SUIRAI-BOKAN!
|
(Passenger-cargo ship by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color
Paintings of Japanese Warships")
IJN Destroyer Tender
Nipponkai Maru: Tabular
Record of Movement
© 2009-2010 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Revision 1
6 October 1931:
Tamano. Laid down at Mitsui Shipbuilding as a 2,681-ton
passenger/cargo ship for Shimatani Kisen K.K., Kobe.
28 March 1932:
Launched and named NIPPONKAI MARU. [1]
30 April 1932:
Completed. Placed in service on Shimatani Kisen’s
Hokkaido - Korea route.
7 July 1937: The Marco Polo Bridge ("China") Incident:
Hun River.
Lugouqiao, China. Japanese troops fire blank cartridges on night maneuvers at
the bridge. Chinese troops fire back, but do not cause injuries. At morning roll
call, the Japanese discover a soldier missing and assume the Chinese captured
him. The Japanese demand entry to a Peking (Beijing) suburb to look for the
soldier. The Chinese refuse. The Japanese shell the city and an undeclared war
on China begins.
22 July 1938:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
25 July 1938:
Registered in the Sasebo Naval District as an auxiliary minesweeper tender.
15 August 1938:
Departs Sasebo for the central China coast.
15 December 1938:
Captain (later Vice-Admiral) Mori Kunizo (40)(former CO of SATA assumes command.
25 May 1939:
Removed the Navy list. Rerated a general duty charter boat.
1 April 1939:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Itakura Tokushi (42)(former XO of OKINOSHIMA) assumes command.
15 November 1939:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously Morino Sorokuro (40)(former XO of KONGO assumes command. Departs for the Yangtze River with a fleet of gun boats.
That same day, NIPPONKAI MARU is rerated an auxiliary destroyer tender in the Sasebo Naval District.
1 July 1941:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Nakatsu Seiki
(44)(former XO of FUSO assumes command.
27 November 1941:
Reassigned to the China Area Fleet’s Shanghai Area
Base Force.
24 January 1942:
Departs Shanghai for Seito (Tsingtao).
15 February 1942:
Reassigned to the Third Expeditionary Fleet, China
Area Fleet.
2 April 1942:
Arrives at Seito.
10 April 1942:
Reassigned to the China Area Fleet’s Qingdao
(Tsingtao) Area Special Base Force.
11 April 1942:
Departs Seito.
27 April 1942:
Arrives at Seito.
5 May 1942:
Departs Seito.
15 July 1942:
Arrives at Seito.
26 July 1942:
Departs Seito.
18 September 1942:
Arrives at Seito.
16 October 1942:
Departs Seito.
7 December 1942:
Arrives at Seito.
20 December 1942:
Departs Seito.
23 December 1942:
Arrives at Seito.
16 January 1943:
Departs Seito.
20 January 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
24 January 1943:
Departs Kure.
12 February 1943:
Arrives at Seito.
16 February 1943:
Departs Seito.
23 February 1943:
Arrives at Seito.
1 March 1943:
Departs Seito.
24 March 1943:
Arrives at Seito.
28 March 1943:
Departs Seito.
7 April 1943:
Arrives at Seito.
21 April 1943:
Departs Seito.
30 April 1943:
Arrives at Seito.
6 May 1943:
Departs Seito.
16 May 1943:
Arrives at Seito.
20 May 1943:
Departs Seito.
29 June 1943:
Arrives at Seito.
5 July 1943:
Departs Seito.
16 July 1943:
Arrives at Seito (Tsingtao.
27 July 1943:
Departs Seito.
7 August 1943:
An unknown officer assumes command.
17 August 1943:
17 August 1943
Arrives at Ryojun (Lushun/Port Arthur)
19 August 1943:
Departs Ryojun as North China waters' guardship.
1 October 1943:
An unknown officer assumes command.
1 October 1943:
Re-classified as Tokusetsu Unsosen (Zatsuyosen) (auxiliary transport) (charter) in the Sasebo Naval District.
16 October 1943:
Ownership is changed to Mitsui Sempaku.
30 October 1943:
Departs Sasebo. Arrives at Sakito.
1 November 1943:
Departs Sakito.
3 November 1943:
Arrives at Kobe.
5 November 1943:
Departs Kobe.
7 November 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
13 November 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
16 November 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo.
19 November 1943:
NIPPONKAI MARU departs Sasebo with KOTO MARU (No. 2
GO) and auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU joins convoy No. 115 consisting of
LONDON, GYOKUREI MARU, OGURA MARU No.1 and three unidentified ships. Soon after
leaving, CHOHAKUSAN MARU suffers engine problems and returns to port leaving the
convoy unescorted.
24 November 1943:
At 0400, KOTO MARU (No. 2 GO) is detached for Hong
Kong. That evening GYOKUREI MARU is detached for Kirun.
26 November 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
28 November 1943:
At 1700, NIPPONKAI MARU departs Takao in convoy No.
780 consisting of TOSEI, BIZEN, RYUYO, RYUUN, NORWAY, YAMAHAGI, NICHIWA, KINSHU
MARUs and tankers SAN DIEGO MARU and OGURA MARU No. 1 together with five
unidentified merchant ships all escorted by destroyer FUYO and kaibokan KANJU.
3 December 1943:
At 1400 arrives Manila.
10 December 1943:
Departs Manila.
12 December 1943:
Arrives at Cebu.
15 December 1943:
Departs Cebu.
17 December 1943:
Arrives at Davao.
26 December 1943:
Patrol boat PB-2 departs Balikpapan escorting
convoy No. 2614 consisting of tanker OGURA MARU No. 3.
30 December 1943:
At 0740, NIPPONKAI MARU joins the convoy.
31 December 1943:
At 1800, subchaser CH-33 also joins convoy No. 2614
at sea.
1 January 1944:
At 1956, arrives at Palau.
19 January 1944:
At 1200, NIPPONKAI MARU departs Palau for Rabaul in
convoy SO-903 consisting of NEIKAI MARU and TAKATORI MARU No. 2 towing a target
barge escorted by subchasers CH-17 and CH-18.
26 January 1944:
Arrives at Rabaul.
30 January 1944:
At midnight, NIPPONKAI MARU departs Rabaul for Yokosuka in convoy
No. 2312 consisting of MATSUTAN (SHOEI) MARU escorted by destroyers MATSUKAZE and FUMITSUKI.
1 February 1944:
Minesweeper W-21 joins the escort.
2 February 1944:
US aircraft bomb the convoy and damage both FUMITSUKI and W-21.
4 February 1944:
At 1600, W-21 is unable to continue because of
damage and id detached from the convoy.
6 February 1944:
Arrives at Truk.
14 February 1944:
Arrives at Truk.
18 February 1944:
Arrives at Saipan.
20 February 1944:
Departs Saipan.
29 February 1944:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
1 March 1944:
Departs Yokosuka. Arrives at Yokohama.
2 March 1944
Departs Yokohama and transfers to nearby Tokyo Port.
3 March 1944:
Tokyo. Undergoes hull repairs at Ishikawajima shipyard.
26 April 1944:
Departs Tokyo and arrives later that day at Yokohama.
15 May 1944:
Departs Yokohama and arrives later that day at Tateyama.
17 May 1944:
At 0616, NIPPONKAI MARU departs Tateyama, Japan in
convoy No. 3515 consisting of HAKUSAN, TOYO, KINSHU, HINKO, REIKAI, EIKO,
NATSUKAWA, SHOKAI, AKISHIMA (MEITO) and CHIYO MARUs and UNYO MARU No. 8.
escorted by destroyer HATAKAZE, kaibokan MIKURA, MIYAKE and CD-16, minesweeper
W-20, subchaser CH-48, minelayer SARUSHIMA and auxiliary netlayer KOA MARU No. 2.
23 May 1944:
At about 0900, minesweeper W-20 is detached from the convoy.
25 May 1944:
At 0708, the convoy arrives safely at Saipan.
28 May 1944:
Departs Saipan arrives at nearby Tinian then returns to Saipan the same day.
29 May 1944:
NIPPONKAI MARU departs Saipan in a convoy consisting of TOYO
and KINSHU MARUs escorted by kaibokan MIKURA, subchaser CH-48, auxiliary
subchaser URUPPU MARU and auxiliary patrol boat SHOHO MARU.
4 June 1944:
Arrives at Palau.
10 June 1944:
Departs Palau.
11 June 1944:
Arrives at Yap.
14 June 1944:
At 1200, departs Yap for Davao escorted by auxiliary
subchaser CHa-64.
17 June 1944:
Philippine Sea. 118 miles off Cape San Augustin, Mindanao. At about 1300, LtCdr James E. Stevens’ USS FLOUNDER (SS-251) torpedoes and sinks NIPPONKAI MARU at 06-33N, 127-55E. Her escort makes vigorous counter attacks, but fails to damage the submarine. 20 crewmen are KIA. CHa-64 rescues survivors and takes them to Davao the next day.
10 August 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
[1] NIPPONKAI MARU was also known as NIHONKAI MARU.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Back to Destroyer Tender Page
