KOSEKI UMPANSEN
(Type 1K ore carrier underway)
KOKKA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2011 Bob Hackett
1943:
Tsurumi, Yokohama Laid down at Nippon Kokan K.K as a 5,300-ton Type 1K
Standard Merchant cargo ship (ore carrier) for Osaka Shosen K.K. (OSK), Osaka
1943:
Launched and named KOKKA MARU. [1]
December 1943:
Completed.
24 December 1943:
At 1730, KOKKA MARU departs Sasebo for Shanghai, China
in convoy SHI-403 consisting of YUZAN, MIIKESAN, SHOKEI, and HOKUJU MARUs and
BANSHU MARU No. 32 escorted by minesweeper W-15.
24 December 1943:
At 1315, the convoy arrives at Shanghai.
6 July 1944:
At 1245, KOKKA MARU departs Miike, Kyushu for Takao,
Formosa in convoy MOMA-02 consisting of SEATTLE, SHOZAN, JINZAN, TOKUSHIMA,
HIZAN (HIYAMA), YASUKUNI and RYOFU MARUs escorted by destroyer HATSUSHIMO,
kaibokan CD-1 and CD-22 and minesweeper W-34.
12 July 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
14 July 1944:
At 1900, KOKKA MARU departs Takao for Manila in convoy
TAMA-21C consisting of MANTAI, MITSUKI, JINSAN, SEATTLE, TENSHIN, YAMATAMA,
SAINEI, HIZAN (HIYAMA), KOKKA, SHOZAN, YASUKUNI and SHOEI MARUs and tankers
SHONAN, MITSU, AYAGIRI and AYAZONO MARUs escorted by kaibokan KUSAGAKI, CD-1 and
CD-22, minelayers MAESHIMA and ENTO and minesweeper W-34.
16 July 1944: At 0946, LtCdr Harold E. Ruble's (USNA ‘33) USS PIRANHA
(SS-389) torpedoes and sinks SEATTLE MARU carrying 4,285 IJNAF personnel at
19-17N, 120-15E. HIYAMA and SHOZAN MARUs rescue all but 286 airmen.
Over the next six hours, Captain (later Rear Admiral-Ret) William V.
O'Regan’s wolf pack consisting of Cdr Duncan C. MacMillian's (USNA ‘26) USS
THRESHER (SS-200), LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Novell G. Ward's (USNA ‘35)
GUARDFISH (SS-217) and Ruble's PIRANHA close in and decimate the convoy.
At 2300, THRESHER torpedoes and sinks SAINEI MARU at 18-53N, 119-32E. At
2350, GUARDFISH torpedoes and sinks JINZAN MARU. Two minutes later, GUARDFISH
torpedoes and sinks MANTAI MARU.
17 July 1944:
The attacks continue. At 0034, GUARDFISH torpedoes and
sinks HIYAMA MARU. W-34 and CD-1 rescue survivors. At 0345, THRESHER torpedoes
and sinks SHOZAN MARU at 18-50N, 119-43E. W-34 and CD-1 rescue the survivors.
19 July 1944:
At 1920, convoy TAMA-21C arrives at Manila.
28 August 1944:
At 0400, KOKKA MARU departs Yulin, Hainan Island for
Takao in convoy YUTA-11 consisting of MITSUKI, SAIHO, ATLAS and HOKOKU MARUs
escorted by patrol boat PB-104 and subchaser CH-21. The convoy is loaded with
iron ore for the steel mills at Yawata.
2 September 1944:
The convoy is diverted from Takao and arrives safely at
Keelung.
5 September 1944:
KOKKA MARU departs Keelung in convoy TAMO-25
consisting of SAIHO, MITSUKI, ATLAS, HENGSHAN, MEIRYU, TATSUHO and TATSUTAMA
MARU escorted by patrol boats P-102 (ex-USS STEWART, DD-224), PB-104 and
subchaser CH-21. KOKKA MARU runs aground shortly after leaving Keelung. Later,
she is refloated and returns to Keelung.
5 or 7 September 1944:
Keelung Harbor. Strikes a mine and sinks at 25-12N,
121-45E. [1]
Author’s Note:
[1] It is unclear which date is correct. 5th per Mono 116, 7th per Janac and Mining List; (SSS - mined 12 Oct 1944 near Yewo Peninsula,
Taiwan) (Hayashi - stranded 5 Sep at Keelung and mined 12 Oct near Yewo Peninsula)
Photo credit and thanks go to Gilbert Casse of France.
-Bob Hackett
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