Japanese Supply Ships

KYURYOKAN!

(Cargo ship by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")

IJN HAYASAKI: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2007 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

2 December 1941:
Osaka. Laid down at Hitachi Zosen’s Sakurajima shipyard.
1 April 1942:
Rated an auxiliary store ship vessel.
8 April 1942:
Designated HAYASAKI.
12 May 1942:
Launched.
31 August 1942:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District.
6/7 February 1943:
70 miles NW of Rabaul. Cdr Howard W. Gilmore’s USS GROWLER (SS-215) is charging batteries on the surface. Gilmore spots HAYASAKI and prepares for a surface attack, but HAYASAKI’s watch also sees GROWLER and turns to ram her. As HAYASAKI charges out of the darkness, Gilmore sounds the collision alarm and orders, “Left full rudder!” His order is too late. GROWLER hits 900-ton HAYASAKI amidships at 17 knots at 03-34S, 151-09E.
The impact bends 18 feet of GROWLER’s bow sideways and disables her forward torpedo tubes. HAYASAKI machine-guns GROWLER’s bridge, killing the assistant officer of the deck, a lookout, and wounding Gilmore and two men. As the rest of the bridge party drops down the hatch, mortally wounded Gilmore gives his last order: “Take her down!” HAYASAKI is damaged in the encounter. GROWLER is forced to terminate her patrol. [1]
February 1943:
Rabaul. HAYASAKI undergoes emergency repairs, probably by repair ship YAMABIKO MARU.
2 March 1943:
Arrives at Yokohama. Undergoes further repairs.
April 1943:
Repairs are completed.
29 May 1943:
At 0600, arrives at Truk.
2 November 1943:
Rabaul. 75 North American B-25 "Mitchell" medium bombers of the 5th Air Force's 3rd, 38th and 345th Bomb Groups, escorted by 70 P-38 "Lightning" fighters raid airfields and Simpson Harbor. Stores ship MANKO MARU is sunk. HAYASAKI is damaged in the raid as are CruDiv 5’s HAGURO and MYOKO, destroyer SHIRATSUYU, sub tender CHOGEI, transport HOKUYO MARU and minesweeper W-26.
9 November 1943:
Ordered to leave Rabaul because of damage to main engines and return to Yokosuka for repairs.
10 November 1943:
Near Dewate Island. HAYASAKI with minesweeper W-28 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-28 assist in refloating cargo ship NIKKEI MARU off a reef.
4 December 1943:
At 1130, a convoy consisting of UTO MARU and HAYASAKI arrives at Yokosuka.
December 1943-March 1944:
Tokyo area. Undergoes repairs at an unidentified location.
22 March 1944:
HAYASAKI departs Kisarazu, Tokyo Bay in two echelons for Saipan and Palau in troop reinforcement convoy Higashi-Matsu No. 3 consisting of KOJUN, MEIRYU, TATSUURA, KENAN, TOMITSU, CHOHAKUSAN and NANYO MARUs and HOSHI MARU No. 11 and NISSEI MARU No. 1 escorted by light cruiser YUBARI, DesDiv 5's HATAKAZE, DesDiv 6's IKAZUCHI and DesDiv 32's TAMANAMI, torpedo boat OTORI, kaibokan HIRADO and NOMI and subchasers CH-48, CH-51 and CH-54.
25 March 1944:
The convoy is attacked by LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Bafford E. Lewellen's old USS POLLACK (SS-180). Lewellen torpedoes and sinks subchaser CH-54 and claims damage to several transports.
28 March 1944:
The Palau contingent of convoy Higashi-Matsu No. 3 consisting of HAYASAKI and transports TATSUURA, KENAN, TOMITSU, CHOHAKUSAN and NANYO MARUs is detached and escorted by destroyer TAMANAMI and kaibokan HIRADO and NOMI. After an American Task Force is reported E of Palau, the Palau contingent is diverted to Saipan.
30 March 1944:
The Palau contingent of convoy Higashi-Matsu No. 3 arrives at Saipan.
30-31 March 1944: American Operation “Desecrate One”:
Palau. The anticipated air raids occur as the anchorage is attacked heavily by carrier aircraft of Task Force 58. Many ships are damaged and sunk in the raids.
7 April 1944:
Departs Saipan via Ulithi for Palau.
14 April 1944:
Arrives at Palau.
28 April 1944:
At 0900, departs Surabaya, Java escorted by auxiliary patrol boat TAKUNAN MARU No. 5.
30 April 1944:
At 1800, arrives at Batavia (now Jakarta), Java. Later departs for Singapore.
7 May 1945:
N Sumatra. While enroute from Batavia to Singapore, HAYASAKI is damaged by a mine at 01-00S, 104-30E. The mine was probably laid by GUITARRO (SS-363) on 20 Apr ‘45.
15 August 1945:
Singapore. HAYASAKI’s crew is notified of the termination of the war.
5 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
30 January 1946:
Departs Singapore. Probably performs repatriation duties although not officially allocated as such until 20 February.
11 February 1946:
Arrives at Otaka.
20 February 1946:
Tamano. Undergo repairs at Mitsui shipbuilding. That same day, HAYASAKI is assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service as a demobilization transport.
21 March 1946:
Repairs are completed.
26 March 1946:
Departs Kure.
1 April 1946:
Arrives at Manila.
2 April 1946:
Departs Manila.
6 April 1946:
Arrives at Saigon.
7 April 1946:
Departs Saigon.
16 April 1946:
Arrives at Kure.
4 May 1946:
Departs Kure.
12 May 1946:
Arrives at St Jacques, Indochina.
13 May 1946:
Departs St Jacques.
16 May 1946:
Arrives at Bangkok.
17 May 1946:
Departs Bangkok.
26 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima and departs later the same day.
28 May 1946:
Tokyo. Arrives at Uraga.
6 June 1946:
Undergo repairs at Uraga Dockyard.
20 June 1946:
Repairs are completed.
21 June 1946:
Departs Uraga.
23 June 1946:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
25 June 1946:
Departs Yokosuka.
27 June 1946:
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin, China.
29 June 1946:
Departs Korojima. 2 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.
9 July 1946:
Departs Hakata.
12 July 1946:
Arrives at Korojima.
14 July 1946:
Departs Korojima.
17 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.
22 July 1946:
Departs Hakata.
25 July 1946:
Arrives at Korojima.
31 July 1946:
Departs Korojima.
3 August 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.
12 August 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo.
22 August 1946:
Arrives at Singapore.
27 August 1946:
Departs Singapore.
5 September 1946:
Arrives at Otaka.
7 September 1946:
Tamano. Undergo repairs at Mitsui shipbuilding.
23 September 1946:
repairs completed.
26 September 1946:
Departs Kure.
6 October 1946:
Arrives at Bangkok and departs later that day.
19 October 1946:
Arrives at Singapore and departs later that day.
23 October 1946:
Arrives at Bangkok.
25 October 1946:
Departs Bangkok.
29 October 1946:
Arrives at Palembang, Sumatra.
4 November 1946:
Departs Palembang.
10 November 1946:
Arrives at Singapore.
16 November 1946
Departs Singapore.
27 November 1946:
Arrives at Otaka.
5 December 1946:
Undergo repairs at Osaka Zosen.
10 January 1947:
Repairs are completed, then the ship is laid up.
3 October 1947:
Nakhodka, Siberia. Ceded to the Soviet Union as a war reparation. Renamed OLEKMA.

Authors’ Notes:
[1] For his actions, Cdr Gilmore was awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously.
- Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

Back to Supply and Special Service Ships