© 2006-2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
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 the Ominato area 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.
14 July 1942:
KUNASHIRI is reassigned to the Ominato Guard District.
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's 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 on her first repatriation voyage. That same day she is removed from the Navy List.
14 October 1945:
Arrives at Eniwetok. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
16 October 1945:
Departs Eniwetok.
18 October 1945:
Arrives at Maloelap. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
20 October 1945:
Departs Maloelap.
28 October 1945:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
1 December 1945:
Assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service as a
special cargo ship. [1]
31 October 1945-30 November 1945:
Undergoes repairs at Tsurumi shipyard.
3 December 1945:
Departs Uraga.
9 December 1945:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated. and departs later that day.
11 December 1945:
Arrives at Yap. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
17 December 1945:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
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. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
1 March 1946:
Departs Guam.
3 March 1946:
Arrives at Saipan. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
4 March 1946:
Departs Saipan.
8 March 1946:
Arrives at Chichijima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs again the same day.
10 March 1946:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
28 March 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
30 March 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
2 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
3 April 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Maizuru dockyard.
5 May 1946:
Repairs are completed.
13 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
19 May 1946:
Arrives at Saigon. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated 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. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated 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:
[1] Allied occupation forces were responsible for the return of six million Japanese military personnel and civilians from Japan's defunct far-flung Empire. In addition, there were over a million Korean and about 40,000 Chinese prisoners and conscript laborers and approximately 7,000 Formosans and 15,000 Ryukyu Islanders to be repatriated.
Some Allied and many former IJN warships, from aircraft carriers to kaibokan, were used to facilitate the enormous repatriation effort. Japanese vessels and crews were used to the fullest extent possible to conserve Allied manpower and accelerate demobilization. Each ex-IJN ship first had to be demilitarized; guns removed or, in the case of large warships, barrels severed, ammunition landed, and radar and catapults removed, if fitted. Repatriation of the Chinese on Japanese ships began early in October from Hakata, but U.S. guard detachments had to be placed on many ships to prevent disorder because the Japanese crews could not control the returnees.
Japanese-run repatriation centers were established at Kagoshima, Hario near Sasebo, and Hakata near Fukuoka. Other reception centers were established and operated at Maizuru, Shimonoseki, Sasebo, Senzaki, Kure, Uraga, Yokohama, Moji and Hakodate. Allied line and medical personnel supervised the centers. Incoming Japanese were sprayed with DDT, examined and inoculated for typhus and smallpox, provided with food, and transported to his final destination in Japan.
Thanks 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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