© 2007-2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
15 November 1944:
Tamano. Laid down at Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding’s shipyard.
20 January 1945:
Launched and named KANAWA.
15 March 1945:
Completed and registered in the Kure Naval District.
Attached to the Kure Guard Unit. Undergoes antisubmarine training at Nanao Bay.
5 May 1945:
Engages in antisubmarine sweeping and escorts convoys in
the Tsushima Strait.
20 June 1945:
KANAWA departs Tsingtao, China for Dairen, Manchukuo (Manchuria) with kaibokan CD-14 escorting convoy SETA-03 consisting of KONEI and KYUKO (KIUKIANG) MARUs and SHOEI MARU No. 8.
22 June 1945:
Arrives at Dairen.
25 June 1945 :
KANAWA departs Dairen with kaibokan CD-14, CD-132 and auxiliary minesweepers Wa-19 and Wa-20 escorting convoy DAFU-05 consisting of KYUKO, KONEI, HOSHI MARUs and KINRYU MARU No. 8.
Enroute to Daito Bay, SHOKAI MARU and SHOEI MARU No. 8 join the convoy.
E 28 June 1945:
At Daito Bay, KANAWA, CD-14 and CD-132 are detached.
15 August 1945:
KANAWA’s crew receives notification of the termination of war.
5 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
12 October 1945:
Departs Sasebo on her first repatriation voyage.
19 October 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
21 October 1945:
Arrives at Davao. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
23 October 1945:
Arrives at Tacloban. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
28 October 1945:
Departs Tacloban.
3 November 1945:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
1 December 1945:
Officially assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service as a special cargo ship. [1]
4 December 1945:
Departs Kure.
10 December 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
17 December 1945:
Departs Manila.
24 December 1945:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
25 December 1945:
Undergoes repairs at Kure.
26 January 1946:
Repairs are completed.
5 February 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
7 February 1946:
Arrives at Kirun (Keelung). Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
10 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
12 February 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
15 February 1946:
Arrives at Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
18 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
21 February 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
25 February 1946:
Arrives at Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
27 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
1 March 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
3 March 1946:
Arrives at Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
6 March 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
8 March 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
10 March 1946:
Arrives at Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
11 March 1946:
Departs Kirun.
15 March 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
27 March 1946 :
Departs Kagoshima.
30 March 1946:
Arrives at Kwaren (Hua Lien). Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
1 April 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 April 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
10 April 1946:
Arrives at Kwaren. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
11 April 1946:
Departs Kwaren.
13 April 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
20 April 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Tamano.
5 May 1946:
Repairs are completed.
13 May 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
15 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
16 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
18 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
3 July 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
6 July 1946:
Arrives at Koroshima (near Tsientsin). Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated. and departs later that same day.
8 July 1946:
Arrives at Pusan. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
11 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
17 July 1946:
Departs Hakata.
20 July 1946 :
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
22 July 1946:
Departs Korojima.
25 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 August 1946:
Departs Hakata.
8 August 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
9 August 1946:
Departs Korojima.
12 August 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
16 August 1946:
Departs Hakata.
17 August 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo.
20 August 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Sasebo.
9 September 1946:
Repairs are completed.
27 September 1946:
Departs Kure.
30 September 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
2 October 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
4 October 1946:
Departs Kure.
7 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
9 October 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
10 October 1946:
Departs Ujina.
12 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
15 October 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
17 October 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
19 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa.
20 October 1946:
Departs Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
22 October 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
25 October 1946:
Departs Ujina.
27 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
28 October 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
30 October 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
7 November 1946:
Departs Kure.
9 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
11 November 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
14 November 1946:
Departs Ujina.
16 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
18 November 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
19 November 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Tamano.
7 December 1946:
Repairs are completed.
16 July 1947:
Departs Sasebo.
14 August 1947:
Singapore. Ceded to the United Kingdom as a war reparation.
1947:
Singapore. Scrapped.
Authors' Note:
[1] Allied occupation forces were responsible for the return of six million Japanese military personnel and civilians from Japan's defunct far-flung Empire. In addition, there were over a million Korean and about 40,000 Chinese prisoners and conscript laborers and approximately 7,000 Formosans and 15,000 Ryukyu Islanders to be repatriated.
Some Allied and many former IJN warships, from aircraft carriers to kaibokan, were used to facilitate the enormous repatriation effort. Japanese vessels and crews were used to the fullest extent possible to conserve Allied manpower and accelerate demobilization. Each ex-IJN ship first had to be demilitarized; guns removed or, in the case of large warships, barrels severed, ammunition landed, and radar and catapults removed, if fitted. Repatriation of the Chinese on Japanese ships began early in October from Hakata, but U.S. guard detachments had to be placed on many ships to prevent disorder because the Japanese crews could not control the returnees.
Japanese-run repatriation centers were established at Kagoshima, Hario near Sasebo, and Hakata near Fukuoka. Other reception centers were established and operated at Maizuru, Shimonoseki, Sasebo, Senzaki, Kure, Uraga, Yokohama, Moji and Hakodate. Allied line and medical personnel supervised the centers. Incoming Japanese were sprayed with DDT, examined and inoculated for typhus and smallpox, provided with food, and transported to his final destination in Japan.
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
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