SOKURYOSEN

© 2010 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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7 October 1912:
Sasebo Navy Yard. Laid down as 1,125-ton cargo ship KOMAHASHI MARU.

21 May 1913:
Launched.

20 January 1914:
Completed and registered in the Sasebo Naval District.

23 May 1914:
Rated a submarine tender.

16 August 1914:
Rerated a 2nd class coast defense vessel (kaibokan). Renamed KOMAHASHI. Attached to the 4th Torpedo Division. LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Kumashiro Moritsugu (28) is appointed Commanding Officer.

1 April 1915:
LtCdr Kumashiro is posted ComSubDiv 3 as an additional duty.

13 December 1915:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Fukuda Ichiro (26) is appointed CO, with additional duty as ComSubDiv 3.

1 December 1916:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Otawara Toru (26) is appointed CO as an additional duty.

1 December 1917:
Cdr (later Captain) Taguchi Shigeki (29) is appointed CO.

10 November 1918:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Mashiko Rokuya (30) is appointed CO.

1 December 1918:
LtCdr Mashiko is promoted Cdr.

15 February 1919:
Captain Fukuda is appointed CO as an additional duty for a second time.

10 July 1919:
Cdr Mashiko is appointed CO as an additional duty for a second time.

1 October 1919:
LtCdr (later Captain) Yoshiyama Hyakuri (32) is appointed CO.

1 November 1919:
Cd. Mashiko is appointed CO as an additional duty for the third time.

1 December 1919:
Cdr Kiuchi Tatsuzo (31) is appointed CO.

1 April 1920:
KOMAHASHI is rerated a destroyer tender.

6 September 1920:
Cdr (later Captain) Furukawa Ryoichi (31) is appointed CO.

1 December 1920:
Cdr (later Captain) Kamimoto Kunitaro (31) (former CEO/CO of SAWAKAZE) is appointed CO.

20 December 1921:
Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Kawamura Giichiro (32) is appointed CO.

8 April 1922:
Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Wanami Hoichi (32) is appointed CO.

1 December 1922:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Uematsu Toma (33) (former CO of YAKAZE) is posted CO.

1 December 1923:
Cdr Mori Shigeji (33) (former CEO/CO of TACHIKAZE) is appointed CO.

1 December 1924:
KOMAHASHI is rerated a submarine tender. Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Chiya Sadae (34) (former CO of MINEKAZE) is appointed CO.

16 December 1924:
Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Hoshino Shuichi (35) is appointed CO.

21 September 1925:
Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Watanabe Tsutomu (34) is appointed CO.

1 December 1926:
Cdr Hatano Jiro (34) is appointed CO.

1 December 1927:
Cdr (later Captain) Inoue Katsuzumi (34) is appointed CO.

10 August 1928:
Cdr Kashii Tetsujiro (34) is appointed CO.

10 December 1928:
Cdr (later Captain) Matsuda Genjiro (34) is appointed CO.

30 November 1929:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Sato Koichi (35) (former XO of OI) is appointed CO.

15 January 1930:
Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Suzuki Kozo (36) (former CO of ATAKA) is appointed CO.

1 December 1930:
Cdr Nomi Tometoshi (36) is appointed CO.

1 October 1931:
Reassigned to the Yokosuka Naval District.

15 April 1932:
Begins reconstruction as a survey ship. Two 76.2 mm L/40 AA guns are landed. Her main machinery is replaced with two Ikegai diesels and two Kampon coal/oil fired boilers. Power is increased to 1,800 bhp and maximum speed is 14 knots. Modern sea survey sounding equipment is installed.

20 June 1932:
Cdr Yamada is appointed CO of ISUZU as an additional duty.

November 1932:
Completes reconstruction.

1 December 1932:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Shitabo Sadakichi (39) (former Chief Navigator, FUSO) is appointed CO.

1933:
Performs hydrographic surveys in Luzon Strait, Mandate Islands, Kurile Islands and off the Kamchatka (Siberia) Peninsula.

15 November 1934:
Cdr Shitabo is promoted Captain.

15 November 1935:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Kishindo Saburo (40) is appointed CO.

19 August 1937:
Reassigned to the 3rd Fleet.

10 October 1937:
Reassigned to the China Area Fleet.

22 November 1937:
Cdr (later Captain) Yamazaki Sadanao (42) is appointed CO.

10 November 1938:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Soma Shinshiro (42) (former Chief Navigator, FUSO) is appointed CO.

15 November 1938:
Cdr Soma is promoted Captain.

15 November 1939:
Captain Shimizu Seishin (43) is appointed CO.

7 October 1940:
Captain Kato Buntaro (43) is appointed CO.

1941:
KOMAHASHI's armament is modified. Six Type 96 25-mm AA guns are installed. She is fitted with depth charge racks and a depth charge thrower.

1 April 1941:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral, posthumously) Yamagata Masaji (43) (former XO of CHITOSE) is appointed CO.

5 December 1941:
Attached to the Yokosuka Naval District. Escorts convoys in the Yokosuka Area.

1 February 1942:
Captain Ono Amane (47) is appointed CO.

20 July 1942:
Attached to the 5th Fleet. Rerated an auxiliary survey vessel.

August-September 1942:
Performs hydrographic surveys of the Aleutian Islands.

29 September 1942:
Kiska. Heavy damaged by American land-based aircraft.

13 October 1942:
Undergoes battle-damage repairs at Yokosuka Navy Yard.

1 November 1942:
Reassigned to the Yokosuka Naval District. Escorts 38 convoys in the Yokosuka Area.

January 1944:
Rerated a submarine tender. Based at Owase Bay submarine base, Mie Prefecture.

16 January 1944:
Reassigned as flagship of the 3rd Surface Escort Division, Yokosuka Naval District.

1944:
KOMAHASHI's armament is modified. Her suite of Type 96 25-mm AA guns is increased to ten barrels. Two Type 93 13.2-mm AA guns and two Type 92 7.7-mm machine guns are fitted.

2 April 1945:
Lt (later LtCdr) Mizutani Katsuji is appointed CO.

15 April 1945:
Reassigned as flagship of the 4th Special Attack (Tokko) Squadron, Yokosuka Naval District.

1 May 1945:
Lt Mizutani is promoted LtCdr.

7 May 1945:
The Fourth Special Attack (Tokko) Corps of the Yokosuka Naval District is formed at Owase harbor with 60 Shinyo explosive motor boats, 24 Kairyu midget submarines and four Kaiten human torpedoes. Rear Admiral Mito Hisashi (42) (former CO of KATORI) is appointed CO. KOMAHASHI is Mito’s flagship.

25 July 1945:
Around 0600, twelve aircraft from Task Force 38 appear over Owase to attack targets of opportunity. Subsequent attacks continue until 1455. Between 0600 and 1457, KOMAHASHI and kaibokan CD-45 are subjected to successive air attacks and finally grounded off Owase.

27 July 1945:
Off Owase. KOMAHASHI is sunk by aircraft of Admiral (later Fleet Admiral) William F. Halsey’s Third Fleet’s Task Force 38 in shallow water. LtCdr Mitzutani is one of the survivors.

30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

1949:
Salvaged and scrapped.

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Author's Notes:
Thanks go to Matthew Jones of Mississippi.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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