YUSOSEN!
KAIJO MARU No. 2 GO as a prewar tanker
IJN KAIJO MARU No. 2 GO:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 1998-2018 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Revision 5
17 December 1936:
Yokohama. Laid down by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ shipyard as an 8,632-ton tanker for Nippon Tanker K. K., Tokyo.
7 August 1937:
Launched and named KAIJO MARU.
18 October 1937:
Completed.
15 April 1940:
Chartered to Nitto Kogyo Kisen, K. K., Tokyo.
31 March 1941:
Ownership is transferred to Nitto Kogyo Kisen.
12 November 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
15 November 1941:
Yokohama. Begins conversion at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard.
1 December 1941:
Registered as a specially installed transport (oil supply) in the Yokosuka Naval District. Recalled Captain-Ret. Ishikawa Tetsushiro (33) is appointed Supervisor.
Secret Secretariat Order number 11623 is issued that renames the ship KAIJO MARU No. 2 GO. [1]
8 December 1941:
Reassigned to the Fourth Fleet at Truk.
16 December 1941:
Departs Yokosuka.
17 ~ 19 December 1941:
Loads 1300t coal and 600t volatile oil.
20 December 1941:
The conversion is completed.
27 December 1941:
Departs Yokosuka supposedly for Roi and Kwajalein military base.
3 January 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
8 January 1942:
Supplies minelayer OKINOSHIMA with heavy oil and thereafter supplies minelayer TSUGARU with 282t heavy oil. Finally supplies the destroyers MOCHIZUKI, MUTSUKI and YAYOI with heavy oil.
11 January 1942:
Departs Truk. With the destroyers MOCHIZUKI, MUTSUKI and YAYOI excercises towing replenishment. Arrives at Mereyon later this day.
12 January 1942:
Departs Truk for Rabaul.
15 January 1942:
Arrives at Mereyon. From 0605 till 0800 refuels the destroyers ASANAGI, YUNAGI and OITE. From 0855 till
1010 refuels light cruiser YUBARI.
16 January 1942:
From 0730 till 1055 refuels destroyer YAYOI.
17 January 1942:
From 0530 till 0900 refuels the detroyers MOCHIZUKI and MUTSUKI. At 0940 departs Mereyon.
18 January 1942:
At 0739, joins the operation “R” convoy for the Invasions of Rabaul, New Britain and Kavieng, New Ireland.
19 January 1942:
At 0600, at sea, the destroyers ASANAGI, OITE and YUNAGI arrive on the the port side and are refueled. At 0757, at sea, the destroyers MOCHIZUKI and YAYOI arrive on the starboard side and are refueled. At 1437, during refueling of ASANAGI the supply pipe tears. At 1450, refueling is temporarily stopped due to damage of the port tower lubricator. At 1638, the destroyer MUTSUKI returns.
20 January 1942:
From 1030 till 1335 the destroyer MUTSUKI is refueled. At 1730, YUNAGI detaches.
22 January 1942:
At 1000, the destroyer YUNAGI returns. KAIJO MARU No. 2 GO arrives at Rabaul outer harbor later this day.
23 January 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul. From 1350 till 1550 supplies light cruiser YUBARI and the destroyers ASANAGI and YUNAGI with heavy oil. At 1724, KAIJO MARU No. 2 GO arrives at Rabaul inner harbor.
24 January 1942:
From 0530 till 0705 supplies destroyer OITE with heavy oil. From 0832 till 1030 supplies the destroyers MOCHIZUKI, MUTSUKI and YAYOI with heavy oil. Thereafter supplies minelayer TSUGARU with 256t heavy oil and finally supplies auxiliary subchasers TAMA MARU No. 8. And TOSHI MARU No. 3 with heavy oil.
25 January 1942:
Supplies minelayer OKINOSHIMA and auxiliary cruiser KONGO MARU with heavy oil. Thereupon supplies the auxiliary minesweepers TAMA MARU (Official No. 42339) and TAMA MARU No 2 with heavy oil.
27 January 1942:
From 1550 till 1705 supplies the destroyers MOCHIZUKI and MUTSUKI with heavy oil and from 1550 till 1730 supplies light cruiser YUBARI with heavy oil.
28 January 1942:
From 0550 till 0730 supplies the destroyers OITE and YAYOI with heavy oil. At 0800, oiler IRO arrives at Rabaul. From 0930 till 1115 supplies the destroyers ASANAGI and YUNAGI with heavy oil. At 0930, starts transfering her residual heavy oil to the IRO.
29 January 1942:
At 0700, supplies auxiliary minelayer TENYO MARU with heavy oil.
31 January 1942:
Loads auxiliary aircraft transport GOSHU MARU with 100t of volatile oil. Thereafter departs Rabaul via Truk for Yokosuka.
1 February 1942:
At 0900 reports an unsuccessful submarine attack.
12 February 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
19 February 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
27 February 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
1 March 1942:
Departs Truk for Rabaul.
5 March 1942:
130 miles S of Truk. At about 2300, LtCdr Edward S. Hutchinson’s (USNA ’26) USS GRAMPUS (SS-207) torpedoes and sinks KAIJO MARU No. 2 GO at 04-52N, 151-20E. Captain Ishikawa and 89 crewmen and passengers are KIA.
Captain Ishikawa is promoted Rear Admiral, posthumously.
1 April 1942:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
[1] The IJN renamed requisitioned vessels when a ship of the same name already existed in the fleet. For example, KAIJO MARU became KAIJO MARU No. 2. Some ships also had a "Go" (name symbol) added, so KAIJO MARU No. 2 became KAIJO MARU No. 2 GO.
Photo credit goes to the Dan Wheeler collection via Ron Wolford and Gilbert Casse. Thanks to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France for a general review, Berend van der Wal of Netherlands and to Gengoro Toda of Japan.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
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