KYURYOKAN
|
(Cargo ship by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings
of Japanese Warships")
IJN NOJIMA:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2007 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
15 December 1917:
Designated transport ship NOJIMA.
16 July 1918:
Kobe. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
shipyard
3 February 1919:
Launched.
31 March 1919:
Completed.
1 December 1920:
Captain (later Vice Admiral) Kanesaka Takashi (27)
assumes command.
1 April 1920:
Rated an auxiliary transport (coaling) ship.
1 April 1921:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Migita Kumagoro (29)
assumes command.
10 May 1924:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Mihori Denzo (33) assumes
command.
10 November 1924:
Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Inoue Choji (32) assumes
command.
15 April 1925:
Captain (later Vice Admiral) Idemitsu Manbei (33)
assumes command.
30 November 1929:
Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Horie Rokuro (36) assumes
command.
1 December 1930:
Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Hara Kiyoshi (38) is
promoted Captain and assumes command the same day.
16 February 1932:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Aihara Aritaka (38)
assumes command.
15 November 1933:
Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Sato Genzo (40) is promoted
Captain and assumes command the same day.
1 November 1934:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Iwagoe Kanki (38)
assumes command.
7 July 1937: The First "China" Incident:
Peking (now Beijing). Japanese troops on night maneuvers at the Marco Polo Bridge fire blank cartridges. Chinese troops fire back, but do not cause injuries. The Japanese discover a soldier missing and assume the Chinese captured him. They demand entry to a suburb of Peking to look for him, but the Chinese refuse. The Japanese then shell the city and undeclared war begins.
Late 1937:
Operates off Shanghai in support of the fleet.
15 November 1938:
Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Ito Jotaro (41) is
promoted Captain and assumes command the same day.
5 February 1940:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Sawa Masao (42)
assumes command.
20 August 1940:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Nagao Motoo (42)
assumes command.
6 November 1940:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Ohashi Tatsuo (40) assumes command.
1941:
Refitted as a supply ship.
20 September 1941:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Itagaki Koichi (38) assumes command.
27 December 1941:
South China Sea. 30 nms SW of Hong Kong. LtCdr David A. Hurt’s USS PERCH (SS-176) torpedoes and blows the bow off NOJIMA at 22-14N, 115-13E. Stranded.
29 January 1942:
Arrives at Hong Kong. Undergoes battle-damage repairs.
15 September 1942:
Hong Kong. Captain Itagaki is KIA under unknown circumstances, perhaps by bombing. He is promoted Rear Admiral, posthumously. An unknown officer, probably NOJIMA's XO, assumes command.
November 1942:
Captain Matsumoto Kametaro assumes command.
8 December 1942:
Battle-damage repairs are completed. Departs Hong Kong.
January 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo. Undergoes some reconstruction work.
18 January 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul escorted for a short way by subchaser CH-21 from Rabaul.
March 1943:
An unknown officer assumes command.
1 March 1943: Operation 81:
Departs Rabaul for Lae, New Guinea carrying 600 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) troops to reinforce the Lae-Salamaua area in a convoy consisting of cargo vessels KYOKUSAI, OIGAWA, AIYO, SHINAI, TAIMEI and KEMBU MARUs and transport TEIYO MARU carrying 6,000 troops of the IJA’s 51st Division escorted by Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kimura Masatomi’s destroyers SHIRAYUKI (F), ASAHIO, ARASHIO, TOKITSUKAZE, URANAMI, SHIKINAMI, YUKIKAZE and ASAGUMO.
2 March 1943: The Battle of the Bismarck Sea:
USAAF and RAAF planes bomb the convoy. USAAF B-17 "Flying Fortresses" sink Army cargo ship KYOKUSAI MARU. Destroyers YUKIKAZE and ASAGUMO rescue her survivors, steam to Lae to disembark them, then rejoin the convoy.
3 March 1943:
The battle continues as Allied aircraft make low-level bombing and strafing runs against the convoy. Rear Admiral Kimura is wounded. During the fighting, destroyers ASAHIO, ARASHIO, TOKITSUKAZE and flagship SHIRAYUKI are sunk as are cargo ships OIGAWA, AIYO, SHINAI, TAIMEI and KEMBU MARUs and transport TEIYO MARUs.
Dampir Strait, Northern New Guinea. NOJIMA is damaged both by aircraft and in a collision with destroyer ARASHIO. Later, NOJIMA sinks 50 miles SE of Finschafen, New Guinea at 07-15S, 148-30E.
7 March 1943:
S of Dampier Strait. LtCdr (later Captain, JMSDF) Orita Zenji's submarine RO-101 rescues Captain Matsumoto and 44 infantrymen from lifeboats.
30 April 1943:
Removed from the Navy List.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
Back to Supply and Special Service Ships Page
