RIKUGUN YUSOSEN!
(GALLIA, later KYODO MARU, prewar)
KYODO MARU: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2014 Bob Hackett
E 1913:
Bolnes, Netherlands. Laid down at Scheepswerf Gebroeders Pot shipyard as a 1,090 ton tanker for unknown Dutch owners
1914:
Launched and named GALLIA.
March 1914:
Completed.
1919:
Placed on Rotterdam and Antwerp, Netherlands ~ New York service for Phs. van Ommeren of Rotterdam.
1924:
Sold to Seikyo Kyodo Hanbaisho, K. K. and registered in Niigata, Japan. Renamed KYODO MARU.
1937:
Sold to Kagitomi Shosaku, K. K. and registered in Niigata.
7 December 1941:
3.5 nms from Kannon-saki Lighthouse (E of Uraga Town). KYODO MARU is damaged lightly by a Japanese mine
22 February 1942:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army (IJA). Allotted Army No.759.
18 December 1942:
KYODO MARU departs Saeki in Transportation Movement No. 8’s convoy “L” also consisting of tanker KUROSHIO MARU and cargo ship TOUN MARU escorted by auxiliary minesweeper OI MARU.
E 19 December 1942:
At 29N, OI MARU is detached.
10 January 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul.
1 April 1943:
At 0730, KYODO MARU departs Rabaul for Palau in a convoy also consisting of HORAI, INDUS, SEKKO and TOYO MARUs escorted by subchasers CH-37, CH-38 and CH-39.
E 4 April 1943:
CH-37 and CH-39 are detached.
11 April 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
12 May 1944:
Released back to her owners.
12 May 1944 ~ January 1945:
Operates under civilian control. [1]
6 January 1945:
Lingayen Gulf, Philippines. Carrier-based planes of Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) John S. McCain’s (USNA ’06) Task Force 38 bomb and sink KYODO MARU. 10 crew members are KIA. [2]
10 December 1948:
Register of KYODO MARU officially closed at Niigata, her port of registry.
Authors' Notes:
[1] Possibly operated as an A/C-AO, but no clear evidence of this has been found.
[2] At the time of her sinking, some sources report KYODO MARU was an IJA cargo ship.
Little data were found detailing KYODO MARU's movements. Readers with access to such data are requested to post the information on the Discussion and Questions board or at j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message Board
Thanks go to Erich.Muehlthaler of Germany.
- Bob Hackett
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