FUSETSUKAN!

© 2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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11 October 1928:
Osaka. Laid down at Sakurajima Iron Works as a netlayer.

27 April 1929:
Launched and named KAMOME.

30 June 1929:
Completed and registered in the IJN.

30 May 1931:
Designated a 2nd Class minelayer.

7 July 1937: The Marco Polo Bridge (The"First China Incident") Incident:
Hun River, Lukuokiao, China. Japanese troops at the bridge fire blank cartridges during night maneuvers. Chinese troops fire back. Later, the Japanese discover a soldier missing. They demand entry to the Peking (Beijing) suburb of Wanping to look for him, but the Chinese refuse. The Japanese shell the city and an undeclared war on China begins.

12 November 1937:
Shanghai is captured.

1938:
KAMONE is in the 12th Minelayer Squadron of Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Oikawa Koshiro's (31) China Area Fleet's Third Fleet with sister TSUBAME.

13 June 1938: The Battle of Wuhan:
Yangtze River. The Japanese make a naval landing at Anking supported by 100 vessels, including more than 40 destroyers, minesweepers, naval and river gunboats and blockade boats. The landing force totals about 12,000 men and 80 to 90 guns. The Japanese begin the Battle of Wuhan to annihilate the Chinese Army and force them to surrender. The battle rages over four months and ends in a stalemate.

6 July 1938: Hukou (near Madang fortress). KAMOME is torpedoed by a Chinese motor torpedo boat, loses her stern and is beached to avoid sinking. Later, she is refloated and repaired at an unknown location, probably in Shanghai. [1]

8 December 1941: Opening of the Pacific War:
Takao, Formosa. KAMOME is with Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo’s Third Fleet in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Irifune Naosaburo’s (39)(former CO of MIKUMA) 32nd Special Base Force with sister TSUBAME.

December 1941:
Philippines. Supports the Third Fleet's invasion landings.

3 January 1942:
Philippines. The 32nd Special Base Force is reassigned to Vice Admiral Sugiyama Rokuzo's (38) Third Southern Expeditionary Fleet.

February 1942:
At Takao, Formosa. Escorts convoys to Surabaya, Java.

April 1942:
Escorts convoys and conducts patrols near Sasebo. Later, escorts convoys between Okinawa and Shanghai.

30 April 1942:
KAMOME departs Saigon, Vichy French Indochina for Mako, Pescadores with minelayer TSUBAME escorting a convoy consisting of SHINYO, NITTAI, KENZAN, KINJO (KINSEI) and KEIZAN MARUs.

9 May 1942:
Arrives at Mako.

14 May 1942:
KAMOME departs Mako with torpedo boat HAYABUSA escorting convoy No. 209 consisting of eight unidentified merchant ships.

20 May 1942:
Arrives at Mutsure.

30 July 1942:
KAMOME departs Imari for Shanghai with minelayer TSUBAME and auxiliary minelayer KAHOKU MARU escorting a convoy consisting of MITO, SURABAYA, ROKKO and PACIFIC MARUs and an unidentified ship.

1 August 1942:
At 1745, arrives at Woosung. Soon thereafter, enters the Whangpo River to Shanghai.

1943:
KAMOME undergoes refit for operations as a convoy escort. Her minelaying rails are removed and she is fitted to carry 36 depth charges.

12 April 1944:
KAMOME departs Naha for Kagoshima escorting convoy OKI-202 consisting of four unidentified merchant ships.

26 April 1944 :
KAMOME departs Naha, Okinawa for Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan with auxiliary minesweepers HAKATA MARU No. 6, DAITO MASRU and SHONAN MARU No. 16 escorting convoy OKI-509 consisting of RYUKYU, NISSHIN, GENBU, SHOTO, FUYO, KYUNO, HAKKA, EHIME and BANSHU MARUs.

About 70 miles N of Naha. At 0330, Cdr (later Admiral) Ignatius J. Galantin's USS HALIBUT (SS-232) attacks the convoy and torpedoes KAMOME. The minelayer stays afloat until about 0900, then sinks at 27-03N, 128-06E.

At 0455, HALIBUT attacks the convoy again. Galantin torpedoes and sinks GENBU MARU at 27-16N, 128-21E.

10 June 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Author's Notes:
[1] Litle data were found detailing KAMOME's movements during Aug '42-Apr '44. Readers with access to such data are requested to post the information on the Discussion and Questions board or at j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message Board

[1] Another source indicates KAMOME struck a mine.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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