YUSOSEN!
(A Type 1TM Standard Tanker underway)
IJN KOKUEI MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
©2011 Bob Hackett
E 1942:
Yokohama. Laid down at Mitsubishi Jukogyo K. K. as a 5,155-ton Type 1TM Wartime Standard Merchant Tanker for Nitto Kisen K. K., Tokyo.
1943:
Launched and named KOKUEI MARU. [1]
March 1943:
Completed and requisitioned by the Japanese Government's Senpaku Uneikai civilian wartime shipping authority. Chartered to the Imperial Army with a civilian crew.
6 September 1943:
At 0900, KOKUEI MARU departs Mako in convoy No. 321
consisting of AWA, ANYO, CEYLON, SAN PEDRO, SYDNEY, YAMAZURU (YAMATSURU) MARU
and tanker KOSHIN MARU and HINO MARU No. 1 escorted by torpedo boat HAYABUSA.
13 September 1943:
Arrives at Saigon, Indochina.
1 February 1944:
KOKUEI MARU and tankers HOKUAN and SAN LUIS MARU
depart Manila probably for Balikpapan and Surabaya in convoy No. 3105 consisting
of SHUNSEN, KANKO and BENGAL MARUs with an unknown escort. SAN LUIS MARU is
detached for Miri at some point.
13 February 1944:
At 1600, KOKUEI MARU departs Singapore for Moji in
convoy HI-40 also consisting of tankers NANEI, ICHIYO, NICHIRIN, NAMPO and ASAMA
MARUs escorted by kaibokan SHIMUSHU.
19 February 1944:
South China Sea, 300 miles W of Luzon. At about
0550, Captain (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Thomas M. Dykers’ USS JACK (SS-259)
attacks HI-40 and sinks KOKUEI and NANEI MARUs at 14-34N, 114-11E, NICHIRIN MARU
at 15-40N, 115-48E and ICHIYO MARU at 15-46N, 115-57E.
Six of KOKUEI MARU’s crewmen are KIA.
Author's Note:
Thanks go to Gilbert Casse of France.
-Bob Hackett
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