© 2006 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
3 August 1939:
Laid down at Sasebo Navy Yard.
10 April 1940:
Launched and named HACHIJO.
31 March 1941:
Completed and assigned to the Ominato Naval District.
Based at Akkeshi, Hokkaido with kaibokan KUNASHIRI.
December 1941:
Cdr Fujimaki Yoshinori (46) assumes command.
5 March 1942:
Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Isohisa Kenma (48) assumes command.
September 1942:
Arrives in the Kuriles.
2 November 1942:
At 1500, departs Paramushiro, Kuriles for Attu,
Aleutians with destroyer USUGUMO escorting seaplane tender KIMIKAWA MARU.
6 November 1942:
Arrives at Kiska, Aleutians, then moves to Attu
arriving at 1800 the same day. KIMIKAWA MARU begins off-loading her cargo of five
Nakajima A6M2-N “Rufes”
and three Aichi E13A “Jakes”.
7 November 1942:
At 2250, departs Attu for Parumushiro.
13 November 1942:
Arrives at Kashiwabara Bay, Paramushiro with KIMIKAWA MARU and USUGUMO. Later, conducts anti-submarine patrols along the Kurile Islands chain.
1 December 1942:
Reassigned to the Kuriles Area Special Base Force.
14 February 1943:
At 1400, departs Paramushiro for Attu escorting convoy No. 16 consisting of
AKAGANE MARU as far as the 173 degree longitude line.
16 February 1943:
Cdr Isohisa receives a radio warning of the presence of American naval forces off Attu. He decides to delay the arrival of the convoy until the danger passes.
19 February 1943:
The convoy reaches the 173 degree longitude line. At 1600 (JST), HACHIJO is detached to return to Paramushiro.
120 miles SW of Attu. That evening, AKAGANE MARU runs into a scouting line consisting of USS INDIANAPOLIS (CA-35) and two destroyers. When challenged by the Americans, she feigns a reply, but is shelled by INDIANAPOLIS' 8-inch guns. Hit by the cruiser’s third salvo, AKAGANE MARU, laden with ammunition, explodes. The destroyers attempt to finish her off with torpedoes fails, so they use gunfire. AKAGANE MARU sinks with all 140 hands at 53-00N, 173E.
1 May 1943:
Cdr Isohisa is promoted to Captain.
October 1943:
A Type 13 air-search radar is installed, probably at Ominato.
18 October 1943:
Captain Isohisa is posted as ComDesDiv 4. An unknown officer assumes command of HACHIJO.
E 12 November 1943:
HACHIJO departs Paramushiro escorting a convoy consisting of SHONAN, KOKO and RONSAN MARUs.
E 15 November 1943:
In heavy weather, the convoy separates.
17 November 1943:
At 0400, SHONAN MARU and HACHIJO arrive at Otaru.
19 November 1943:
At 2300, HACHIJO departs Otaru escorting NITTEI MARU steaming at 9.5 knots.
24 November 1943:
At 0900, arrives Musashi Wan, Paramushiro Island.
15 March 1944:
Reassigned to the North East Area Fleet’s Kuriles Area
Base Force.
2 May 1944:
HACHIJO departs Ominato, Honshu with kaibokan KUNASHIRI escorting the "YO" convoy consisting of KOAN, SAMARANG, UMIKAWA and HAKUSHIN MARUs.
10 May 1944:
Arrives at Kashiwabara Bay, Paramushiro.
7 July 1944:
Kataoka Bay, Kuriles. HACHIJO is heavily damaged by an air attack. She suffers damage to her hull and her auxiliary engine room floods.
6 September 1944:
HACHIJO departs Yokosuka for Haha-Jima with light cruiser YASOJIMA (ex-Chinese P'ING HAI) and kaibokan CD-4 and CD-12 escorting convoy No. 3905 consisting of SHORYU and TOKIWASAN MARUs.
E 7 September 1944:
Arrives at Tateyama.
9 September 1944:
At 1520, the convoy departs Tateyama. At about 1600, shortly after the ships leave port, LtCdr Anton
R. Gallaher's USS BANG (SS-385) torpedoes and sinks both TOKIWASAN and SHORYU MARUs at 28-58N, 137-45E.
11 September 1944:
The escorts arrive at Chichi-Jima.
5 December 1944:
Reassigned to the 12th Air Fleet.
10 April 1945:
Reassigned to the Ominato Naval Guard District’s 104th
Escort Squadron.
25 April 1945:
At 1800, HACHIJO departs Ominato, Honshu for
Kashiwabara, Paramushiro Island, Kuriles with kaibokan CD-47 and fleet supply
ship SHIRASAKI escorting convoy KI-503 consisting of AITOKU, KURETAKE and TENRYO
MARUs.
2 May 1945:
Arrives at Kashiwabara.
11 May 1945:
Kataoka Bay, Shimushu Island, Kuriles. At 1619, seven 11th Air Force B-24
“Liberator” heavy bombers bomb and strafe shipping in the anchorage. They sink AITOKU MARU and damage HACHIJO.
26 May 1945:
At 2000, departs Paramushiro, Kuriles for Otaru, Hokkaido with kaibokans SHIMUSHU and CD-112 and fleet supply ship SHIRASAKI escorting the “Chi” convoy consisting of KURETAKE, TENRYO and KASUGASAN MARUs.
29 May 1945:
At 2055, LtCdr Hugh H. Lewis' USS STERLET (SS-392) torpedoes both KURETAKE and TENRYO MARUs. KURETAKE MARU's crew struggles to control flooding, but soon after being hit TENRYO MARU sinks taking down 83 crewmen and 885 men of the 23rd Air Defense Battalion.
30 May 1945:
At 0600, KURETAKE MARU sinks. SHIMUSHU rescues hundreds of survivors.
31 May 1945:
Arrives at Otaru.
18 June 1945:
Reassigned to the 12th Air Fleet’s 104th Escort Squadron.
15 August 1945:
Maizuru. HACHIJO’s CO, LtCdr Namiki Hidoe, and his crew are notified of the termination
of the war. HACHIJO is reassigned to the Ominato Naval Guard District.
30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
30 April 1948:
Maizuru. HACHIJO's scrapping is completed at Iino Kaiun K. K.'s Yard (former Maizuru Navy Yard).
Authors’ Notes:
Thanks for assistance go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. Thanks also go to Jeff Donahoo of Iowa, Mr. Aki of Japan and Matthew Jones of Ohio for help in identifying kaibokan COs.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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