RIKUGUN YUSOSEN
(KIRIHA MARU, prewar)
KIRIHA MARU:Tabular Record of Movement
© 2014-2017 Bob Hackett
E 1918:
West Hartlepool (Sunderland), England. Laid down at Irvine's
Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Ltd. as Yard No. H599, a 3,057-ton Standard Type
C cargo ship for The Shipping Controller (WWI), London.
April 1919:
Launched and named WAR BREEZE.
1919:
Completed and managed by C. Nielsen & Sons.
1919:
Sold to the Times Shipping Co. Ltd., Newport, United Kingdom.
Renamed WITHINGTON.
April 1922:
WITHINGTON departs Baltimore, MD for the United Kingdom.
1927:
Sold to Barry Shipping Co, Newport, U. K.
1928:
Sold to Tatsuuma Kisen K.K. Nishinomiya. Renamed KIRIHA MARU.
9 October 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJA. Allotted Army No. 683.
19 June 1942:
KIRIHA MARU departs Mako, Pescadores for Osaka in
convoy No. 224 also consisting of transports OKITSU, REKIZAN, SHIROGANE and
TOYOOKA MARUs and nine unidentified merchant ships escorted by auxiliary gunboat
PEKING MARU.
24 June 1942:
SHIROGANE MARU is detached for Sasebo. Later that day
the rest of the convoy arrives at Moji.
25 June 1942:
Arrives at Osaka.
17 January 1943:
KIRIHA MARU departs Saeki in convoy "U " also
consisting of INDUS, MEIKAI, MOMOHA, NAGANO and YAMATO MARUs escorted by patrol
boat PB-31 and subchaser CH-36.
E 19 January 1943:
At 29N, the two escorts are detached from the
convoy.
18 February 1943:
Destroyer YUZUKI departs Yokosuka for the Central
Pacific.
2 March 1943:
At 1800, KIRIHA MARU departs Rabaul for Palau in convoy
“F2” also consisting of MITO, NAGANO and RYUZAN MARUs escorted by destroyer
YUZUKI.
6 March 1943:
Off Papua New Guinea. 150 nms W of Manus, Admiralties.
At about 1200, LtCdr George K. MacKenzie, Jr’s (USNA ’31) USS TRITON (SS-201)
attacks the convoy. She torpedoes and hits KIRIHA MARU in the stern. She sinks
by the stern at 00-37N 145-30E. Four crewmen are KIA. YUZUKI rescues the
survivors.
TRITON also slightly damages MITO MARU’s bow, probably with a dud Mark 14
torpedo. TRITON is later lost on this war patrol.
Author's Note:
Thanks to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.
Bob Hackett
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