Japanese Transports

ZATSUYOSEN!

(MIKAGE MARU No. 3 prewar)

IJN MIKAGE MARU No. 3:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2011 Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

8 August 1927:
Aioi. Laid down by Kobeseikosho K.K. Harima Zosen Kojo shipyard as a 3,111-tons passenger/cargo ship for Yamamoto Sajiro.
24 February 1928:
Launched and named MIFUNE MARU.
11 April 1928:
Completed. Her registered port is unknown.
E 1928:
Sold to Sanyo K.K. Her registered port is Hashidate, Ishikawa Prefecture.
30 June 1931:
Sold again to Nada Shogyo Ginko K.K. Her registered port changes to Mikage, Hyogo Prefecture.
14 July 1931:
Renamed MIKAGE MARU No. 3.
10 April 1933:
Her owners’ name is restyled to Muko Kisen K.K.
3 September 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN as a transport (Ippan Choyosen). [1]
20 September 1941:
Registered in the IJN under internal order No. 1093 and attached to the Sasebo Naval District as an auxiliary transport, (Otsu) category. Her home port is Sasebo. [2]
1 October 1941:
Conversion to an auxiliary transport is completed at Mako shipyard, Pescadores.
10 December 1941:
Arrives at Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture.
13 December 1941:
Departs Uwajima and arrives that same day at Tokuyama, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
E December 1941:
Assigned to the Mako Guard District as an auxiliary transport. Her home port is Mako.
17 December 1941:
Departs Tokuyama for Takao, Formosa (now Kaohsiung, Taiwan).
24 December 1941:
Arrives at Takao.
31 December 1941:
Departs Takao for Kirun (now Keelung).
2 January 1942:
Arrives at Kirun.
6 January 1942:
Departs Kirun for Takao.
7 January 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
11 January 1942:
Departs Takao for Kirun.
13 January 1942:
Arrives at Kirun.
18 January 1942:
Departs Kirun for Mako.
19 January 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
25 January 1942:
Departs Mako for Kirun.
26 January 1942:
Arrives at Kirun.
4 February 1942:
Departs Kirun for Takao.
5 February 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
13 February 1942:
Departs Takao for Sasebo.
20 February 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
27 February 1942:
Departs Sasebo for Takao.
3 March 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
9 March 1942:
Departs Takao and arrives that same day at Mako.
11 March 1942:
Departs Mako for Kirun.
12 March 1942:
Arrives at Kirun.
16 March 1942:
Departs Kirun for Takao.
17 March 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
22 March 1942:
Departs Takao for Moji.
27 March 1942:
Arrives at Moji.
1 April 1942:
Depart Moji for Kirun.
5 April 1942:
Arrives at Kirun.
7 April 1942:
Departs Kirun for Takao.
8 April 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
17 April 1942:
Departs Takao and arrives that same day at Mako.
19 April 1942:
Departs Mako for Kirun.
20 April 1942:
Arrives at Kirun.
23 April 1942:
Departs Kirun for Osaka.
29 April 1942:
Arrives at Osaka.
3 May 1942:
Departs Osaka for Moji.
4 May 1942:
Arrives at Moji.
6 May 1942:
Departs Moji for Kirun.
11 May 1942:
Arrives at Kirun.
15 May 1942:
Departs Kirun for Takao.
16 May 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
21 May 1942:
Departs Takao arriving that same day at Mako.
24 May 1942:
Departs Mako for Kirun.
25 May 1942:
Arrives at Kirun.
29 May 1942:
Departs Kirun for Busan (Pusan), Chosen (now S Korea).
2 June 1942:
Arrives at Busan.
4 June 1942:
Departs Busan for Yawata, Fukuoka Prefecture.
5 June 1942:
Arrives at Yawata.
7 June 1942:
Departs Yawata for Osaka.
8 June 1942:
Arrives at Osaka.
11 June 1942:
Departs Osaka for Mutsure.
E 13 June 1942:
Arrives at Mutsure.
14 June 1942:
Departs Mutsure in convoy No.124 also consisting of KOTOHIRA MARU and three unidentified merchant ships without escort.
19 June 1942:
Arrives at Mako. Departs later that same day for Takao.
20 June 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
26 June 1942:
Departs Takao and arrives later that day at Mako.
29 June 1942:
Departs Mako arriving that same day back at Takao.
4 July 1942:
Departs Takao and arrives that same day at Mako.
5 July 1942:
Departs Mako in convoy No.230 also consisting of SHOYO and NAGANO MARUs and thirteen unidentified merchant ships escorted by auxiliary gunboats PEKING and CHOHAKUSAN MARUs.
11 July 1942:
Arrives at Mutsure.
13 July 1942:
Iyo Nada, about 2.9 nms S Tsurishima, probably under fog, MIKAGE MARU No. 3 collides with cargo ship ANZAN MARU (5493 GRT). The latter is only damaged but MIKAGE MARU No. 3 founders later that same day.
10 August 1942:
Removed from the Navy List under internal order No. 1486.

Authors Notes:
[1] See Zatsuyosen home page for full explanation.
[2] There were two categories of Zatsuyosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.

Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.

-Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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