© 2007-2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 2
1917:
A MOMI-class destroyer is ordered from Kawasaki Heavy Industies Ltd.
24 May 1919:
The destroyer is designated KIKU.
1920:
Kobe. Laid down.
13 October 1920:
Launched.
10 December 1920:
Completed and registered in the IJN. Assigned to DesRon 14.
1 November 1926:
LtCdr (later Vice Admiral) Nishimura Shoji (39) assumes command.
1 November 1927:
An unknown officer assumes command.
30 November 1929:
LtCdr (later Vice Admiral) Nakagawa Ko (42) assumes command.
1 November 1930:
Lt (later Rear Admiral) Shimizu Toshio (46) assumes command.
1 December 1930:
Lt Shimizu is promoted LtCdr.
24 October 1931:
An unknown officer assumes command.
7 July 1937: The Marco Polo Bridge (The"First China Incident") Incident:
Hun River, Lukuokiao, China. After night maneuvers at the bridge, the Japanese discover a soldier missing and assume the Chinese captured him. They demand entry to a suburb of Peking (Beijing) to look for him, but the Chinese refuse. The Japanese shell the city and an undeclared war begins. Soon thereafter, KIKU and sister destroyer AOI are dispatched to northern China.
10 December 1939:
KIKU is transferred from DesRon 14 to the Reserve.
December 1939:
Kure Naval Arsenal. One of three Kampon boilers is removed reducing speed to 18 knots. Additionally, her torpedo tubes, aft 4.7-inch/45 cal main gun and minesweeping gear are removed. 25mm AA guns and depth charge racks and throwers are fitted. Extra ballast is added to compensate for the loss of topside weight and to increase stability. The changes increase her displacement to 935-tons.
1 April 1940:
Reclassified as a patrol boat and renumbered PB-31.
8 June 1943:
At 2020, PB-31 departs Palau for Moji with torpedo boat HATO and minelayers NUWAJIMA amd YURISHIMA escorting convoy P-607 consisting of HOFUKU, KAHOKU, HIYOSHI and SAIPAN MARUs. At about 0240, LtCdr
(later Vice Admiral) John A. Tyree's USS FINBACK (SS-230) torpedoes and damages KAHOKU MARU, but she does not sink and continues on. FINBACK makes two more attacks over the next two hours and gets another hit. At 0950, KAHOKU MARU loses her battle with flooding and goes down. During Tyree's attacks, he also hits SAIPAN MARU, but the Mark-14 torpedo is a dud.
13 June 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
26 June 1943:
At 0800, PB-31 and minesweeper W-31 depart Saeki escorting convoy O-503 consisting of NICHIZUI, TATSUMIYA and HAVRE MARUs.
2 July 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
30 July 1943:
At 0900, PB-31 departs Saeki for Palau with minelayer YURISHIMA and auxiliary minesweeper TAKUNAN MARU No. 3 escorting convoy No. O-003 consisting of TAISHO, TOYOKAWA and DELAGOA MARUs. At latitude 29N, YURISHIMA and TAKUNAN MARU No. 3 are detached to return to Saeki.
8 August 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
28 October 1943:
At 0232, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from PB-31 that reads: “Torpedo attack at 0232, October 28, in position 12-33N, 134-19E.” [1]
17 November 1943:
At 0700, PB-31 departs Saeki for Palau with
auxiliary subchasers AOI MARU and TOKUHO MARU No. 10 escorting convoy No. 708
consisting of YAMABATO MARU towing a tokugata unkato midget supply submarine and
TOYOKAWA, ALASKA, PACIFIC, TAIKO, KAYO, KIBI and TAIEI MARUs.
26 November 1943:
At 1338, convoy No. 708 arrives at Palau.
30 November 1943:
At 0700, PB-31 departs Palau for Saeki escorting
convoy No. FU-008 consisting of IKOMA, MAYA, HAVRE, SHINRYU, YASUKUNI, TESHIO,
HOZUGAWA MARU and DAIGEN MARU No. 3.
4 December 1943:
High seas force TESHIO MARU to detach for Manila.
9 December 1943:
Auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 8 joins the
escort.
11 December 1943:
At 0100, arrives at Saeki.
21 December 1943:
At 0600, PB-31 departs Saeki for Palau with light
cruiser TAMA and auxiliary subchaser TAMA MARU No. 6 escorting convoy No. O-106
consisting of IKOMA, YASUKUNI, UYO, NICHIAI, CHIBURI and KOSEI MARUs.
Bungo Straits. At 1134, LtCdr Robert E. M. Ward‘s USS SAILFISH (SS-192)
torpedoes and sinks UYO MARU. The escorts counter-attack, dropping 40 depth
charges that slightly damage SAILFISH. The convoy returns to Saeki at about 2200
that same day.
23 December 1943:
At 0600, the convoy again sails from Saeki.
31 December 1943:
At 1730, arrives at Palau. Auxiliary minesweeper TAMAZONO MARU No. 3 and auxiliary submarine chaser CHa-32 join the convoy immediately prior to arrival.
5 January 1944:
At 0700, PB-31 departs Palau for Saeki with auxiliary subchaser CHa-32 escorting convoy No. FU-503 consisting of TEIYU and SHOHO MARUs. At 2000, auxiliary subchaser CHa-32 is detached to return to Palau.
13 January 1944:
At 1330, auxiliary minesweeper TAMA MARU No. 6 joins the escort.
14 January 1944:
Arrives at Saeki.
31 January 1944:
At 0920, PB-31 departs Moji for Takao with auxiliary
minesweeper TAKUNAN MARU No. 3 escorting convoy No. 133 consisting of tankers TAKETSU (BUTSU), NITTETSU and SHINCHO MARUs and YOZAN, MATSUE, CLYDE, OSAKA, MATSUEI (SHOEI), ASAHISAN, YAMAGATA, SORACHI, FUKKO, SANKO, SHINYU, and TOYO MARUs and DAIGEN MARU No. 3.
6 February 1944:
At 1500, arrives safely at Takao.
8 February 1944:
At 1100, departs Takao escorting convoy TAPA-01 consisting of CLYDE, ASAHISAN, OSAKA and MATSUEI (SHOEI) MARUs and DAIGEN MARU No. 3.
16 February 1944:
At 0845, arrives at Palau.
18 February 1944:
At 0700, PB-31 joins convoy PATA-02 that departed Palau for Takao consisting of KANKYO, MAKASSAR, MEXICO, SHOUN and two unidentified ships escorted by minesweeper W-18 and two unidentified warships.
23 February 1944:
PB-31 is detached and departs for Palau with destroyer HARUKAZE and torpedo boat SAGI escorting convoy TAPA-02 consisting of UCHIDE, NANREI and TESHIO MARUs and other unknown ships that departed Takao on 20 February.
29 February 1944:
120 miles W of Palau, LtCdr Phillip W. Garnett’s USS SARGO (SS-188) attacks the convoy and damages UCHIDE MARU at 08-57N, 132-52E.
1 March 1944:
UCHIDE MARU is abandoned. Her crew transfers to PB-31 and torpedo boat SAGI. The next day, UCHIDE MARU sinks.
E 3 March 1944:
The convoy arrives at Palau.
6 March 1944:
at 0800, PB-31 departs Palau for Takao, Formosa with destroyers SHIGURE and SHIRANUHI and subchasers CH-38 and CH-37 escorting convoy PATA-04 consisting of TASMANIA, KENNICHI, BRAZIL, HIYAMA, ASAHISAN, KENZAN, YOZAN, CHINZEI and CLYDE
MARUs. Torpedo boat SAGI joins the escort at an unknown point enroute.
13 March 1944:
At 1000, arrives at Takao.
20 March 1944:
Departs Takao with destroyer WAKATAKE and minelayer MAESHIMA
escorting convoy combined convoys NISHI MATSU No.2/TAPA-06 consisting of MATSUE, CHUYO and HAMBURG MARUs.
26 March 1944:
In the afternoon during a violent rain squall, LtCdr Charles F. Brindupke's USS TULLIBEE (SS-284) attacks the convoy. The escorts attack without success, then sweep the seas with machine gun fire. To their surprise, a large explosion is heard. Later, a single survivor is rescued by WAKATAKE. [2]
27 March 1944:
The convoy arrives at Palau.
30-31 March 1944: American Operation “Desecrate One”:
Palau. The
anchorage is attacked by F6F "Hellcats", SBD "Dauntless", TBF "Avenger" and SB2C
"Helldiver" carrier aircraft of Task Group 58. 1's USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6),
BELLEAU WOOD (CVL-24) and COWPENS (CVL-25), TG 58. 2's BUNKER HILL (CV-17),
HORNET (CV-12), MONTEREY (CV-26) and CABOT (CVL-28) and TG 58. 3's YORKTOWN
(CV-10), LEXINGTON (CV-16), PRINCETON (CVL-23) and LANGLEY (CVL-27). TF 58’s
planes attack many ships.
As the attack commences, convoy PATA-07 which formed up at 0500 and is leaving the atoll anchorages is dissolved. This convoy consisted of GOSHU, RAIZAN, KIBI (1941 built), TESHIO, HOKUTAI and RYUKO MARUs and tanker AKEBONO MARU escorted by PB-31, destroyer WAKATAKE and auxiliary subchaser CHa-26. All of these merchant ships were sunk over the following two days. Aircraft from ENTERPRISE and YORKTOWN sink PB-31 five miles SW of Kossol Passage at 07-30N, 134-30E.
10 May 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Author's Notes:
[1] According to COMSUBPAC's SORG Report, the attack was conducted by LtCdr Frank T. Watkins' USS FLYING FISH (SS-229) that sank coastal oiler KORYO MARU at about 0200 in the Philippine Sea at 12-02N, 137-28E.
[2] The Japanese claim a sinking, although TULLIBEE is now believed to have been sunk by one of its own torpedoes that made a circular run.
[3] No data were found detailing PB-31's movements during April 1940-May 1943. Readers with access to such data are requested to post the information on the Discussion and Questions board or j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message Board
Thanks go to John Whitman of the USA for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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