© 2008 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
5 April 1922:
Tokyo. Laid down at Uraga Dock Co.'s shipyard as a second-class WAKATAKE-class destroyer named AYAME.
15 February 1923:
Launched.
1 May 1923:
LtCdr Wakagi Ganji (36) is posted as Chief Equipping Officer.
5 November 1923:
Completed and registered in the IJN. LtCdr Wakagi is the CO.
1 April 1924:
Designated as destroyer No. 6.
1 December 1924:
LtCdr (later Vice Admiral) Sugiyama Rokuzo (38) assumes command.
1 December 1925:
Lt (later Rear Admiral) Katsuno Minoru (40) assumes command.
1 December 1926:
SANAE is put on the Reserve List.
1 December 1927:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Hashimoto Shozo (43) assumes command.
1 August 1928:
Renamed SANAE.
12 December 1928:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral ) Itagaki Sakan (39)(former CO of AOI) assumes command.
1 December 1929:
LtCdr (later Captain) Tachibana Masao (45) assumes command.
15 November 1932:
Lt (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Fukuoka Tokujiro (48) assumes command.
25 May 1934:
LtCdr Osako Higashi (50) assumes command.
29 September 1934:
Lt (later Rear Admiral, posthumously) Yano Kanji assumes command.
1 December 1936:
LtCdr Yoshii Goro (50) assumes command.
7 July 1937: The Marco Polo Bridge (The First "China")
Incident:
Lugouqiao, China. Japanese troops on night maneuvers at the bridge fire blank cartridges. Chinese troops fire back, but do not cause injuries. The Japanese discover a soldier missing and demand entry to Beijing to look for him, but the Chinese refuse. The Japanese shell the city and an undeclared war on China begins.
August 1937: The Evacuation of Japanese residents in South China:
Japanese residents in South China are under the protection of Rear Admiral Okuma Masakichi's DesRon 5 composed of flagship YUBARI, destroyer ASAGAO, DesDiv 16's MAWEI, DesDiv 13's SWATOW and SANAE at Canton. DesRon 5 is assigned to protect about 12,000 Japanese residents in Fuchow, Amoy, Swatow and Canton. With the outbreak of the North China Incident, DesDiv 16 is dispatched to the north. DesDiv 5 from Mako and DesDiv 29 from Japan are put under the command of Rear Admiral Okuma.
12 August 1937:
The situation in South China shows a drastic change for the worse. Japanese residents in Swatow start evacuation that day. After the clash in Shanghai, residents in Canton begin evacuating on 15 August and those in Fuchow on 17 August. All of them reach Formosa safely. The evacuation of residents from Amoy, delayed for various reasons, is completed in late August.
1938:
SANAE's forefunnel is capped and additional ballast is added to improve stability.
25 July 1938:
Lt Shibayama Kazuo (52) assumes command.
15 October 1940:
LtCdr Yanase Yoshio (55) assumes command.
15 April 1941:
Lt Ogawa Yoichiro (57) assumes command.
1 October 1941:
LtCdr Kohara Shiro (57) assumes command.
8 December 1941:
Kure Naval District. SANAE is in Cdr Otani’s DesDiv 13 with KURETAKE and WAKATAKE. Patrols in the Inland Sea, Bungo Suido and off Western Kyushu.
12 December 1941:
When approaching Okinoshma Lighthouse, carrier HOSHO detects what it makes to be an enemy submarine. SANAE launches a counter-attack and the carrier makes port at Kure undamaged.
9 May 1942:
At 1200, SANAE departs Mako, Pescadores for Sasebo with light minelayer TSUBAME escorting convoy No.
206 consisting of SHINSEI, TATSUWA, TATSUHARU, SENZAN, NANYO, KEIFUKU, TAISHO, KINUGAWA, MEIYU and WAYO MARUs.
13 May 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
28 May 1942:
At 1200, SANAE departs Mako for Ujina with minelayer TAKASHIMA escorting convoy No. 216 consisting of SAIHO, PENANG, MIYADONO, SUEZ, KENZAN, IIDA, HOKUSHIN and SANFUKU MARUs and FUKUEI MARU No. 2.
31 May 1942:
NW of Amami-O-Shima. The convoy detects an enemy submarine. TAKASHIMA, and light minelayer TSUBAME that arrives on the scene, drop depth charges. No submarine attacks develop.
3 June 1942:
Arrives at the port of Ujina, Hiroshima.
25 October 1942:
LtCdr Nagakura Yoshiharu (60) assumes command.
10 December 1942:
DesDiv 13 is disbanded. SANAE is reassigned to the 1st Surface Escort Division, Southwest Area Fleet.
5 September 1943:
At 1500, SANAE departs Moji for Takao escorting convoy No. 194 consisting of MURORAN, ZUIYO, YULIN, TSUSHIMA, WAZAN, KYOKUTO, JUYO, SANKISAN MARUs and an unidentified maru.
7 September 1943:
At 0115, on her first war patrol, LtCdr Ian C. Eddy‘s PARGO (SS-264) attacks the convoy on the surface using radar bearings. Eddy fires six torpedoes at the convoy, but gets no hits.
11 September 1943:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores. Later that day, the convoy departs and arrives at Takao.
20 October 1943:
LtCdr Sakai Shinichi (63) assumes command.
16 October 1943:
SANAE departs Palau with subchaser CH-5 escorting convoy 2511 consisting of NICHIRYO and SHOEI MARUs at 9 knots.
23 October 1943:
At 0700, arrives Balikpapan. Prior to arrival, NICHIRYO MARU is detached and steams independently to Ambon.
4 November 1943:
At 1830, SANAE departs Balikpapan with auxiliary subchaser CHa-37 escorting convoy No. 2610 consisting of oilers SATA, SHOYU and SEIAN and KYOEI MARUs. During the voyage, cargo ship KENZAN MARU joins the convoy en route.
10 November 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
15 November 1943:
SANAE's 1st Surface Escort Division is reassigned from the Southwest Area Fleet to the General Escort Command.
18 November 1943:
Celebes Sea, 90 miles S of Basilan Island, Philippines. SANAE is escorting fleet oiler ONDO. At about 2300, LtCdr George E. Porter’s USS BLUEFISH (SS-222) attacks on the surface. Short on torpedoes, Porter fires three bow torpedoes by radar bearings at SANAE. At least one hits and sinks her at 04-52N, 122-07E. LtCdr Sakai and an unknown number of crewmen are KIA. Sakai is promoted Commander, posthumously.
Porter then torpedoes and damages ONDO. BLUEFISH’s crew opens fire with her deck gun, but ONDO fires back. Porter breaks off. Later, ONDO is towed to Zamboanga, Philippine Islands.
5 January 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Author's Note:
No data were found detailing SANAE's movements during much of 1942 and 1943. Readers with access to such missing data are requested to post the information on the Discussion
and Questions board or j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message
Board
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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