RIKUGUN YUSOSEN

(Sister TAIZAN MARU, prewar)

SHINRYU MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2014-2017 Bob Hackett

E 1918:
Tokyo. Laid down at Ishikawajima Shipyard as Yard No. 312, a 3,181-ton Cargo ship for Kishimoto Kisen Co., Ltd. of Osaka.

July 1918:
Launched and named SHINRYU MARU.

August 1918:
Completed.

28 January 1932: The "First Shanghai Incident":
Shanghai Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) of about 2,500 troops is dispatched to evict two divisions of the Chinese 19th Route Army from Shanghai. The Japanese attack the forts of Wusong and Chapei (Zhabei). That night, seaplane tender NOTORO's seaplanes drop flares to frighten the opposition. The Chinese think they are being attacked and retaliate. There are many Japanese casualties.

29 January 1932:
Huangpu (Whangpoa) River, Shanghai. NOTORO, anchored in the Yangtze River, launches an aerial attack on Chinese military positions in Shanghai in foggy weather. NOTORO’s E1Y3 floatplanes make ten low-level attacks on Chinese positions that result in a heavy loss of civilian lives and property. The Chinese unify against the Japanese who are unable to capture Shanghai. Large-scale fighting breaks out.

February 1932:
Chartered by the Imperial Army (IJA) as an emergency troop transport.

11 February 1932:
SHINRYU MARU departs Ujina in a troop convoy also consisting of AIDA, AKIHISA, FLORIDA, HAKKAI, MIHARU and UJINA MARUs. The convoy carries mainly support troops of the IJA 9th division to China.

13 February 1932:
Arrives at Shanghai in the evening.

E February 1932:
Released back to her owners.

28 July 1938:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army (IJA) and assigned Army No. 18.

7 January 1939:
Released back to her owners.

8 September 1939:
As the result of a merger, SHINRYU MARU is transferred to Nippon Yusen Kaisha K.K. (NYK Line ) of Tokyo)

23 October 1939:
Re-requisitioned by the IJA.

3 July 1941:
Released back to her owners.

15 July 1941:
Re-requisitioned by the IJA.

2 September 1941:
Released back to her owners.

9 October 1941:
Re-requisitioned by the IJA.

19 March 1942: "U" transport operation to Burma (U Sakusen Yuso):
The First Burma Transport Convoy departs Singapore consisting of 32 ships carrying the main body of the 56th Division: SHINRYU, AOBASAN, GENOA, GLASGOW, HARUNA, HAVRE, HIBURI, HOFUKU, HOKUMEI, KAZUURA, KIZAN, KUSUYAMA, KOTOHIRA, MOMOYAMA, MYOKO, NAGARA, NAKO, NAPLES, NICHIRAN, SAKITO,SANKO, SHINAI, SHINANOGAWA, SHUNSEI, SUMATRA, SYDNEY, TATEISHI, TOKIWA, TSUYAMA and YAE MARUs and two others.

25 March 1942:
The First Burma Transport Convoy arrives at Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar).

31 January 1943:
At 1545, SHINRYU MARU departs Rabaul in an unescorted convoy consisting of KAGU and TATSUTAKE MARUs.

4 February 1943:
At 1600, arrives at Truk.

11 May 1943:
SHINRYU MARU departs Saeki for Palau in convoy K-511 also consisting of ASAKAZE, PACIFIC and YAMAFUKU MARUs and MIKAGE MARU No. 20, escorted by torpedo boat HATO and minelayer NUWAJIMA.

E 12 May 1943:
NUWAJIMA is detached at 29N.

11 June 1943: At 0800, SHINRYU MARU departs Palau in convoy No. 3211 also consisting of CHOJO and KINE MARUs escorted by destroyer SANAE

16 June 1943:
Arrives at Manila.

20 June 1943:
SHINRYU MARU departs Manila in convoy No. 854 also consisting of CHOSEN, KIYO and TATEYAMA MARUs escorted by destroyer SANAE

24 June 1943:
Arrives at Takao.

2 September 1943:
SHINRYU MARUs departs Palau in convoy FU-206 also consisting of transports EHIME, YASUJIMA and YUBAE MARUs and YOSHIDA MARU No. 3 escorted by minesweeper W-18.

11 September 1943:
Minelayer YURIJIMA, auxiliary minesweepers TAKUNAN MARU No. 8 and TAMA MARU No. 7 conduct an anti-submarine sweep ahead of the convoy.

13 September 1943:
Arrives at Kobe.

11 September 1943:
convoy FU-206 consisting of YOSHIDA MARU No. 3, YASUSHIMA, EHIME, SANSEI, YUBAE and SHINRYU MARUs escorted by minesweeper W-18 and auxiliary minesweepers TAKUNAN MARU No. 8 and TAMA MARU No. 7.

12 September 1943:
Arrives at Saeki.

21 September 1943:
East China Sea. NE of Keelung, Formosa. Kaibokan WAKIMIYA joins the escort of convoy No. 199 consisting of KUNISHIMA, DAIHO, SHINRYU MARUs and seven unidentified merchants.

29 September 1943:
Arrives at Takao.

30 November 1943:
At 0700, SHINRYU MARU departs Palau for Saeki in convoy No. FU-008 also consisting of HAVRE HOZUGAWA. IKOMA, MAYA TESHIO and YASUKUNI MARUs and DAIGEN MARU No. 3 escorted by patrol boat PB-31.

4 December 1943:
High seas force TESHIO MARU to be detached for Manila.

E 9 December 1943:
At 28N, minelayer YURIJIMA and auxiliary minesweeper TAKUNAN MARU No. 8 joins the escort.

10 December 1943:
At 1000, YURIJIMA is detached.

11 December 1943:
At 0100, arrives at Saeki.

28 March 1944:
At 0030, SHINRYU MARU departs Wasile, Halmahera, Moluccas for Ambon in a convoy also consisting of FUYO, KACHOSAN, RYOCHI and YAMAMIYA MARUs escorted by minelayer AOTAKA and auxiliary NITTO MARU No. 18.

29 March 1944:
At 1830, AOTAKA is detached. .

3 April 1944:
At 2000 arrives at Kendari, Celebes.

16 May 1944:
Lesser Sunda Islands. SHINRYU MARU departs Bima, Sumbawa Island for Surabaya, Java.

18 May 1944:
South China Sea. At about 0640, LtCdr Frank G. Selby’s (USNA '33) USS PUFFER (SS-268) fires five torpedoes and gets three hits starboardside in SHINRYU MARU’s bow, under her bridge and in No. 4 hold. She sinks in two minutes at 07-34S, 113-18E. 12 passengers, 10 gunners and 11 crewmen are KIA.

Authors Notes:
[1] Not to be confused with IJN transport SHINRYU MARU (4,935GRT).

Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.

- Bob Hackett

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