RIKUGUN HAITSOSEN!
(Type 1TM Standard Tanker underway)
MEDAN MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2011-2013 Bob Hackett
Revision 1
E 1943:
Yokohama. Laid down at Mitsubishi Jukogyo K.K. as a 5,136-ton Standard Type 1TM tanker for Mitsubishi Kisen K.K., Tokyo.
1943:
Launched and named MEDAN MARU.
December 1943:
Completed and requisitioned by the Japanese
Government's Senpaku Uneikai wartime civilian shipping authority. Chartered to the Imperial Army with a civilian crew.
5 January 1944:
Departs Moji for Takao in convoy SA-19 also consisting of cargo ship KUROGANE MARU and tankers SAN PEDRO, KAIKO and CHIYODA MARUs without escort.
9 January 1944:
Arrives at Takao. CHIYODA and SAN PEDRO MARUs are detached from the convoy.
11 January 1944:
Departs Takao.
23 January 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
13 June 1944:
MEDAN MARU departs Singapore escorting convoy SHIMA-01 also consisting of tanker SAN PEDRO MARU and five unidentified ships escorted by kaibokan ETOROFU.
22 June 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
24 June 1944:
At 0630, MEDAN MARU departs Manila in convoy MATA-23 also consisting of tankers SAN PEDRO and RIKKO MARUs and cargo ships KAMO,
USSURI, NICHIZUI, TASMANIA, KAZAN and TOUN MARUs and six unidentified ships escorted by kaibokan ETOROFU, CD-8 and CD-17. MEDAN MARU carries a cargo of 8,463-tons of aviation gasoline bound for Japan.
25 June 1944:
S China Sea, off Cape Bolinao, Luzon. At 0430, LtCdr Arthur E. Krapf's (USNA '34) USS JACK (SS-259) torpedoes and sinks SAN PEDRO MARU at 16-09N, 119-41E. 35 crewmen are KIA. Convoy leader ETOROFU orders evasive maneuvers.
Escorting aircraft drive off JACK. NICHIZUI MARU rescues survivors.
27 June 1944:
Bashi Channel. At 0517, LtCdr (later Captain) Slade D. Cutter's (USNA '35) USS SEAHORSE (SS-304) torpedoes MEDAN MARU. As her volatile cargo ignites, she erupts into a a red ball of flame At about 0600, MEDAN MARU
sinks at 21-10N, 120-31E. There are no survivors of her crew of 58 men.
Later that day, Cutter's SEAHORSE torpedoes and damages USSURI MARU that is attacked twice by a USAAF 14th Air Force B-24 heavy bombers and finally sunk at 0315 the next day. Two crewmen are KIA.
- Bob Hackett
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