© 2006 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
1 October 1942:
Tsurumi. Laid down at Nihon Kokan K. K.’s shipyard.
16 July 1943:
Launched and named MIKURA.
31 October 1943:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval
District. Assigned to the Second Surface Escort Division .
14 November 1943:
At 0800, MIKURA departs Yokosuka as the sole escort of convoy 3114A consisting of
KEMBU and DAIDO MARUs.
27 November 1943:
At 0950, arrives at Truk.
5 December 1943:
MIKURA departs Truk escorting convoy 4205A consisting of submarine tender
YASUKUNI MARU and fleet supply ship IRAKO.
7 December 1943:
LtCdr Ralph M. Metcalf's USS POGY (SS-266) attacks slower convoy 4205B sailing behind convoy 4205A at 14-03N, 152-20E. Convoy 4205B consists of SOYO and AKIBASAN MARUs escorted by kaibokan HIRADO and auxiliary submarine chaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 8. SOYO MARU is sunk and AKIBASAN MARU
is demaged and escorted back to Truk by AKUNAN MARU No. 8. HIRADO searches for the submarine and then joins convoy 4205A as added escort.
10 December 1943:
The convoy arrives at Saipan.
12 December 1943:
At 0800, the convoy departs Saipan. SATSUMA MARU also joins the convoy.
20 December 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
February March 1944:
At Yokosuka. Undergoes maintenance and repairs.
6 March 1944:
At 1130, MIKURA departs Truk with kaibokan AMAKUSA, subchaser CH-33 and minesweeper W-21 escorting convoy No. 4304 consisting of URAKAMI, SHIRANE, JUZAN and AWAJI MARUs.
10 March 1944:
At 1222, arrives at Saipan.
1 April 1944:
At 1100, MIKURA departs Tokyo as part of the escort of convoy “Higashi-Matsu” No. 4. The ships and their destinations are: Saipan: SHOUN, TOKO, TAKASAN, AKIKAWA KOKO, SHIRAMINE, TAIKAI, KAKOGAWA and MAKASSAR MARUS. Guam: MIMIASAKA, TOAN, AZUCHISAN and NISSU MARU s and UNYO MARU No. 8 Truk: Fleet supply ship KINESAKI, SHOZUI, TATBEI, SHIMA, SHINYO and HARVRE MARU s. Palau: Fleet supply ship MAMIYA, TENRYUGAWA, TAIAN and TOSEI MARU s and SHINSEI MARU No. 5 Yap: SHINSEI MARU.The convoy commander is Rear Admiral Kiyota Takahiko (former CO of NACHI) in destroyer SAMIDARE. The other escorts include destroyer ASANAGI, torpedo-boat HIYODORI, kaibokans AMAKUSA, FUKUE, OKI, CD-2, CD-3 and subchaser CH-50.
3 April 1944:
5 miles S of Tori-Shima. At about 1457, LtCdr (later
Rear Admiral-Ret) Bafford E. Lewellen's USS POLLACK torpedoes and sinks TOSEI
MARU at 30-14N, 139-45E. The escorts counter-attack POLLACK and drop 55 depth-charges without effect.
8 April 1944:
N of Saipan. At 0228 (JST), LtCdr (later Vice Admiral)
Frederick J. Harlfinger's USS TRIGGER (SS-237) fires four torpedoes at the
convoy, but fails to get any hits. OKI and SAMIDARE counter-attack unsuccessfully.
9 April 1944:
62 miles WNW of Saipan. At 1625, LtCdr (later Captain)
Slade D. Cutter's USS SEAHORSE (SS-304) torpedoes and hits MIMASAKA MARU at
15-30N, 145-00E. MIMASAKA MARU is taken in tow by TOAN MARU. The escorts
counter-attack SEAHORSE unsuccessfully.
10 April 1944:
At about 0100 (JST), MIMASAKA MARU founders. She is
carrying over 1,000 Naval personnel, most of whom are rescued. The convoy arrives at
Saipan, then is split into separate groups that continue on to their respective destinations.
17 May 1944:
At 0616, MIKURA with destroyer HATAKAZE, kaibokan MIYAKE,
CD-16, subchaser CH-48, minelayer SARUSHIMA, mineseeper W-20 and auxiliary netlayer KOA
MARU depart Tateyama, Japan for Saipan escorting convoy No. 3515 consisting of HAKUSAN,
NIPPONKAI, TOYO, KINSHU, HINKO, REIKAI, EIKO, NATSUKAWA, SHOKAI, MEITO and
CHIYO MARUs and UNYO MARU No. 8.
23 May 1944:
At about 0900, W-20 is detached from the convoy.
25 May 1944:
At 0708, the convoy arrives safely at Saipan.
29 May 1944:
MIKURA departs Saipan with auxiliary submarine chaser URUPPU MARU, auxiliary patrol boat SHOHO MARU and subchaser CH-48 escorting a convoy consisting of NIPPONKAI, TOHO and KINSHU MARU.
4 June 1944:
Arrives at Palau.
July 1944:
Reassigned to the General Escort Command’s First Surface
Escort Division.
16 July 1944:
At 0820, MIKURA and torpedo boat HIYODORI rendezvous with convoy MI-08 consisting of MEXICO, ASAKA, OLYMPIA, TATSUBATO, HAKUSHIKA, RASHIN and KUROGANE MARUs and tankers SAN DIEGO, CHIHAYA, NITTETSU, OEI, YAMAKO, SAN LUIS, RYUSHO MARUs and KYOEI MARU No.6 escorted by torpedo boat SAGI and minesweepers W-17 and W-18. At 1400, MIKURA and HIYODORI are detached. The convoy arrives at Manila at 2200 that day.
24 July 1944:
At 0600, MIKURA departs Manila for Moji with escort
carrier KAIYO, kaibokans HIRADO (F), ISHIGAKI, KURAHASHI, CD-11, CD-20 and
torpedo boat HIYODORI escorting convoy HI-68. The convoy sails in three columns
consisting of landing ship MAYASAN MARU, oilers OTORISAN MARU and NICHINAN MARU
No. 2 and escort carrier TAIYO in column No. 1; landing ship KOZU MARU (a.k.a.
TAKATSU MARU) and transports TOSAN, KASHII, NISSHO and AKI MARUs in column No. 2
and ex-seaplane tender KIYOKAWA MARU and oilers ITSUKUSHIMA, TOA, TOHO and SHIMPO MARUs in column
No. 3. A three-submarine wolf pack of Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Rueben T. Whitaker’s FLASHER, LtCdr Franklin
Hess’s ANGLER (SS-240) and LtCdr (later Captain) Francis D. Walker’s CREVALLE (SS-291) tracks
the convoy.
26 July 1944:
Off Luzon. The wolfpack attacks and sinks TOSAN, AKI and OTORISAN MARUs and damages KIYOKAWA MARU.
27 July 1944:
At 1100, arrives at Takao.
28 July 1944:
At 1800, departs at Takao.
3 August 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
10 August 1944:
MIKURA departs Imari Bay (Moji) for Singapore with
Rear Admiral (Vice Admiral, posthumously) Kajioka Sadamichi's (former CO of
KISO) 6th Escort Convoy’s destroyers FUJINAMI and YUNAGI, kaibokans HIRADO,
KURAHASHI, SHONAN and CD-11 and escort carrier TAIYO escorting convoy HI-71
comprised of oilers AZUSA, TEIYO, EIYO, ZUIHO, AMATSU, KYOKUTO and NIYO MARUs
and HAKKO MARU No. 2, fleet oiler HAYASUI, food-supply ship IRAKO, transports
TEIA, AWA, NOTO, HOKKAI, TAMATSU, NOSHIRO and MAYASAN MARUs and cargo ships
KASHII, NISSHO and ORYOKU MARUs.
15 August 1944:
HI-71 arrives at Mako, Pescadores. NIYO, HAKKO and
ORYOKU MARUs and IRAKO are detached.
17 August 1944: Operation "SHO-1-GO" (Victory) - The Defense of the
Philippines:
At 0800, in typhoon weather, HI-71 sorties from Mako for Manila.
To strengthen HI-71's escort forces, old destroyer ASAKAZE and kaibokans SADO,
MATSUWA and HIBURI arrive from Takao and kaibokan ETOROFU arrives from Saei, on
orders of 1st Surface Escort Division.
18 August 1944:
At 0524, LtCdr Louis D. McGregor's USS REDFISH
(SS-395) torpedoes and damages EIYO MARU. ASAKAZE and YUNAGI are detached to
escort her back to Takao.
Off Cape Bolinao, Luzon. At 2210, LtCdr (later Captain) Henry G. Munson's
USS RASHER (SS-269) torpedoes and sinks oiler TEIYO MARU in a surface radar
attack. At 2222, Munson torpedoes and sinks carrier TAIYO at the rear of the
convoy. At 2310, RASHER, still on the surface, hits transport TEIA MARU with
three torpedoes using radar bearings. The ex-French liner is set afire and
sinks.
19 August 1944:
The convoy splits into two groups. Just past midnight,
RASHER, still running on the surface, closes on an eastbound group of three
large ships and one escort. At 0033, LtCdr Munson puts two radar-directed
torpedoes into the port sides of AWA and NOSHIRO MARUs. Both ships beach
themselves near Port Currimao. LtCdr Charles M. Henderson's USS BLUEFISH
(SS-222) and LtCdr (later Captain) Gordon W. Underwood's SPADEFISH (SS-411) join
in the attack on HI-71. At 0320, BLUEFISH hits and sinks HAYASUI. SPADEFISH hits
TAMATSU MARU with two torpedoes and the big landing craft depot ship rolls over
and takes down 4,755 men. HI-71 makes for San Fernando.
21 August 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
25 August 1944:
At 1650, MIKURA departs Manila for Singapore with
destroyer FUJINAMI, kaibokans HIRADO, KURAHASHI, CD-11 and SubChaser CH-28
escorting convoy HI-71 consisting of AZUSA, KYOKUTO, HOKKAI, ZUIHO, KYOKUHO and
AWA MARUs escorted by. At 1845, KYOKUHO MARU develops engine trouble and drops
behind escorted by FUJINAMI. Later, they catch up with the convoy.
1 September 1944:
At 1356, arrives at Singapore.
6 September 1944:
At 0630, MIKURA departs Singapore for Moji with Rear
Admiral Kajioka Sadamichi's (victor of Wake Island and former CO of KISO) 6th
Escort Convoy Command’s kaibokan HIRADO (F), destroyer SHIKINAMI, kaibokan
KURAHASHI, CD-11 and CD-19 escorting fleet convoy HI-72 consisting of ex-armed
merchant cruiser ASAKA MARU, ex-seaplane tender KIMIKAWA MARU, and NANKAI,
RAKUYO, ZUIHO, KIBITSU, SHINCHO and KACHIDOKI MARUs (ex-PRESIDENT HARRISON).
11 September 1944:
S China Sea. 100 miles NE of the Paracel Islands.
At 0910, convoy HI-72 is joined by convoy MA-MO-03 consisting of transport KIBITSU, armed merchant cruiser GOKOKU and ex-seaplane tender KAGU MARUs escorted by minesweeper W-21 and kaibokan CD-10 and CD-20.
12 September 1944:
S China Sea. E of Hainan, China. At 0155, Cdr Thomas B. Oakey’s USS GROWLER (SS-215) torpedoes and sinks flagship HIRADO at 17-54N, 114-59E. Rear Admiral Kajioka goes down with the ship. He is promoted Vice Admiral, posthumously. At 0500, LtCdr (later Vice Admiral) Eli T. Reich’s
USS SEALION (SS-315) torpedoes RAKUYO MARU, but she stays afloat for another 13 hours, sinking at 1820 that evening. She is carrying 1,318 Allied POWs, of whom 1,051 are lost. Reich also torpedoes and sinks NANKAI MARU.
240 miles south of Hong Kong. At about 0700, SHIKINAMI is torpedoed by GROWLER and sinks at 18-16 N, 114-40 E. MIKURA rescues eight officers and 120 men. At 2300, LtCdr Paul E. Summers' USS PAMPANITO (SS-383) torpedoes and sinks KACHIDOKI MARU with 950 Allied POWs aboard of whom 431 are lost. PAMPANITO also sinks ZUIHO MARU. The Japanese rescue a few POWs from the two prison ships. The survivors are transferred to KIBITSU MARU and taken to Japan.
13 September 1944:
Arrives at Samah, Hainan Island.
15 September 1944:
Arrives at Yulin, Hainan. The convoy is reorganized. The 1st echelon consists of ASAMA, KIBITSU, GOKOKU and KAGU MARUs escorted by kaibokans MIKURA, ETOROFU, CD-10, CD-18 and CD-26
16 September 1944:
The 1st echelon departs Yulin for Moji.
20 September 1944:
At 0110, the 1st echelon is attacked by B-24 "Liberator" heavy bombers at 23-20N, 119-12E. GOKOKU MARU is damaged by a direct hit and ASAMA MARU suffers a near miss aft. Both are towed into nearby Mako for repairs. MIKURA and KAGU MARU are damaged. KAGU MARU heads for Takao while MIKURA is towed by CD-18 to Mako.
October-December 1944:
MIKURA arrives at Yokosuka. Undergoes battle-damage repairs.
15 November 1944:
The General Escort Command’s 102nd Escort Squadron is formed with MIKURA, YASHIRO, CD-2, CD-33, CD-34 and CD-35.
31 December 1944:
At 0820, MIKURA departs Moji for Singapore with kaibokan YASHIRO, KURAHASHI and CD-13 and destroyers SHIGURE, HATAKAZE and DesDiv17’s HAMAKAZE and ISOKAZE escorting convoy HI-87 consisting of oilers KAMOI, TENEI, KAIHO, KUROSHIO, MATSUSHIMA, MITSUSHIMA, MIRI, MUNAKATA and SARAWAK MARUs and passenger-cargoman TATSUWA MARU. Light carrier RYUHO provides air cover.
1 January 1945:
Reassigned to the No. 102 Escort Squadron of the First Escort Fleet. The Squadron includes light cruiser KASHIMA (F), kaibokan MIKURA, CD-2, CD-33, CD-34 and CD-35.
7 January 1945:
East China Sea. The convoy is sighted by "Loughlin's Loopers", a submarine wolf pack consisting of Cdr (later Rear Admiral/MOH) Eugene R. Fluckey's USS BARB (SS-220) and LtCdr Evan T. Shepard's PICUDA (SS-382), later joined by Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Charles E. Loughlin's QUEENFISH (SS-393). At 0905, in high seas, Shepard's PICUDA heavily damages MUNAKATA MARU in the bow. She is assisted by KURAHASHI then proceeds separately to Kirun (Keelung). The convoy anchors at Shinchiku Roadstead, Formosa. At 1300, the
convoy is sighted by the wolfpack and tracked. RYUHO and SHIGURE are detached and proceed to Kirun. At 1830, in dense fog, the convoy anchors temporarily on the W Formosan coast. The ships then split up and enter Takao’s port at different times.
8 January 1945:
At 1200, MIKURA, YASHIRO, CD-13, KAMOI and KAIHO MARU enter Takao Port.
That same day, MIKURA departs Takao with kaibokan YASHIRO and CD-13 escorting fleet oiler KAMOI and KAIHO MARU. At 1330, KAIHO MARU experiences an engine breakdown. YASHIRO and CD-13 remain behind with her. At 2313, KAMOI and the other ships anchor temporarily outside Takao’s port.
9 January 1945:
Takao, Formosa. Vice Admiral John S. McCain's (former CO of RANGER, CV-4) Task Force 38 aircraft attack shipping off Takao. At 1200, 17 Grumman TBM "Avengers" and F6F "Hellcats" damage YASHIRO.
10 February 1945:
Formosa Straits. MIKURA is damaged in a collision with kaibokan CD-33 at 23-51N, 117-25E.
27 March 1945
To provide anti-submarine cover for the planned sortie of super-battleship YAMATO and her escorts, ComKure Guard Unit's Rear Admiral Kiyota Takahiko (42) dispatches the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sweeping Units to conduct an offensive sweep in Hyuga Nada and Osumi Channel. The surface units are supported by eight Magnetic Anamoly Dectector (MAD) equipped Aichi E13A1 Jakes and Kyushu Q1W1 Lornas from the Saeki Naval Air Group. MIKURA and CD-33 are detached from their unit to participate in the sweep, departing Saeki with the 3rd Sweeping Unit. CD-59 is the flagship.
28 March 1945
SW of Shikoku. At 1027, one of the ASW planes detects a contact and directs the 3rd Sweeping Unit to that area. After 1300, MIKURA, CD-33 and CD-59 and possibly others conduct several attacks on a submarine with Type 3 streamlined depth-charges. After two hours, a large amount of oil and debris is sighted in the area of 32-16N, 132-05E. [1]
That afternoon, off Cape Toi, Kyushu. LtCdr John J. Foote’s USS THREADFIN (SS-410) encounters two kaibokan. Foote torpedoes and sinks MIKURA at 31-45N, 131-45E. All 216 hands are lost. The other kaibokan counter-attacks THREADFIN unsuccessfully. [2]
25 May 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
[1] It is possible the submarine was Cdr David R. Connole’s USS TRIGGER (SS-237), lost with all 89 hands; however, no official report has ever been released with details of the date, place and cause of TRIGGER's loss.
[2] American and Japanese sources conflict. IJN records list both MIKURA and CD-33 as MIA since 28 March 1945. CD-65 witnessed carrier aircraft, most probably of TF 58, attacking a target in that area on that day. Therefore, some Japanese sources list MIKURA and CD-33 as sunk by carrier aircraft in the area of 31-45N, 131-45E. However, other Japanese sources, notably author/historian Kimata Jiro, support MIKURA's sinking by
THREADFIN.
Thanks for assistance go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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