Japanese Auxiliary Submarine Tenders

TOKUSETSU SENSUI-BOKAN!

(Chogei by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")

IJN Submarine Tender
SANTOS MARU: Tabular Record of Movement
© 1998-2005 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

5 January 1925:
Nagasaki. Laid down at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.
5 September 1925:
Launched and named SANTOS MARU.
10 December 1925:
Completed as a 7,266 GRT passenger liner owned by the OSK (Osaka Shosen Kaisha Kisen) Line.
January 1937:
In OSK service. Provides around-the-world service from her home-port of Kobe. Ports of call include Yokohama, Hong Kong, Singapore, Colombo, Durban, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Belem, Cristobal, Balboa and Los Angeles.
1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN as a submarine depot ship for SubRon 2.
1 March 1941:
The CO of ight cruiser KISO, Captain (later Rear Admiral) Kiyama Tatsuo assumes temporary command.
11 August 1941:
Recalled Captain-Retired (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Seki Tei (36)(former CO of I-51) assumes command.
21 February 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
28 February 1942:
Staring Bay, Kendari, Celebes. Assists in salving submarine I-5 from a reef, then performs repairs on her.
8 April 1942:
Departs Kure.
10 April 1942:
SANTOS MARU is the tender for Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Ichioka Hisashi's SubRon 2's SubDivs 7 and 8.
12 April 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
18 April 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
19 April 1942:
Departs Nagasaki.
21 April 1942:
Departs Takao, Formosa.
1 May 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka. One 150-mm gun is fitted in the bow and two machine guns and a depth charge device are installed.
3 May 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
8 May 1942:
Departs Takao.
15 May 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
17 May 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
19 May 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
21 May 1942:
Departs Kure. 30 May 1942:
Kure Navy Yard. In Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral), the Marquis, Daigo Tadashige's (former CO of ASHIGARA) Kure SubRon with the I-34 and I-35. Assists with ther working-up of RO-100 .

6 June 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
13 June 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
22 June 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
20 August 1942:
With tender CHOGEI in Rear Admiral Daigo's Kure SubRon consisting of SubDivs 6, 18, 19, 26 and 33.
2 September 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
4 September 1942:
Kure. Reassigned to Rear Admiral Ishizaki Noboru's SubRon 11.
18 November 1942:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Imaizumi Yoshijiro (former CO of SHIRIYA) assumes command. Captain Seki is reassigned to the Yokosuka Naval District and later becomes CO of tenders TSUKUSHI and YASUKUNI MARUs.
25 March 1943:
Renamed MANJU MARU. Reclassified as a Miscellaneous Auxiliary in the Yokosuka Naval District. Captain Imaizumi is reassigned as CO of NAKA. A new, but unknown, Captain assumes command.
8 April 1943:
Departs Kure.
12 April 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo.
18 April 1943:
Departs Sasebo.
19 April 1943:
Departs Nagasaki in fleet convoy 8.
21 April 1943:
Departs Takao.
3 May 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
8 May 1943:
Departs Takao.
15 May 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
17 May 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
19 May 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
21 May 1943:
Departs Kure.
6 June 1943:
The Yokosuka.
13 June 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
22 June 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
5 August 1943:
At 0400, departs Kwajalein in convoy 6053 making 11.5 knots and consisting of SANTOS, MITAKESAN and KAISHO MARUs escorted by subchaser CH-33.
9 August 1943:
At 1100, arrives at Truk's N Channel.
21 August 1943:
Departs Truk in fleet convoy 4821 consisting of transports MANJU MARU (ex-SANTOS MARU), KAISHO, and MITAKESAN MARUs and colliers SOYO MARU and MIKAGE MARU No. 18 escorted by destoyers IKAZUCHI and YUZUKI and auxiliary gunboat SHOEI MARU.
22 August 1943:
LtCdr Charles F. Brindupke's USS TULLIBEE (SS-284) sights convoy 4821. Brindupke, on his first patrol as CO of TULLIBEE, closes to 2,000 yards. He fires three Mark-14 steam torpedoes at the nearest freighter. Two minutes later, he fires three more at another ship. One of the destroyers heads towards TULLIBEE's position. Brindupke takes TULLIBEE deep. At 1659, he hears a torpedo explosion, soon followed by two more, then breaking up noises. KAISHO MARU sinks at 10-13N, 147-20E. Her survivors are rescued and the convoy proceeds. When Brindupke surfaces, he sees over 1,000 empty 50-gallon oil drums, but no ships.
29 August 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka. Undergoes maintenance.
12 September 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
19 September 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
21 September 1943:
Departs Moji.
10 October 1943:
Departs Singapore in a convoy with KUNISHIMA MARU.
12 October 1943:
Minesweeper W-8 joins the convoy at 05-20S, 108-35E and commences escort.
13 October 1943:
At 1700, arrives at Surabaya..
7 November 1943:
At 1230, arrives at Surabaya.
15 November 1943:
At 1240, arrives at Surabaya.
1 December 1943:
Arrives at Takao at 1100 in a convoy consisting of SANTOS, TEIRITSU and TARUSHIMA MARUs.
9 December 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo.
11 December 1943:
Departs Sasebo.
13 December 1943:
Arrives at Osaka.
19 December 1943:
Departs Osaka.
24 December 1943:
Arrives at Yokohama.
14 February 1944:
Departs Yokohama.
12 March 1944:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
19 March 1944:
Departs Yokosuka.
20 March 1944:
At 0200, departs Tateyama in Marianas troop reinforcement convoy Higashi-Matsu ("East Pine") No. 3 Special ("Toku"). The convoy consists of transports MANJU, ASAKA and SANYO MARUs escorted by destroyers KISHINAMI, OKINAMI and ASASHIMO and subchaser CH-38. These are the fast elements of the No. 3 reinforcement movement.*
28 March 1944:
Arrives at Truk. Departs later the same day.
12 April 1944:
Arrives at Yokohama. Undergoes maintenance at the Asano shipyard.
13 May 1944:
Departs Yokohama.
14 May 1944:
At 0430, departs Tateyama in convoy Higashi Matsu No. 8 carrying elements of the IJA's 43rd Infantry Division. The convoy consists of MANJU MARU and army transports TOSAN and NOTO MARUs escorted by destroyer SATSUKI, kaibokan AMAKUSA, CD-4 and CD-6. The convoy steams in a wide arc in bad weather.
19 May 1944:
Arives at Saipan at 1030. Disembarks troops.
20 May 1944:
Departs Saipan at 1800 in convoy Higashi Matsu No. 8 return convoy. The convoy again consists of consists of MANJU, TOSAN and NOTO MARUs, this time escorted by kaibokan NOMI and OKI and subchaser CH-30.
26 May 1944:
Arrives at Tokyo. Departs later that day.
31 May 1944:
Arrives at Muroran.
20 June 1944:
Departs Moji at 1930 in convoy HI-67 for Singapore. HI-67 consists of transports MANJU, NANKAI, KINUGASA, ASAKA, ASAHISAN, GOKOKU and HAKOZAKI MARUs and oilers MIRI, OTORISAN, NICHINAN No. 2, SARAWAK and SHINEI MARUs escorted by minelayer SHIRATAKA, subchaser CH-61, destroyers ASAGAO and KURETAKE and kaibokan HIRADO, KURAHASHI, CD-2, CD-5 and CD-13.
29 June 1944:
Near dawn, LtCdr Anton W. Gallaher's USS BANG (SS-385) picks up convoy HI-67. Gallaher makes a long "end-around" in daylight. At about 1510, he fires all ten torpedoes in his bow and stern tubes at three ships. He damages oilers MIRI and SARAWAK MARUs. MIRI MARU is hit under the bridge and SARAWAK MARU in the bow, but each manages to proceed to Manila.
E30 June 1944:
The main convoy arrives at Manila.
3 July 1944:
At 0600, HI-67 departs Manila, less GOKOKU, SARAWAK and MIRI MARUs.
9 July 1944:
Arrives at Singapore at 1640.
4 August 1944:
At 2100, departs Singapore for Moji in fleet convoy HI-70. The convoy consists of MANJU, KINUGASA, ARIMASAN MARUs and oilers SERIA, KUROSHIO, HAKKO, OMUROSAN and OTOWASAN MARUs, screened by SHINYO, KASHII, destroyer SHIMOTSUKI and kaibokan CHIBURI, SADO, CD-13 and CD-19. MANJU MARU carries a cargo of bauxite and 130 passengers.
12 August 1944:
The SADO is detached to hunt an enemy submarine. Later, she proceeds to Kirun separately.
15 August 1944:
HI-70 arrives at Moji at 1430.
1 October 1944:
Departs Moji at 0800 in convoy HI-77. The convoy consists of transports MANJU, KINUGASA, ORYOKU MARUs, oilers OMUROSAN,OTOWASAN, ARITA, ITSUKUSHIMA, AKANE, TAIHO and KAIHO MARUs. German U-boat supply ship QUITO is also in the convoy as is another unidentified vessel. These 13 ships are escorted by kaibokan CHIBURI and CD--19, -21 and CD-27.
Arrives at Arikawa Bay that same day.
2 October 1944:
Departs Arikawa Bay for Singapore.
5 October 1944:
ORYOKU MARU detaches for Kirun. The rest of HI-77 arrives at Takao. The escort is bolstered by the inclusion of kaibokans ETOROFU and SHONAN before departing later the same day.
6 October 1944:
About 1410, LtCdr James B. Grady's USS WHALE (SS-239) fires five torpedoes at AKANE MARU. They all hit and the 10,000-ton oiler capsizes and sinks. 765 passengers and crew are killed. Kaibokan CD No. 21 rescues her survivors and searches for the attacking submarine. At 1547, Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Charles W. Wilkins' USS SEAHORSE (SS-304) dives and begins an approach on the frigate from 16,900 yards. At 1757, Wilkins, now at 700 yards, fires a full bow spread of six torpedoes. One torpedo hits CD-21. She breaks in half and takes down 170 men.
7 October 1944:
W of Manila. A wolf pack consisting of LtCdr Arnold H. Holtz’s USS BAYA (SS-318), LtCdr Henry D. Sturr’s BECUNA and LtCdr Francis W. Scanland, Jr’s HAWKBILL (SS-366) attacks convoy HI-77. At 2200, KINUGASA MARU is torpedoed and sunk by either BAYA or HAWKBILL. Immediately after the attack, MANJU MARU heads for the area and drops depth charges to prevent further attack.
12 October 1944:
Convoy HI-77 arrives at Singapore at 1500.
16 October 1944:
Hong Kong. Damaged in a USAAF 14th Air Force raid. Repairs at Hong Kong. Reclassified as a civilian transport.
12 November 1944:
Departs Takao at 1800 for Manila in convoy TAMA 31B consisting of MANJU MARU and 6 LST's (5 Navy, 1 Army) escorted by Patrol Boats Nos. 38 and 101.
15 November 1944:
Anchors off the west coast of Formosa to avoid Allied air attacks.
19 November 1944:
S side of the mouth of Lingayan Gulf. At 1700, arrives at Santiago Island Strait. Later that evening, TAMA 31B is attacked by 27 Grummans that inflict slight damage.
20 November 1944:
At 1030, departs for Manila.
21 November 1944:
Arrives at Manila at 1500.
23 November 1944:
Departed Manila at 1200 for Takao in convoy MATA-34 consisting only of MANJU MARU escorted by patrol boats Nos. 38 and 102 (ex-USS STEWART, DD-224) and submarine chaser CH-33.
24 November 1944:
Luzon Strait, 100 miles N of Cape Engano. LtCdr (later Rear Admiral/COMSUBPAC) John H. Maurer’s submerged USS ATULE (SS-403) sights a transport and three escorts heading NW toward Sabtang Island. At dark, Maurer surfaces and sets course so as to intercept the transport shortly after midnight.
25 November 1944:
At about 0125, as ATULE is setting up on the transport, one of her escorts also moves into periscope view. Maurer fires his six bow tubes at the overlapping targets, then turns the boat about and fires his two stern tubes. ATULE scores two hits on each target. Patrol boat P-38 (ex-DD YOMOGI) disintegrates. MANJU MARU is hit aft in hold No. 5 and goes dead in the water.
ATULE withdraws as the other two escorts search the area. The transport disappears from view and from radar. At about 0516, MANJU MARU sinks by the stern at 20-14N, 121-40 E. Twenty-four of her crew and about 700 of the 1300 military passengers on board are lost.
10 January 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

Authors' Note:
*A slower section of Higashi-Matsu No. 3 Special consisting of 10 transports and supply ship HAYASAKI, escorted by light cruiser YUBARI, DesDiv 5's HATAKAZE, DesDiv 6's IKAZUCHI and DesDiv 32's TAMANAMI, torpedo boat OTORI, kaibokans HIRADO and NOMI and subchasers CH-48, CH-51 and CH-54 departed Kisarazu on 22 March 1944 in two echelons for Palau and Saipan.
- Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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