© 2006 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
1 March 1939:
Tsurumi. Laid down at Nippon Kokan K. K.’s shipyard as kaibokan No. 10.
6 May 1940:
Launched and named KUNASHIRI. Cdr Shimizu Toshio is appointed Chief Equipping Officer.
3 October 1940:
Completed and registered in the Maizuru Naval District. Cdr Shimizu is the Commanding Officer. Based at Muroran. Patrols Ominato and the Tsugaru Strait.
15 October 1940:
Cdr Kubota Toshi assumes command.
11 August 1941:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral, posthumously) Kitamura Fumio (47) assumes command.
June 1942:
Participates in the capture of Attu and Kiska, Aleutians. Later, based at Kataoka Bay, Shimushu, Kuriles.
1 November 1942:
Cdr Kitamura is promoted Captain.
19 November 1942:
Captain Kitamura is reassigned. Cdr Ota Haruo assumes command.
24 November 1942:
At 0500, departs Paramushiro, Kuriles for Attu escorting convoy No. 1 consisting of KOAN and YAMAYURI MARUs.
29 November 1942:
At 0630, arrives at Attu.
31 November 1942:
At 1700, departs Attu for Paramushiro.
7 December 1942:
At 0700, arrives at Paramushiro.
15 December 1942:
Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Kawashima Yoshio (48) is posted as new CO.
28 January 1943:
At 2300, departs Paramushiro for Attu with destroyer USAGUMO escorting convoy No. 10 consisting of
SAKITO and KIMIKAWA MARUs.
31 January 1943:
At 2100, arrives at Attu. The convoy unloads and departs the same day.
1 February 1943:
Arrives at Kiska. The convoy unloads and departs the same day.
3 February 1943:
At 0700, arrives at Paramushiro.
7 July 1943: Operation “KE” - The Evacuation of Kiska:
KUNASHIRI
departs Paramushiro, Kuriles with Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kimura Masatomi's Evacuation Task Force's light cruisers TAMA and ABUKUMA, DesDiv 10's YUGUMO, KAZAGUMO and AKIGUMO, light cruiser KISO, DesRon 9's ASAGUMO and USUGUMO, DesDiv 6's HIBIKI, Guard Unit No. 1's DesDiv 21's WAKABA and HATSUSHIMO, DesDiv 32's NAGANAMI, Guard Unit No. 2 DesDiv 11's SHIMAKAZE, DesDiv 27's SAMIDARE, Supply Force's converted cruiser AWATA MARU and oiler NIPPON MARU.
18 July 1943:
The mission is aborted due to weather. Returns to Paramushiro.
22 July 1943:
Departs Paramushiro with the Evacuation Task Force on the second run to Kiska.
26 July 1943:
At 1745, while steaming in column, KUNASHIRI collides with ABUKUMA, hitting her starboard quarter. WAKABA veers starboard and is hit by HATSUSHIMO on her starboard quarter. HATSUSHIMO ricochets against NAGANAMI.
KUNASHIRI and WAKABA are sent back to Paramushiro.
E 30 July 1943:
Arrives at Paramushiro.
1 August 1943:
Reassigned to the Kuriles Area Base Force.
25 October 1943:
Cdr Kawashima is reassigned. Lt Ota Osamu assumes commannd.
2 May 1944:
KUNASHIRI departs Ominato with kaibokan HACHIJO escorting the "YO" convoy consisting of KOAN, SAMARANG, UMEKAWA and HAKUSHIN MARUs.
10 May 1944:
Arrives at Kashiwabara, Paramushiro Island.
27 July 1944:
W of Paramushiro, Kuriles. KUNASHIRI is damaged by an unknown cause, possibly a mine.
25 December 1944:
KUNASHIRI, ETOROFU and SHIMUSHU are reassigned to the Kuriles Area Base Fleet of the 12th Air Fleet.
24 May 1945:
At 2230, KUNASHIRI departs Otaru, Hokkaido for Paramushiro with kaibokan CD-65 escorting the "NU" convoy consisting of HOKUYU, TAISHO and SANTO MARUs.
25 May 1945:
TAISHO MARU's poorly loaded cargo begins to shift. As a result, the convoy returns to Otaru.
26 May 1945:
Redeparts Otaru.
31 May 1945:
At 1403, arrives at Paramushiro.
10 April 1945:
Reassigned to the 104th Escort Squadron.
15 August 1945:
KUNASHIRI is with the Hokkaido Naval Guard when her crew receives notification of the termination of the war.
1 October 1945:
Departs Maizuru.
5 October 1945:
Arrives at Sasebo and departs later that day. That same day she is
removed from the Navy List.
14 October 1945:
Arrives at Eniwetok.
16 October 1945:
Departs Eniwetok.
18 October 1945:
Arrives at Maloelap.
20 October 1945:
Departs Maloelap.
28 October 1945:
Arrives at Uraga.
1 December 1945:
Assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service as a
special cargo ship.
31 October 1945-30 November 1945:
Undergoes repairs at Tsurumi shipyard.
3 December 1945:
Departs Uraga.
9 December 1945:
Arrives at Guam and departs later that day.
11 December 1945:
Arrives at Yap and departs later that day.
17 December 1945:
Arrives at Uraga.
21 December 1945-17 January 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Tsurumi shipyard.
22 January 1946:
Transfers to Uraga shipyard. Undergoes repairs.
15 February 1946:
Repairs are completed.
24 February 1946:
Departs Uraga.
28 February 1946:
Arrives at Guam.
1 March 1946:
Departs Guam.
3 March 1946:
Arrives at Saipan.
4 March 1946:
Departs Saipan.
8 March 1946:
Arrives at Chichijima and departs again the same day.
10 March 1946:
Arrives at Uraga.
28 March 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
30 March 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai and departs later that day.
2 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo.
3 April 1946-5 May 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Maizuru dockyard.
13 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
19 May 1946:
Arrives at Saigon and departs later that day.
21 May 1946:
Arrives at St Jacques (Vung Tau) and departs later that day.
24 May 1946:
Arrives at Bangkok and departs later that day.
4 June 1946:
Off Omaezaki. Enroute to Uraga, and due to arrive that evening, KUNASHIRI runs aground at 34-35N, 138-5E.
7 June 1946:
Ex-destroyer KAMIKAZE attempts to assist stranded KUNASHIRI,
but also runs aground. Later, KAMIKAZE is deemed a constructive total loss. KUNASHIRI is
abandoned.
August 1946 to July 1947:
Scrapped.
Authors' Note:
Thanks for assistance go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. Thanks also go to Jeff Donahoo of Iowa, Matthew Jones of Ohio and Aki-san of Japan for help in identifying kaibokan COs.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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