YUSOSEN!
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(Oiler by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings
of Japanese Warships")
IJN SHIMPO MARU:Tabular Record of Movement
© 2008 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
1 November 1943:
Laid down as a 5, 135-ton Type 1TM Wartime Standard Merchant Tanker for Iino Kaiun Kogyo K.K.
25 January 1944:
Launched and named SHIMPO MARU.[1]
29 February 1944:
Completed.
1 April 1944:
Owner's name restyled as Iino Kaiun K.K.
9 May 1944:
Requisitioned by the IJN. Registered as an auxiliary transport (oil). Makes one voyage to an unknown destination then returned to owner Iino Kaiun K.K.
12 May 1944:
Departs Singapore.
14 May 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.
18 May 1944:
Departs Balikpapan.
21 May 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
24 May 1944:
Departs Singapore.
1 June 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
12 June 1944:
Re-requisitioned by the IJN and converted to a naval oiler. The conversion is completed this day.
18 June 1944:
SHIMPO MARU departs Takao in convoy TAMA-21 consisting of five unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer KURETAKE, subchaser CH-19 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-94.
24 June 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
27 June 1944:
At 1530, SHIMPO MARU departs Manila in convoy MI-07 consisting of MATSUURA, KAMO, SHINKOKU, NISHI, MINO, TAIKAI, KAKOGAWA, MYOGI, OYO MARUs and tankers KOEI, TAIEI, CHIHAYA, RYUSHO and SAN LUIS MARUs and 11 unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyers ASAGAO and ASAKAZE, kaibokan YASHIRO, CD-2 and auxiliary minesweeper TAKUNAN MARU No. 3.
2 July 1944:
Arrives at Miri.
5 July 1944:
SHIMPO MARU departs Miri in convoy MISHI-04 consisting of six unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer ASAKAZE and kaibokan YASHIRO.
9 July 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
14 July 1944:
At 0730, SHIMPO MARU departs Singapore in convoy HI-68 consisting of oilers TOA, TOHO, OTORISAN MARUs and NICHINAN MARU No. 2, and transports MANILA and KIYOKAWA MARUs escorted by kaibokan HIRADO, KURAHASHI, CD-13, CD-20 and CD-28 and minelayer SHIRATAKA.
24 July 1944:
At 0600, SHIMPO MARU departs Manila for Moji in convoy HI-68 now consisting of escort carrier TAIYO, oilers ITSUKUSHIMA, TOA, TOHO, OTORISAN MARUs and NICHINAN MARU No. 2, landing ships MAYASAN and TAMATSU MARUs and transports TOSAN, KASHII, NISSHO, AKI and KIYOKAWA MARUs escorted by escort carrier KAIYO, kaibokan HIRADO (F), KUSAGAKI, KURAHASHI, ISHIGAKI, MIKURA, CD-11, CD-20 and torpedo boat HIYODORI.
A three-submarine wolf pack of Cdr Whitaker’s FLASHER, LtCdr Franklin Hess’s ANGLER (SS-240) and LtCdr Francis D. Walker’s CREVALLE (SS-291) tracks the convoy.
26 July 1944:
Off Luzon. TOSAN, AKI and OTORISAN MARUs are sunk and KIYOKAWA MARU is damaged in the wolfpack's attacks.
27 July 1944:
At 1100, convoy HI-68 arrives at Takao. Later that day, arrives at Tsoying.
4 August 1944:
At 0830, SHIMPO MARU departs Takao in convoy MI-13 consisting of tankers ZUIYO, SHINCHO, TEIKON, TOKUWA, KYOEI and ATAGO MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 2, cargo ships SHINKO, HIYORI, DURBAN, KIZAN, KUNIYAMA, URAL, KOKUSEI, HIGANE, RISSHUN and ATLAS MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 1 and Naval Transport T. 3 escorted by destroyer ASAKAZE and kaibokan KUSAGAKI, YASHIRO, MATSUWA and CD-14, minesweeper W-18, patrol boat PB-38 and auxiliary patrol boats EIFU, FUYO, KASUGA and NUNOBIKI MARUs.
7 August 1944:
At 2205, LtCdr (later Captain) Enrique D. Haskin's USS GUITARRO (SS-363) torpedoes and sinks kaibokan KUSAGAKI at 14-50N, 119-57E.
8 August 1944:
At 0900, the convoy arrives at Manila. DURBAN, KIZAN, RISSHUN, KUNIYAMA, SHINKO and ATLAS MARUs are detached. SHOEI MARU joins the convoy. All of the escorts are detached except kaibokan CD-14, patrol boat PB-38 and subchasers CH-30 and CH-33.
11 August 1944:
At 2100, the convoy departs Manila for Miri.
12 August 1944:
Near Sibutu Passage. LtCdr Frank G. Selby’s USS PUFFER (SS-268) attacks the convoy on the surface. At 0730, Selby torpedoes and damages SHIMPO MARU. At 0733, Selby torpedoes and sinks TEIKON MARU as she charges to ram submerging PUFFER. Kaibokan CD-14 and patrol boat PB-38 counter-attack with 37 depth charges, but PUFFER slips away unscathed.
SHIMPO MARU is taken under tow by SHOEI and KYOEI MARUs. SHIMPO MARU’s captain beaches her on Cape Calavite, Mindoro Island. Later, she is abandoned as a constructive total loss.
10 February 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
[1] The translation of the ship's name is often rendered as SHIMPO MARU or SHINPO MARU and SHINHO MARU.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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