Japanese T,101 Class Landing Ship Tank

Tokusetsu-Yusokan

IJN T.101 Class Landing Ship Tank

(T.101 Class Landing Ship Tank by Takeshi Yuki)

IJN LST T.131: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2014-2016 Bob Hackett

5 February 1944:
Urasaki Zosensho. Laid down Kawanami Kogyo, K. K. as Hull No. 10, a 950-ton T. 101-class landing ship tank.
5 February 1944.
Numbered T.131.
23 April 1944.
Launched.
24 June 1944:
Completed. Based at Sasebo.
2 July 1944
Sasebo. Lt Ento Noboru is appointed Commanding Officer.
3 July 1944
T.131 departs Sasebo for Manila.
E 10 July 1944
Arrives at Manila.
10 ~ 31 July 1944
T.131 is engaged in multiple troop transport runs from Manila to Ormoc Bay.
31 August 1944:
At 1339, CH-4 departs Balikpapan, Borneo for Jolo, Philippines with patrol boat PB-2 escorting Navy transports T-102 and T-131.
5 September 1944:
Rerated a 2nd Class Yusokan.
7 September 1944:
At 0116, T.131 departs Jolo escorted by patrol boat PB-2 and subchaser CH-4.
14 September 1944:.
At 1149, T.131 and naval oiler SHIRETOKO depart Balikpapan escorted by patrol boat PB-2 and minesweeper W-30.
20 September 1944:
At 1849, arrives at Bongao, Tawi Tawi.

22 September 1944:
At 0620, departs Bongao with minesweeper W-30 and patrol boat PB-2 still as escorts.

24 September 1944:
At 0627, anchors off Puerto Princesa. The ships are held there because of a large air-raid on Manila, the intended destination.

27 September 1944:
At 1750, departs Puerto Princesa for Manila but the danger of air attack forces the ships to return.

28 September 1944:
At 1732 arrives back at Puerto Princesa.

30 September 1944:
At 0454, departs Puerto Princesa to Taytay Bay, NE Palawan.

3 October 1944:
At 1950 arrives at Manila.

28 October 1944: Operation “TA No. 7 (Tagousakusen)”
T.131 departs Manila for Ormoc Bay carrying about 340 men and weapons of the 20th Independent Antitank Battalion, weapons,ammunition and food,
30 October 1944:
In the evening, arrives safely at Ormoc Bay. Unloads the men and equipment of of the 20th Independent Antitank Battalion. Loads the stranded crew of LST T.101.
31 October 1944:
At 0030, departs Ormoc Bay for Manila. Near Panay, T.131 is strafed by a single Consolidated B-24 “Liberator” heavy bomber that knocks out her communications and renders her unnavigable.
2 November 1944:
At dawn, fast transport T.9 arrives at Ormoc and soon is dispatched to assist T.131 that restored communications and sent out a distress call..
3 November 1944:
In the morning, DesDiv 21 is also dispatched to assist. T.9 takes T.131 in tow escorted by DesDiv 21’s HATSUHARU and HATSUSHIMO.
5 November 1944:
Cavite Naval Base. At 0730, T.9 tows T.131 into port for repairs.
5 January 1945:
T.131 departs Manila for Saigon after completion of repairs.
12 January 1945: "USN Operation Gratitude":
Near Cape St. Jacques. Carrier aircraft of Task Force 38 bomb and severely damage T. 131 at 10-20N, 107.50E.
February 1945:
Indochina. T.131 is repaired and converted to a communications ship. Renamed KUROSHIO MARU No. 1. She is rearmed with one 76mm AA gun, six 25mm Type 96 AA machine cannons and 12 DCs.
17 February ~ July 1945:
T.131 engages in minelaying operations.
14 May 1945:
Departs Singapore for Car Nicobar, Indian Ocean to conduct minelaying.
17 February 1945:
CH-33 departs Saigon on an escort mission in the South China Sea escorting two unidentified ships (possibly Naval transports T-131 (KUROSHIO No. 1) and T-149 (KUROSHIO No. 2).
10 July 1945:
USN Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne (FRUMEL), Australia, decrypts a message from 10th Base Force at Singapore that reads: "Enemy submarine appeared 270 degrees 20 kilometers from Cape Rachad at 1110. Minesweeper No. 4, Minesweeper Division 44 and Special Minesweeper No. 9, under the orders of Minesweeper No. 4 are to sweep between Batu Pahat (1-47N 102-53E) and One Fathom Bank and destroy the submarine. At 0900 on 11th, Minesweeper No. 4 with suitable vessels is to provide protection for No. 1 KUROSHIO's minelaying south of Klang Channel, and return to Singapore on 12th unless otherwise ordered."
27 July 1945:
Off Kuala Linggi, Malacca Straits, Malaya (Malaysia). At about noon, Lt E. A. Hobson’s British submarine HMS SEADOG and LtCdr W.G. Meeke’s sister submarine HMS SHALIMAR shell and sink T.131 by gunfire in shallow water at 02-21N, 102-01E.
August 1945:
T.131 is probably patched, pumped out, refloated and towed to Singapore for further repairs.
September 1945:
Saigon, Vichy French Indochina. T.131 is surrendered to British Forces.
1946:
Scrapped in Indochina.

Author's Note:
[1] In 1984, a Veterans' Memorial is constructed at Sasebo Naval Cemetery, Higashiyama to honor 30 crewen of T.131 (KUROSHIO No. 1) KIA during the ship's career at Leyte, in the Straits of Malacca and at Saigon.
Thanks go to Hans Mcilveen of the Netherlands and Peter Cundall of Australia for info on FRUMEL intercepts.

-Bob Hackett

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