Dai 1 Go-gata Yusokan

© 2014-2015 Bob Hackett
Revision 1

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22 March 1944:
Kure Navy Yard. Laid down as Ship No. 2906, a 1,500-ton No. 1 class landing ship.

25 May 1944:
Launched and numbered T.6

1 July 1944:
Reserve LtCdr Nakamura Fukujiro (former navigating officer of IRAKO) is appointed Chief Equipping Officer.

19 August 1944:
Completed. Attached to the Kure Guard Force. LtCdr Nakamura is the Commanding Officer.

12 September 1944:
T.6 departs Kure for Manila.

24 September 1944:
Arrives at Manila. Damaged by aircraft.

25 September 1944:
T.6 is administratively assigned to Rear Admiral Sone Akira's (44)(former CO of NACHI) 1st Transport Squadron. Naval transports T.9 and T.10, and six T.101-class landing ships tank (LST) are also initially assigned to Transron 1.

24 October 1944:
In the morning, light cruiser KINU and destroyer URANAMI sortie from Cavite for Cagayan. CruDiv 16 is attacked by aircraft from Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Frederick C. Sherman's (former CO of LEXINGTON (CV-2) Task Group 38.3's carriers USS ESSEX (CV-9) and LEXINGTON (CV-16). Near misses cause light structural damage, but strafing kills 47 crewmen aboard the KINU and 25 crewmen on URANAMI.

25 October 1944: Operation "TA No. 2 (TA-Go 2-ji Sakusen)" - The Reinforcement of Leyte:
Arrives at Cagayan. T.6, T.9 and T.10 each embark 350 troops of HQ and 3rd Battalion, 12th Independent Infantry Regiment. T.101 and T.102 each load 400 men. In the morning, they depart for Ormoc as CruDiv 16 arrives. KINU embarks 347 men and URANAMI 150 men, then depart Cagayan. The seven ships carry 2,347 troops including the 30th Division's 41st Infantry consisting of the regimental HQ and the 1st and 2nd Battalions.

26 October 1944:
Visayan Sea, Jintotolo Channel. At 1020, KINU and URANAMI are attacked by 75-80 aircraft from two groups of Task Group 77.4's escort carriers. TBM "Avenger" torpedo-bombers from USS NATOMA BAY (CVE-62) and 12 Avengers and FM-2 "Wildcat" fighters of VC-21 from MARCUS ISLAND (CVE-77) make repeated bomb, rocket and strafing hits on KINU and URANAMI. An Avenger from MANILA BAY (CVE-61) scores two bomb hits on KINU and several rocket hits on URANAMI that sinks around noon with 103 crew KIA.

At 1130, two more waves of aircraft attack. A third bomb hits an engine room aft and sets KINU ablaze. She remains afloat, but unnavigable and begins to settle by the stern. Naval In mid-afternoon. T.6, T.9 and T.10 arrive and rescue most of KINU's crew of 813 men. The transports each take on about 300 survivors. ComCruDiv 16 Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Sakonjo Naomasa (former CO of AOBA) transfers his flag to T.10 and it makes Manila the next day. At 1730, KINU sinks by the stern in 150 feet of water 44 miles SW of Masbate.

31 October 1944:
T.6, T.9 and T.10 depart Manila for Ormoc Bay carrying 1,000 men of the Imahori Detachment (12th Independent Infantry Regiment, 26th Division.). They endure sporadic air attacks en route without damage.

Sea trucks TAISHIN MARU and NIKKO MARU No.1 carry 850 men of the 1st Battalion, 2th Independent Infantry Regiment. En route, TAISHIN MARU runs aground. The whole 3rd Company and part of the 1st Machine-gun Company returns to Manila.

1 November 1944:
In the afternoon, T.6, T.9 and T.10 land their troops at Ormoc. T.6 and T.10 then return to Manila.

8 November 1944: - Operation "TA No. 4 (TA-Go 4-ji Sakusen)":
At 1030, T.6, T.9 and T.10 depart Manila into typhoon seas accompanied by 1st echelon transports KASHII, KINKA and TAKATSU MARUs carrying 10,000 men of the 26th Infantry Division and 3,500 tons of munitions. The transports are escorted by Rear Admiral Matsuyama's kaibokan OKINAWA and Admiral Kimura's destroyer screen of KASUMI (F), AKISHIMO, ASASHIMO, NAGANAMI, USHIO and WAKATSUKI and kaibokan CD-11 and CD-13. All proceed under cover of the storm to Ormoc Bay, Luzon.

9 November 1944:
13th Air Force North American B-25 "Mitchell" and B-26 Martin "Marauder" medium bombers and P-38 "Lightning" fighter-bombers attack the echelon with KASHII, KINKA and TAKATSU MARUs. Despite the added defenses of the Army’s 68th Specially Established Machine Cannon Unit's 12 deck-mounted 25mm guns, the aircraft strafe, shoot up, and destroy all of KASHII MARU’s loading tackle and landing boats. TAKATSU and KINKA MARUs take minor hits to their engines and deck cargo. Light bombs breach their hulls, but the seas are so calm that crews are able to control the flooding.The fighter-bombers also damage OKINAWA and kaibokan SHIMUSHU.

In the evening, the convoy arrives at Ormoc Bay. Four B-25s and 16 P-38 escorts attack T.6, T.9 and T.10, the first of the transports to arrive. All three are slightly damaged, but their gunners claim four of their attackers shot down.

10 November 1944:
KASHII and TAKATSU MARUs unload two platoons of 2nd Company, 21st Independent Mortar Battalion. T.6, T.9 and T.10 sortie three hours after sunrise. By 1030, most of their cargo and military passengers is unloaded; the larger ships leave the anchorage to return to Manila. Kaibokan take up stations on the transport column; one ahead, one astern and one on each flank. The destroyers remain to port.

N of Cebu. The convoy is attacked by P-38s from Morotai, Halmahera, Moluccas and B-25s from Leyte.

Ormoc Bay, Leyte. At about 1140, Kimura's force is attacked by 30 B-25Js of the 38th Bomb Group. KASHII MARU is strafed and hit by bombs at least five times. At about 1230, she explodes and sinks at 10-58N, 124-35E. TAKATSU (KOSHIN or KOZU) MARU also blows up after a bomb hit with 243 gunners and 104 crewmen KIA and the Army's 72nd Specially Established Machine Cannon Unit with its twelve Type 96 25mm guns lost.

T.6, T.9, and T.10 escorted by destroyers TAKE and KASUMI rescue an unknown number of survivors from KASHII and TAKATSU MARUs. On their return voyage to Manila, the convoy rescues men from CELEBES MARU which ran aground off Bondoc Point, Luzon, earlier that day.

5 November 1944:
In the morning, all reach Cavite Naval Yard.

24 November 1944: "Operation TA No. 5" (TA-Go 5-ji Sakusen)
T.9, T.6 and T.10 depart Manila escorted by destroyer TAKE. T.9 carries the 3rd Company and part of the 1st Machine-gun Company of 1st Battalion, 12th Independent Infantry Regiment.

25 November 1944:
Arrives at Port Balanacan, Marinduque, Central Philippines. That same day, aircraft from fast carriers of Task Groups 38.1 and 38.2 attack the convoy and sink T.6 at 13.32N, 121.52E. The planes also sink T.10 and damage T.9, but T.9 and TAKE escape and return to Manila.

10 January 1945.
Removed from the Navy List.

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Author's Note:
Thanks go to John Whitman of Virginia and Fontessa-san of Japan for additional TA No. 2 and TA No. 5 troop info.

-Bob Hackett

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