Japanese Oilers

YUSOSEN!

(Oiler by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")

IJN KYOKUYO MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2009 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

7 January 1938:
Kobe. Laid down at Kawasaki as a 17, 549-ton whaling factory ship for Kyokuyo Hogei K. K., Tokyo.
28 June 1938:
Launched and named KYOKUYO MARU.
5 October 1938:
Completed.
11 October 1938:
Departs Kobe on her first Antartic whaling voyage.
7 November 1938:
Arrives at Fremantle, Australia.
1938:
Arrives at Tarakan, Borneo.
16 April 1939:
Arrives at Sasebo.
20 April 1939:
Departs Sasebo.
1939:
Arrives at Kobe.
29 October 1939:
Departs Kobe on her second Antartic whaling voyage.
19 April 1940:
Arrives at Kobe.
10 October 1940:
Departs Kobe on her third Antartic whaling voyage.
29 March 1941:
Arrives at Kobe.
1941:
Engages in transporting heavy oil from North America.
17 November 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District as a chartered transport ship (oil supply).
3 December 1941:
Departs Yokosuka. Arrives at Hisashihama.
7 December 1941:
Departs Hisashihama.
15 December 1941:
Arrives at Mako.
17 December 1941:
Departs Mako.
18 December 1941:
Arrives at Takao.
27 December 1941:
Departs Takao.
4 January 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
9 January 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
13 January 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
16 January 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
21 January 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
28 January 1942:
Departs Mako.
29 January 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
6 February 1942:
Departs Takao.
12 February 1942:
Arrives at Osaka.
16 February 1942:
Departs Osaka.
18 February 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
19 February 1942:
Departs Kure. Arrives at Kanogawa
21 February 1942:
Departs Kanogawa. Arrives at Kure.
23 February 1942:
Departs Kure.
1 March 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
3 March 1942:
Departs Takao.
5 March 1942:
Arrives at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippines.
9 March 1942:
Departs Lingayen.
19 March 1942:
Arrives at Penang. Malaya.
21 March 1942:
Departs Penang.
23 March 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.
25 March 1942:
Departs Singapore.
8 April 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
9 April 1942:
Departs Kure.
10 April 1942:
Arrives at Aioi. Enters drydock.
14 April 1942:
Undocked. Departs Aioi.
15 April 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
16 April 1942:
Departs Kure. Arrives at Kanogawa.
18 April 1942:
Departs Kanogawa.
24 April 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
28 April 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
30 April 1942:
Arrives at Kanogawa.
3 May 1942:
Departs Kanogawa.
6 May 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
9 May 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
11 May 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
12 May 1942:
Departs Kure. Arrives at Kanogawa .
15 May 1942:
Departs Kanogawa.
17 May 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
21 May 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
27 May 1942:
Arrives at Saipan.
28 May 1942:
Departs Saipan.
2 June 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul, New Britain.
8 June 1943:
Departs Rabaul.
13 June 1942:
Arrives at Truk, Caroline Islands.
16 June 1942:
Departs Truk.
24 June 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
1 July 1942:
Departs Yokosuka. Arrives at Yokohama.
5 July 1942:
Departs Yokohama.
10 July 1942:
Arrives at Saipan.
14 July 1942:
Departs Saipan.
18 July 1942:
Arrives at Palau.
21 July 1942:
Departs Palau.
26 July 1942:
Arrives at Balikpapan, Borneo. Loads fuel oil.
30 July 1942:
Departs Balikpapan.
3 August 1942:
Arrives at Miri. Loads fuel oil.
6 August 1942:
Departs Miri.
16 August 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama.
22 August 1942:
Departs Yokohama.
28 August 1942:
At 1300, KYOKUYO MARU departs Yokosuka in a convoy with KENRYU MARU escorted by minesweeper W-17.
30 August 1942:
W-17 is detached from the convoy and returns to Japan. The two merchant ships proceed independently to Palau and then together to Rabaul.
5 September 1942:
Arrives at Palau.
6 September 1942:
At 1000, KYOKUYO and KENRYU MARUs depart Palau carrying 579 men of a navy construction unit.
11 September 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul.
16 September 1942:
Departs Rabaul.
20 September 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
24 September 1942:
Departs Truk.
4 October 1942:
Arrives at Miri. Takes on fuel.
7 October 1942:
Departs Miri.
18 October 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama.
25 October 1942:
Departs Yokohama. Arrives at Yokosuka
28 October 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
6 November 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
12 November 1942:
Departs Truk.
17 November 1942:
Arrives at Palau.
19 November 1942:
Departs Palau.
25 November 1942:
Arrives at Miri. Loads fuel oil.
28 November 1942:
Departs Miri.
12 December 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama.
19 December 1942:
Departs Yokohama.
21 December 1942:
Arrives at Shimotsu.
22 December 1942:
Departs Shimotsu. Arrives at Osaka.
23 December 1942:
Departs Osaka.
24 December 1942:
Arrives at Mutsure.
25 December 1942:
Departs Mutsure in convoy No. 107 consisting of four unidentified merchant ships without escort.
31 December 1942:
The convoy arrives Mako. KYOKUYO MARU steams on for Yulin, Hainan.
2 January 1943:
Arrives at Yulin.
6 January 1943:
Departs Yulin.
10 January 1943:
Arrives at Miri. Loads fuel oil.
11 January 1943:
At 1520 (H), LtCdr (later Vice Admiral/MOH) Lawson P. Ramage’s USS TROUT (SS-202) sights and correctly identifies KYOKUYO MARU moored off Miri. Ramage decides to wait for nightfall to attack. At 2109, he approaches on the surface andfires three torpedoes and gets two hits that damage KYOKUYO MARU. Ramage swings TROUT about and at 2113 fires a stern torpedo at 1400 yards, but the Mark 14-3A is a dud.
At 2254, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message that reads: “Received enemy torpedo attack with great damage while passing in vicinity of 04-24S, 113-51E.”
19 January 1943:
Departs Miri.
23 January 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
24 January 1943:
Seletar Naval Base. Begins repairs by the 101st Repair Unit.
9 June 1943:
Completes repairs. Departs Singapore in the Kyokuyo convoy consisting of KYOKUYO MARU and two unidentified merchant ships (ASO MARU possibly one) without escort.
12 June 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques, Indochina.
21 June 1943:
KYOKUYO MARU departs St Jacques in convoy No. 404 consisting of tankers KONSAN MARU and eight unidentified merchant ships escorted by kaibokan MATSUWA.
27 June 1943:
At 0815, arrives at Mako and departs for Takao at 1300.
28 June 1943:
Departs Takao in convoy No. 276 consisting of eight unidentified merchant ships escorted by torpedo boat HAYABUSA.
2 July 1943:
Arrives at Mutsure.
3 July 1943:
Departs Mutsure.
4 July 1943:
Arrives at Kobe.
5 July 1943:
Departs Kobe.
8 July 1943:
Arrives at Yokkaichi. Probably offloads fuel at the refinery.
10 July 1943:
Departs Yokkaichi. At about 2200, LtCdr (KIA) Willis M. Thomas’ USS POMPANO (SS-181) fires two Mark 14 -3A torpedoes at KYOKUYO MARU using radar bearings S of Shio Saki at 33-31N, 135-24E, but both run erratically and miss ahead.
11 July 1943:
Arrives at Kobe. Departs that same day.
12 July 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
13 July 1943:
Departs Moji in convoy No. 176 consisting KYOKUYO MARU and eight unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer KURETAKE.
18 July 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
19 July 1943:
Departs Takao. Arrives at Mako that same day.
22 July 1943:
Departs Mako in the "P" convoy consisting of 10 unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer WAKATAKE.
29 July 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
31 July 1943:
KYOKUYO MARU departs St Jacques in convoy No. 597 with one unidentified warship escorted by an unknown warship "Tokusen (Special Ship) No. 18".
3 August 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
12 August 1943:
Departs Singapore in convoy No. 612 consisting of two unidentified merchant ships.
15 August 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
18 August 1943:
Departs St Jacques in convoy No. 316 consisting of SHOTO, KINMON, HARVRE, SAINAN and GYOYU MARUs and one unidentified ship escorted by auxiliary gunship CHOHAKUSAN MARU.
22 August 1943:
N of the Paracel Islands. At about 0817, LtCdr Russell Kefauver's USS TAMBOR (SS-198) attacks the convoy. Kefauver fires five Mark 14-3A torpedoes at KYOKUYO MARU at 16-44N, 113-38E and gets three hits amidships, but they are duds and bounce off. but she suffers little, if any, damage.
25 August 1943:
Arrives at Mako.
26 August 1943:
Departs Mako in convoy No. 296 consisting of six unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer KURETAKE.
31 August 1943:
Arrives at Mutsure Island.
31 August 1943:
Departs Mutsure.
1 September 1943:
Arrives at Shimotsu. That same day, KYOKUYO MARU is requisitioned by the IJN and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District as a specially installed transport ship (oil supply). Assigned to the Department of the Navy as a refueling ship.
12 September 1943:
Departs Shimotsu. At Sasebo, loads 14 aircraft, 18 tons of freight, and 339 passengers.
13 September 1943:
KYOKUYO MARU departs Moji in convoy No. 197 consisting of TAKETOYO, TOMITSU, KOSO, HONAN and TANGO MARUs and three unidentified ships escorted by torpedo boat MANAZURU and auxiliary gunship CHOJUSAN MARU.
14 September 1943:
Departs Sasebo.
15 September 1943:
The convoy retires to Kagoshima because of the threat of a submarine attack..
17 September 1943:
At 0600, a typhoon warning is issued; nevertheless, at 1730, the convoy departs Kagoshima.
18 September 1943:
About 1900, the convoy arrives at Naze, Amami-O-Shima.
19 September 1943:
Off Amami-O-Shima. KYOKUYO MARU runs aground and is wrecked at 28-20N, 129-30E. TAKETOYO, TOMITSU, KOSO and TANGO MARUs are also driven ashore by the storm.
28 September 1943:
Abandoned. Later, towed to Keelung, Formosa.
30 November 1943:
Keelung. Deemed a constructive total loss and scrapped.
15 December 1943:
Removed from the Navy List.

Authors' Notes:
Thanks for assistance goes to Sander Kingsepp of Estonia. Thanks go to John Whitman of the USA for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages.

- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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