RIKUGUN YUSOSEN

(KUROHIME MARU (ex-BOGSTAD, prewar)

IJA Transport KUROHIME MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2013-2016 Bob Hackett

E 1919:
Port Glascow, Scotland, UK. Laid down at Lithgow’s (formerly Russell & Co., Ltd.) shipyard, Port Glasgow, as Yard No 724, a 4,606-ton tanker for The Shipping Controller, London, United Kingdom.

20 May 1920:
Launched and named WAR PARSEE.

1920:
Sold to D/S A/S Aker (Fearnley & Eger), Kristiania (later Oslo), Norway and completed as a dry cargo ship. Renamed BOGSTAD.

1924:
Sold to Kurohime Kisen Goshi Kaisha of Dairen, Manchuria and renamed KUROHIME MARU.

30 September 1941:
Requistioned by the Imperial Army (IJA) and converted to a troop transport. Alloted IJA No. 400.

13 December 1941 - Operation “E” – The Invasion of Malaya:
At 0830, departs Camranh Bay in the IJA 5th Infantry Division Transportation Movement. KUROHIME MARU is in TransDiv 5 with MEIGAN, NICHIRYU, NIKKI, RYUUN, SUEZ, TACOMA and TOHO MARUs. The Movement carries the main body of the IJA 5th Infantry Division.

16 December 1941:
At 1900, arrives at Pattani, Siam (Thailand). Disembarks troops.

12 July 1942:
Released by the IJA back to her owners.

22 January 1943:
Re-requistioned by the (IJA).

25 January 1943:
KUROHIME MARU departs Saeki escorting the No. 8 Military Movement “W” Convoy also consisting of EHIME, KOSEI and YASUKUNI, MARUs escorted by minelayers NUWAJIMA and YURIJIMA.

E 26 January 1943:
The escorts are detached at 29N.

28 March 1943:
At 1500, KUROHIME MARU departs Rabaul for Palau in a convoy consisting of DENMARK, MAYA, NAGANO, TAIKO, and YAMATO MARUs escorted by subchaser CH-16. Later that day, CH-24 joins the escort.

29 March 1943:
Late in the afternoon, LtCdr (later Captain) Arnold H. Holtz's (USNA ’31) USS TUNA (SS-203) sights the convoy, two escorts and two aircraft overhead. Holtz tracks the convoy into and through the night.

30 March 1943:
NE of Manus Island. At 0750, Holtz fires three torpedoes at the largest ship. Two hit and sink KUROHIME MARU at 00-35N, 147-55E. 27 passengers and nine crewmen are KIA.

Bob Hackett

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