Japanese Supply Ships

KYURYOKAN!

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

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

7 March 1940:
Osaka. Laid down at Hitachi Zosen’s Sakurajima shipyard as a refrigerated stores ship.
20 August 1940:
Designated NANSHIN.
27 June 1940:
Launched.
30 September 1940:
Completed and registered in the IJN as an auxiliary stores ship.
1 April 1942:
Renamed KINEZAKI.
11 February 1943:
Departs Yokosuka in the "Kinezaki" convoy consisting of KINEZAKI and SHINYUBARI MARU.
21 February 1943:
Patrol boat SHONAN MARU No. 11 joins the convoy.
22 February 1943:
KINESAKI splits from the convoy and heads to Kwajalein.
4 December 1943:
Marshall Islands. Aircraft from Rear Admiral Charles A. Pownall's Task Force 50's LEXINGTON (CV-16) and light carrier INDEPENDENCE (CVL-22) attack Kwajalein and Wotje Atolls. They damage KINEZAKI, light cruisers NAGARA and ISUZU, auxiliary FUJIKAWA MARU and transports EIKO and KENBU MARUs and MIKAGE MARU No. 18 and sink collier ASAKAZE MARU, cargo ship TATEYAMA MARU, auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 7 and guardboat MIKUNI MARU NO. 5.
1 April 1944:
At 1100, KINEZAKI departs Tokyo as part of convoy “Higashi-Matsu” No. 4. The ships and their destinations are: Truk: KINESAKI and SHOZUI, KEMBU (TATEBE), SHIMA, SHINYO and HAVRE MARUs, Saipan: SHOUN, TOKO, TAKASAN, AKIKAWA KOKO, SHIRAMINE, TAIKAI, KAKOGAWA and MAKASSAR MARUs, Guam: MIMIASAKA, TOAN, AZUCHISAN and NISSHU MARUs and UNYO MARU No. 8, Palau: Fleet supply ship TENRYUGAWA, TAIAN and TOSEI MARUs, and SHINSEI MARU No. 5 and MAMIYA, Yap: SHINSEI MARU.
Rear Admiral Kiyota Takahiko (former CO of NACHI) in destroyer SAMIDARE is the convoy commander. The other escorts include old destroyer ASANAGI, torpedo-boat HIYODORI, kaibokans AMAKUSA, FUKUE, OKI, MIKURA, CD-2, CD-3 and subchaser CH-50.
3 April 1944:
5 miles S of Tori-Shima. At about 1457, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Bafford E. Lewellen's USS POLLACK torpedoes and sinks TOSEI MARU at 30-14N, 139-45E. The escorts counter-attack POLLACK and drop 55 depth-charges without effect.
8 April 1944:
N of Saipan. At 0228 (JST), LtCdr (later Vice Admiral) Frederick J. Harlfinger's USS TRIGGER (SS-237) fires four torpedoes at the convoy, but fails to get any hits. OKI and SAMIDARE counter-attack unsuccessfully.
9 April 1944:
62 miles WNW of Saipan. At 1625, LtCdr (later Captain) Slade D. Cutter's USS SEAHORSE (SS-304) torpedoes and hits MIMASAKA MARU at 15-30N, 145-00E. MIMASAKA MARU is taken in tow by TOAN MARU. The escorts counter-attack SEAHORSE unsuccessfully.
10 April 1944:
At about 0100 (JST), MIMASAKA MARU founders. She is carrying over 1,000 Naval personnel, most of whom are rescued. The convoy arrives at Saipan, then is split into separate groups that continue on to their respective destinations.
E 15 April 1944:
KINEZAKI arrives at Truk.
11 June 1944:
At 1800, KINEZAKI departs Saipan in unnumbered convoy consisting of KATORI, EDOGAWA and HAGIKAWA MARUs and NISSHO MARU No. 1 and tanker KYOEI MARU escorted by auxiliary subchaser CHa-67.
21 June 1944:
Arrives at Koniya.
22 June 1944:
Arrives at Seai. Kyoei MARU is detached.
1 July 1944 :
At 1500, KINEZAKI departs Naha, Okinawa in convoy TAKA-604 consisting of TAISHIN, NICHIRIN, MATSUURA, DAIRIN, RYUUKYU, AMAKUSA and MIYAKO MARUs and NISSHO MARU No.1 escorted by subchaser CH-17, auxiliary subchaser CHa-67, auxiliary subchaser CHIKUTO MARU, auxiliary YUKO MARU, auxiliary minesweepers HIMESHIMA and HOEI MARUs and BANSHU MARU No. 51, torpedo boat MANAZURU and minelayer SARUSHIMA.
3 July 1944:
At 0300, departs Koniya, Amami Oshima. At 1322, Lt Cdr Charlton L. Murphy's veteran USS STURGEON (SS-187) attacks the convoy. Murphy torpedoes and sinks DAIRIN MARU at 28-53N, 129-51E. The convoy shelters in Kasari Bay, Amami Oshima.
5 July 1944:
Arrives at Kagoshima.
8 September 1944:
KINEZAKI departs Keelung in convoy TAKA-808 consisting of KENJO, SHINTEN, NICHIAN, SHOKEI, BUSHU, NICHIMAN MARUs and DAIBOSHI MARU No. 6 and TOYO MARU No. 1 escorted by torpedo boat MANAZURU, auxiliary NITTO MARU, and auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2. At 2205, the convoy is attacked by LtCdr Gordon W. Underwood's USS SPADEFISH (SS-411). Underwood torpedoes and sinks NICHIAN and NICHIMAN MARUs at 24-45N, 123-20E. At 2320, SPADEFISH again attacks and Underwood torpedoes and sinks both SHINTEN and SHOKEI MARUs.
E 14 September 1944 :
Arrives at Moji.
21 October 1944:
At 1200, KINEZAKI Departs Kagoshima for Naha, Okinawa in convoy KATA-916 consisting of CHOJUSAN, TOMITSU, EDOGAWA, BANSEI, TENSHO, AMAKUSA, SHINTON, SANKA, HAKKA, HAYAMA, TORAI, TAIKYU, SAKISHIMA, RYUKYU, KANKYO, SANJIN and AMOY MARUs and fleet stores ship MUROTO escorted by torpedo boat MANAZURU, kaibokan CD-30, subchaser CH-49, minesweeper W-15, auxiliaries KIKU MARU No. 7, HIMESHIMA MARU and auxiliary minesweeper SHONAN MARU No. 16.
22 October 1944:
At 0730, LtCdr (later Vice Admiral) Veron L. Lowrance’s USS SEA DOG (SS-401) torpedoes and sinks MUROTO at 29-18N, 129-44E. Lowrance also torpedoes and damages TOMITSU MARU. The convoy’s escorts and aircraft subject SEA DOG to a long and heavy counterattack in which 109 depth-charges are dropped, but Lowrance evades and SEA DOG escapes.
25 October 1944:
Arrives at Naha.
24 February 1945:
At 2330, KINEZAKI departs Kagoshima for Naha in convoy KATA-604 consisting of KINZAN, DAISHIN and DAIA MARUs and HOSHI MARU No. 11 escorted by torpedo boat TOMOZURU, auxiliary minesweeper SEKI MARU and an unidentified warship. Soon after departure, information is received that an American carrier task force is operating in nearby waters. The convoy returns to Sakurajima, Kagoshima Bay.
27 February 1945:
At 2330, the convoy again departs Kagoshima.
1 March 1945:
At 0700, convoy KATA-604 arrives at Kuji Bay, Amami-O-Shima, Ryukyus. At 0810, aircraft of Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Marc A. Mitscher's (former CO of HORNET, CV-8) Task Force 58 attack the convoy. At 0815, DAIA MARU is strafed heavily and hit by a bomb in the stern that causes fires At 0825, HOSHI MARU No. 11 and torpedo boat TOMOZURU are strafed heavily. HOSHI MARU No. 11 is damaged by a near-miss of a bomb. At 0840, DAISHIN and KINZAN MARU are hit by bombs and sink.
At about 1400, the convoy is attacked by 30 more aircraft. KINEZAKI is hit by a bomb. Her bow rises up until the ship is vertical, then she sinks at 28-10N, 129-05E.
At 1427, HOSHI MARU No. 11, carrying ammunition and 837 drums of oil and gasoline, is hit by several bombs. Set afire, she burns all day. Later that night, she explodes and sinks.
1 May 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

Authors’ Notes:
[1] No data were found detailing KINEZAKI's movements during 1941 and 1942. Readers with access to such data are requested to post the information on the Discussion and Questions board or j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message Board

- Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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