© 2006 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
3 January 1944:
Osaka. Laid down at Hitachi’s Sakurajima shipyard as kaibokan No. 329.
10 April 1944:
Launched and named HIBURI .
27 June 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN. LtCdr Ishikawa Hiroshi is the Commanding Officer. Assigned to Sasebo Naval District.
July 1944:
Works up in Saeki Bay.
22 July 1944:
Departs Saeki for Sasebo.
23 July 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo.
31 July 1944:
Departs Sasebo for Moji.
1 August 1944:
Arrives at Moji, departs that same day.
2 August 1944:
Returns to Sasebo.
4 August 1944:
Assigned to the General Escort Command's First Surface Escort division.
5 August 1944:
HIBURI departs Sasebo for Takao joining convoy MOTA-22 that departed Moji the previous day. The convoys escorts now include HIBURI and kaibokans ETOROFU, CD-25 and CD-32. MOTA-22 consists of KENJO, GASSAN, HAKUSAN, TEIKO, TERAKUNI, TACHIBANA, NANREI, GENKAI, TEIHOKU, HIOKI, MANSHU, SHIRANESAN, SHONAN and KOSHIN MARUs and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2, DAIBOSHI MARU No. 6 and six unidentified ships.
6 August 1944:
Off SW Kyushu. At 0411, LtCdr (later Admiral/CINCPACFLT) Bernard A. Clarey’s USS PINTADO (SS-387) torpedoes and sinks SHONAN MARU at 30-53N, 129-45E.
9 August 1944:
At 1310, KOSHIN MARU's cargo suddenly explodes and the ship sinks at 26-10N, 124-15E.
10 August 1944:
Arrives at Kirun (Keelung).
11 August 1944:
Departs Keelung and later that day arrives at Saei (Tsoying) near Takao.
17 August 1944: Operation "SHO-1-GO" (Victory) - The Defense of the Philippines:
HIBURI departs Mako with kaibokan SADO (F), ETOROFU and MATSUWA to provide distant anti-submarine cover for convoy HI-71. HIBURI and the other kaibokan do not sail with the convoy, but provide distant cover, hunting for submarines enroute.
HI-71 is comprised of oilers AZUSA, TEIYO, EIYO, ZUIHO and KYOKUTO MARUs, fleet oiler HAYASUI, transports TEIA, AWA, NOTO, HOKKAI, TAMATSU, NOSHIRO and MAYASAN MARUs and cargo ships KASHII, and NISSHO MARUs. The convoy's screen is provided by Rear Admiral (Vice Admiral, posthumously) Kajioka Sadamichi (former CO of KISO) of 6th Escort Convoy with destroyers FUJINAMI and YUNAGI, old destroyer ASAKAZE, kaibokans HIRATO, KURAHASHI, MIKURA, SHONAN and CD-11 and escort carrier TAIYO. At 0800, in typhoon weather, HI-71 sorties from Mako for Manila.
18 August 1944:
At 0524, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Louis D. McGregor's USS REDFISH
(SS-395) torpedoes and damages EIYO MARU. Destroyers ASAKAZE and YUNAGI are detached to
escort her back to Takao.
Off Cape Bolinao, Luzon. At 2210, LtCdr (later Captain) Henry G. Munson's USS RASHER (SS-269) torpedoes and sinks oiler TEIYO MARU in a surface radar attack. At 2222, Munson torpedoes and sinks carrier TAIYO at the rear of the convoy. At 2310, RASHER, still on the surface, hits transport TEIA MARU with
three torpedoes using radar bearings. The ex-French liner is set afire and sinks.
19 August 1944:
The convoy splits into two groups. Just past midnight, RASHER, still running on the surface, closes on an eastbound group of three large ships and one escort. At 0033, LtCdr Munson puts two radar-directed torpedoes into the port sides of AWA and NOSHIRO MARUs. Both ships beach themselves near Port Currimao. LtCdr Charles M. Henderson's USS BLUEFISH (SS-222) and LtCdr (later Captain) Gordon W. Underwood's SPADEFISH (SS-411) join in the attack on HI-71. At 0320, BLUEFISH hits and sinks HAYASUI. SPADEFISH hits TAMATSU MARU with two torpedoes and the big landing craft depot ship rolls over
and takes down 4,755 men. HI-71 makes for San Fernando.
20 August 1944:
SADO (F), ETOROFU, HIBURI and MATSUWA arrive at the area of the attacks and commence a search for submarines.
21 August 1944:
Rear Admiral Kajioka orders HIBURI, SADO and MATSUWA to proceed to Manila.
22 August 1944:
Hidai Bay, 25 nms W of Manila Bay. At 0456, Cdr (MOH, posthumously) Samuel D. Dealy’s USS HARDER (SS-257) torpedoes both HIBURI and MATSUWA in their port sides and stops them dead in the water. MATSUWA loses her bow.
At 0524, SADO is torpedoed by LtCdr (Rear Admiral-Ret) Chester W. Nimitz Jr’s USS HADDO (SS-255). At 0649, MATSUWA is sunk by HARDER. At 0720, HADDO fires three torpedoes at the two remaining derelicts.One misses, but the others hit SADO squarely and sink her.
At 0755, HIBURI sinks bow first at 14-15N, 120-25E. 154 hands are killed and wounded.
10 October 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
Thanks for assistance go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. Thanks also go to Jeff Donahoo of Iowa for help in identifying kaibokan COs.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
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