s Task Force 61 and Rear Admiral (later Admiral) John S. McCain's Task Force 63’s land-based aircraft, lands MajGen (later Gen/MOH/Commandant) Alexander A. Vandergrift’s 1st Marine Division on Florida, Tulagi, Gavutu, Tanambogo and Guadalcanal opening the campaign to retake the island.
10 August 1942:
Departs Truk for Rabaul with destroyer HAMAKAZE.
14 August 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul.
3 September 1942:
Arrives at Shimotsu.
8 September 1942:
Reassigned to the Guadalcanal Transport Replenishment Group to support Naval Forces. That same day, departs Kanagawa.
7 October 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
16 October 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
7 November 1942:
Arrives at Nagasaki.
11 November 1942:
Departs Nagasaki.
30 July 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
31 July-2 August 1943:
Truk. Refuels NOWAKI and another DesDiv 27 destroyer, then refuels ISOKAZE and AKEBONO.
19 August 1943:
Departs Rabaul in convoy 2194 with an unidentified escort.
23 August 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
22 September 1943:
At 1500, GENYO MARU is attacked by LtCdr Victor B. McCrea’s USS HOE (SS-258) in a submerged attack at 10-07N, 146-57E. McCrea fires six torpedoes, of which GENYO MARU’s lookouts spot the tracks of four. McCrea reports two hits and his target down by the stern and listing.
6 October 1943:
At 1600, departs Truk via the South Channel with an unidentified destroyer.
10 October 1943:
At 0900, departs Truk with destroyer UMIKAZE that escorts the ship some distance before returning to Truk.
20 October 1943:
At 1000, departs Balikpapan with oiler AZUMA MARU.
29 October 1943:
At 0500, arrives Truk in convoy consisting of GENYO and AZUMA MARUs escorted by destroyer YUZUKI.
5 November 1943:
GENYO MARU departs Truk for Singapore in convoy with oiler HOYO MARU escorted by old destroyer YAKAZE.
6 November 1943:
150 miles NW of Truk. At 0200, the convoy is attacked by LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Roy M. Davenport’s USS HADDOCK (SS-231) in a surface radar attack at 07-54N, 150-06E. Davenport fires six torpedoes at GENYO and HOYO MARUs from 3,000 yards. He then swings around and fires all four stern torpedoes at YAKAZE from about 4,000 yards.
The convoy switches on searchlights and opens fire. At 0005 (JST), YAKAZE steaming at 12 knots rams GENYO MARU’s starboard aft section. The escort’s bow is bent badly and speed reduced to 6 knots. YAKAZE returns to Truk on 7th. Davenport pulls off, reloads and about an hour later makes a second attack. He fires his last four torpedoes from 3,000 yards, two at each oiler, and claims sinking both. Actually, HOYO MARU is hit, set afire and abandoned.
GENYO MARU and YAKAZE return to Truk. Subchaser CH-33 assists GENYO MARU. Later, light cruiser NAGARA departs Truk and tows HOYO MARU back to port.
12 November 1943:
Departs Truk in a convoy consisting of oilers GENYO and AZUMA MARUs escorted by destroyer MATSUKAZE.
30 November 1943:
Departs Truk for Singapore.
9 December 1943:
Departs Balikpapan for Truk.
15 December 1943:
Departs Palau.
19 December 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
11 January 1944:
At 0830, departs Moji for Singapore in convoy HI-31 consisting of oilers GENYO, OMUROSAN, TATEKAWA, ITSUKUSHIMA and KUROSHIO MARUs and cargo liner HOKURIKU MARU escorted by carrier CHITOSE and destroyers AMATSUKAZE and YUKIKAZE.
16 January 1944:
N of the Spratly Islands. AMATSUKAZE detects a submarine and closes the target, but is hit portside by one of four torpedoes fired by LtCdr Robert D. King's USS REDFIN (SS-272) at 14-40N, 113-50E. AMATSUKAZE loses her bow and 80 crewmen. The destroyer is presumed sunk and the convoy proceeds onward. The destroyer is left adrift for eight days until discovered by a Japanese patrol plane. She is later towed to Saigon by ASAGAO.
20 January 1944:
At 1645, the convoy arrives at Singapore.
25 January 1944:
At 0730, departs Singapore in convoy HI-32 consisting of oilers GENYO, OMUROSAN, TATEKAWA, ITSUKUSHIMA and KUROSHIO MARUs and cargo liner HOKURIKU MARU escorted by carrier CHITOSE and destroyer YUKIKAZE.
4 February 1944:
CHITOSE detaches and heads to Sasebo. At 1100, the convoy arrives at Moji.
8 April 1944:
Departs Davao, Philippines.
10 April 1944:
Arrives at Tarakan, Borneo. Loads a cargo of refined oil.
12 April 1944:
Departs Tarakan.
14 April 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan, Borneo.
18 April 1944:
Departs Balikpapan.
26 April 1944:
Arrives at Saipan, Marianas.
29 April 1944:
Departs Saipan.
7 May 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.
13 May 1944:
Departs Balikpapan.
15 May 1944:
Arrives at Tawi Tawi, Philippines.
2 June 1944:
Tawi Tawi. Assigned to Vice Admiral Ozawa’s 2nd Supply Force. Refuels super-battleships MUSASHI and YAMATO.
3 June 1944:
The 2nd Supply Force’s oilers GENYO and AZUSA MARUs escorted by two destroyers depart Tawi Tawi for Point "I", a holding position 130 miles E of northern Mindanao, Philippines. Later that day, they depart Point I for Guimaras located between Negros Island and Panay Islands.
13 June 1944: Operation “A-GO” - The Defense of the Marianas:
Hashirajima. From his flagship light cruiser OYODO, the CINC, Combined Fleet, Admiral Toyoda Soemu, (former CO of HYUGA), signals the fleet to activate Operation "A-GO".
14 June 1944:
Guimaras, Philippines. Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo's Mobile Fleet's Main Body arrives and the 2nd Supply Force begins refueling operations.
15 June 1944:
Guimaras. At 0800, refueling is completed and the Mobile Fleet's Main Body departs. At 0830, the 2nd Supply Force and destroyers YUKIKAZE and UZUKI depart. They heads through the Visayan Sea and San Bernardino Strait into the Philippine Sea towards the designated refueling rendezvous holding area.
16 June 1944:
NW of Palau. At about 2300, LtCdr (Later Rear Admiral) Herman J. Kossler's USS CAVALLA (SS-244) is running on the surface towards the San Bernardino Strait. Her SJ radar detects four targets. Kossler closes and identifies two oilers escorted by two destroyers on a southeasterly course. Kossler increases speed and begins an "end around" to get ahead of the small convoy.
17 June 1944:
At 0315, Kossler completes the "end around" and dives to begin an approach. He closes on either AZUSA MARU or GENYO MARU and sets up for an attack. Just as he is about to fire, one of the destroyers apparently spots his 'scope and charges CAVALLA. Kossler takes the submarine deep as the destroyer passes overhead. He remains submerged until about 0500. When CAVALLA again comes to persicope depth, the convoy is nowhere in sight. At 0545, CAVALLA surfaces and gets off a contact report to COMSUBPAC.*
19 June 1944:
At 2400, at 15-20N, 134-40E.
20 June 1944: The Battle of the Philippine Sea:
At 0620, the fleet reverses course. At 1746, a formation of Grumman "Avenger" TBF torpedo-bombers and Curtiss "Helldiver" SB2C-1 dive-bombers attacks the ships.
At 1806, GENYO MARU is dive-bombed by three SB2C-1 dive-bombers from Task Force 58's USS WASP (CV-18) Air Group 86. Bombs hit the port gangway near the machinery room, about 10 yards from the starboard bow and near the portside of the bridge wrecking the area. Near misses split GENYO MARU's sides and cause her engine to stop.
At 1850, AZUSA MARU takes GENYO MARU in tow. About 1,000 tons of water are taken onboard. This slows the towing and the line breaks several times. Since the enemy force is present nearby, this creates an impossible situation.
950 miles E of Luzon. At 2150, GENYO MARU's flag is hauled down. At 2200, her Kingston valves are opened and scuttling commences. At 2205, the crew abandons ship. At 2220, after UZUKI removes the crew, she scuttles GENYO MARU with gunfire. The ship is set afire, explodes and sinks at 15-35N 133-30E.
10 August 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
*As a result of Kossler's contact report, COMSUBPAC repositions several submarines, among them CAVALLA and LtCdr James W. Blanchard's ALBACORE (SS-218). On 19 Jun '44, Blanchard torpedoes and sinks the new fleet carrier TAIHO. Later that same day, Kossler sinks SHOKAKU, the penultimate surviving carrier of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Thanks for assistance go to Sander Kingsepp of Estonia and Allan Alsleben of Oregon.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
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