Ex-French Merchants in Japanese Service

KAKYAKUSEN

TEIBI MARU (ex-BERNARDIN DE ST PIERRE)

Transport TEIBI MARU: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2009-2022 Bob Hackett, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.
Revision 5

1924:
Bremerhaven (now Wesermünde), Germany. Laid down as a 10,086 ton passenger-cargo ship at J. C. Tecklenborg AG shipyard for Messageries Maritimes of France as a reparation vessel under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
2 September 1925:
Launched and named BERNARDIN DE ST PIERRE.
September 1926:
Completed and equipped with elevators.
11 November 1926:
Departs Marseilles, France on her maiden voyage to Madagascar, Africa and the Indian Ocean.
30 March 1930:
Port Said, Egypt. 20,000-ton British steamer OTRANTO collides with BERNARDIN DE ST PIERRE, but she is only slightly damaged.
21 December 1932:
Marseilles. ST PIERRE is in a stern-to-stern collision with Spanish steamer NAVEMAR.
1936:
Assigned to the Marseilles–French Indochina route.
Late 1939:
Assigned to the Madagascar-West Africa route.
23 February 1939:
Departs Marseilles.
25 March 1939:
Arrives at Reunion, Indian Ocean.
29 March 1939:
Departs Reunion.
11 April 1939:
Departs Mombasa, British East Africa Protectorate (now Kenya).
16 April 1939:
Arrives at Aden, Colony of Aden, Arabian Peninsula (now Yemen).
17 April 1939:
Passes Djibouti, French Somaliland, Horn of Africa.
21 April 1939:
Arrives at Suez, Egypt.
22 April 1939:
Departs Port Said.
28 April 1939:
Arrives at Marseilles.
18 May 1939:
Departs Marseilles.
23 May 1939:
Arrives at Port Said.
28 May 1939:
Arrives at Djibouti.
5 June 1939:
Arrives at Zanzibar, East Africa (now Tanzania).
11 June 1939:
Arrives at Diego Suarez (now Antsiranana), Madagascar.
14 June 1939:
Arrives at Tamatave (now Toamasina), Madagascar.
18 June 1939:
Arrives at Mauritius, Indian Ocean.
22 June 1939:
Departs Reunion.
1 July 1939:
Departs Majunga (now Mahajanga), Madagascar.
11 July 1939:
Departs Aden.
22 July 1939:
Arrives at Marseilles.
24 August 1939:
Departs Marseilles.
26 August 1939:
For unknown reasons, returns to Marseilles and sails later that same day.
28 August 1939:
Passes Gibraltar.
2 September 1939:
Arrives at Dakar, French West Africa (now Senegal).
3 September 1939-World War II Begins:
After the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declare war on Nazi Germany. BERNARDIN DE ST PIERRE is at Dakar.
5 September 1939:
Departs Dakar for Cape Town, Union of South Africa (now South Africa).
17 September 1939:
Arrives at Cape Town, Union of South Africa from Dakar. Departs the same day.
20 October 1939:
Arrives at Dar-Es-Salaam, British Tanganyika Territory (now Tanzania) and sails later the same day.
26 October 1939:
Departs Aden.
31 October 1939:
Arrives at Suez.
2 November 1939:
Departs Port Said.
7 November 1939:
Arrives at Marseilles.
4 December 1939:
Departs Marseilles.
12 December 1939:
Departs Suez.
16 December 1939:
Departs Djibouti.
17 December 1939:
Areives at Aden.
18 December 1939:
Departs Aden.
23 December 1939:
Departs Zanzibar.
9 January 1940:
Departs Mauritius.
20 January 1940:
Departs Zanzibar.
24 January 1940:
Departs Aden.
28 January 1940:
Departs Djibouti.
2 February 1940:
Arrives at Port Said and sails later that same day.
8 February 1940:
Arrives at Marseilles.
27 February 1940:
Departs Marseilles.
3 March 1940:
Arrives at Port Said.
4 March 1940:
Sails through Suez Canal, Egypt.
9 March 1940:
Departs Djibouti.
1 April 1940:
Arrives at Mauritius.
18 April 1940:
Departs Aden for Djibouti.
23 April 1940:
Arrives at Suez.
24 April 1940:
Departs Port Said.
30 April 1940:
Arrives at Marseilles.
31 May 1940:
Departs Marseilles.
8 June 1940:
Arrives at Dakar.
10 June 1940:
Departs Dakar.
22 June 1940:
Departs Cape Town.
25 June 1940: Franco-German Armistice:
In port at Tamatave (now Toamasina) Madagascar. After the Armistice, BERNARDIN DE ST PIERRE becomes part of the Vichy fleet.
21 July 1940:
Arrives at Majunga.
3 August 1940:
Departs Majunga for Madagascar.
19 November 1940:
Reported in port at Diego Suarez.
December 1940 to June 1942:
Serves on the Saigon-Shanghai-Manila route.
February 1941:
Cruises from Madagascar to Saigon. Assigned to the Saigon-Shanghai-Manila route.
20 February 1941:
Passes through Sunda Straits, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia).
E 25 February 1941:
Arrives at Saigon.
4 March 1941:
Departs Saigon.
7 March 1941:
Arrives at Manila.
8 March 1941:
Departs Manila.
13 March 1941:
Arrives at Shanghai.
19 March 1941:
Departs Shanghai.
23 March 1941:
Arrives at Manila.
25 March 1941:
Departs Manila.
28 March 1941:
Arrives at Saigon.
14 April 1941:
Departs Saigon.
17 April 1941:
Arrives at Manila.
19 April 1941:
Departs Manila.
22 April 1941:
Arrives At Shanghai.
29 April 1941:
Departs Shanghai.
2 May 1941:
Arrives at Manila.
3 May 1941:
Departs Manila.
7 May 1941:
Arrives at Saigon.
17 May 1941:
Departs Saigon for Manila.
22 May 1941:
Arrives back at Saigon.[NB likely error for arriving Manila]
23 May 1941:
Departs Saigon.{NB likely error for departing Manila]
28 May 1941:
Arrives at Shanghai.
19 June 1941:
Departs Shanghai.
25 June 1941:
Arrives at Manila.
29 June 1941:
Departs Manila.
4 July 1941:
Arrives at Saigon.
Spring 1941:
Shanghai. BERNARDIN DE ST PIERRE’s boilers are converted to burn coal from Campha (Along Bay), French Indochina (now Vietnam).
29 July 1941:
Under the Franco-Japanese "common defence" agreement signed at Vichy by Deputy-Premier Admiral Darlan and Japanese Ambassador Kato, Indo-China is "integrated" in "common defence" and the Japanese are allowed to use Saigon as an advance base for operations in South-East Asia.
31 July 1941:
Departs Saigon.
16 August 1941:
Arrives at Shanghai.
24 August 1941:
Departs Saigon for Haiphong.
7 September 1941:
Arrives at Shanghai.
15 September 1941:
Departs Shanghai.
22 September 1941:
Arrives at Haiphong.
2 October 1941:
Arrives at Shanghai.
7 October 1941:
Departs Shanghai for Haiphong.
21 October 1941:
Arrives at Shanghai.
28 October 1941:
Departs Shanghai.
2 November 1941:
Arrives at Haiphong.
16 November 1941:
Arrives at Shanghai.
22 November 1941:
Departs Shanghai. BERNARDIN DE ST PIERRE carries some American citizens from Shanghai and Hankow, China to Manila, Philippines.
27 November 1941:
Arrives at Manila.
29 November 1941:
Departs Manila.
3 December 1941:
Arrives at Haiphong.
8 December 1941: The War in the Pacific Begins:
BERNARDIN DE ST PIERRE is at Campha, Indochina.
December 1941-January 1942:
At Haiphong.
January 1942:
Arrives at Saigon.
April 1942:
Requisitioned by the Japanese Government under the Right of Angary.[1]
1 May 1942:
At Saigon.
7 May 1942:
At Haiphong.
1 June 1942:
Chartered by Teikoku Senpaku Kaisha (Imperial Steamship Co.), wholly owned by the Japanese Government. Renamed TEIBI MARU and managed by the Osaka Shosen Kaisha (O.S.K.) Line. Considered for conversion to a hospital ship, but because of her complex cabin arrangement, is instead used as a transport. Assigned signal letters JKFR.
15 June 1942:
Charter rates are agreed upon between the Japanese and the Vichy French-Indochina Navy. TEIBI MARU’s rate is 96,816 Japanese Yen per month.
June 1942-May 1943:
Carries military officers and civilians, but not troops, to and from Japan and Singapore.
20 October 1942:
Signal letters changed to JKER. Assigned Imperial Army (IJA) ship number 837.
26 March 1943:
Departs Ujina.
27 March 1943:
At 1700 departs Moji in convoy No. 141 also consisting of SHOZUI, NANREI and AWAJI MARUs and three unidentified merchant ships escorted by old destroyer SANAE. SHOKEI MARU joins the convoy from Sasebo the same day.
1 April 1943:
At 1100 arrives at Takao, Formosa (now Kaoshiung, Taiwan).
2 April 1943:
At 1100 departs Takao in convoy No.744 also consisting of NANREI, and AWAJI MARUs and one unidentified merchant ship escorted by destroyer WAKATAKE.
5 April 1943:
At 1300 arrives at Manila
22 April 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
May 1943:
Released by the IJA. Assigned to carry civilians and non-military cargo on the Singapore-Saigon-Takao route.
18 May 1943:
Departs Kobe and later that day arrives at Osaka.
20 May 1943:
Departs Osaka.
21 May 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
23 May 1943:
Departs Moji
28 May 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
2 June 1943:
Departs Takao in convoy No. 396 also consisting of tanker SHOYO MARU, transports TACOMA, MYOGI, HAVRE and MANSHU MARUs and two unidentified merchant ships escorted by auxiliary gunboat CHOJUSAN MARU.
9 June 1943:
Arrives at Saigon.
20 June 1943:
Departs Saigon.
24 June 1943:
At 1200, TEIBI MARU departs St Jacques, French Indochina (now Vung Tau, Vietnam) in a convoy also consisting of HOTEN, ATLAS (one source says SUMATRA MARU (ex-British tanker SUMATRA) and AKASHI MARUs escorted by subchaser CH-21.
27 June 1943:
At 1900, arrives at Singapore.
4 July 1943:
Departs Singapore escorting convoy No. 602 also consisting of FUKUYO and HITORA (ex-Panamanian RAMONA) MARUs and seven unidentified merchant ships escorted by old destroyer WAKATAKE. The convoy separates into two parts shortly after sailing. TEIBI, FUKUYO and HITORA MARUs are part of the second section.
7 July 1943:
At 1300, the second section arrives at St Jacques.
14 July 1943:
Departs Saigon
21 July 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
23 July 1943:
Departs Takao in convoy No. 285 also consisting of HAWAII, ROKUSAN, JOGU MARUs and five unidentified merchant ships escorted by an unidentified escort.
28 July 1943:
Arrives at Moji and departs later that day.
29 July 1943:
Arrives at Kobe.
8 August 1943:
Departs Kobe.
9 August 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
10 August 1943:
Departs Moji in convoy No. 185 also consisting of CHIYODA, TACHIBANA, KACHIDOKI (ex US -PRESIDENT HARRISON), TONAN, GINYO, ASUKA, SAN RAMON, NICHIRIN, YAMAMIZU and MATSUMOTO MARUs and one unidentified merchant ship escorted by Kaibokan SADO.
11 August 1943:
Off Nagasaki convoy No. 184 consisting of tankers FUSHIMI MARU No. 3, SHUNTEN MARU and one unidentified merchant ship without escort merges with the convoy.
15 August 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
20 August 1943:
Departs Takao.
29 September 1943:
Departs Saigon.
7 October 1943:
Arrives at Saigon.
8 October 1943:
At 1300, TEIBI MARU departs St Jacques in convoy No. 432 also consisting of KENEI and ISUZUGAWA MARUs with auxiliary gunboat KAZAN (HUASHAN) MARU as escort. TEIBI MARU carries 254 passengers and 4,289 tons of freight.
10 October 1943:
At about 1043 (Hawaii time), lookouts aboard LtCdr (later Cdr) Thomas W. Hogan’s (USNA ’31) USS BONEFISH SS-223 spot the smoke of a convoy at about 12 miles through the high periscope. USS BONEFISH begins tracking on the surface.
At 1210 (Hawaii time), the convoy is determined to consist of five ships. At 1402 (H) Hogan fires a spread of four torpedoes - his last - at two ships in the convoy making 8.5 knots. ISUZUGAWA MARU carrying 7,000-tons of rice, is hit and sinks. Two crewmen and two passengers are KIA. TEIBI MARU is hit by two torpedoes. One is a dud, but the second explodes in hold No. 5 blowing off hatch covers and cargo onto deck. The propellors and rudder are smashed and water from the shaft tunnel enters the engine room. Six passengers and 8 crewmen are KIA. The ship was also carrying 70 mail bags and 92 urns of war dead.
The escort forces USS BONEFISH deep and depth-charge her for two hours, dropping about three dozen DCs but doing no damage. With all his torpedoes expended, Hogan turns back to Fremantle. TEIBI MARU’s captain manages to beach her on the Mysury coast at 14-40, 110-12E. After beaching, TEIBI MARU sinks by the stern.

Authors' Note:
[1] In international law, the Right of Angary is the right of belligerents to requisition for their use neutral merchant vessels, aircraft, and other means of transport that are within their territorial jurisdiction. Generally, the Right of Angary should be applied only in case of pressing need in time of war, and compensation is due to the neutral owner. The Right of Angary has come to be extended to cover not only land and sea transport, but also any kind of neutral property under the jurisdiction of a belligerent.
Thanks to Berend van der Wal of Netherlands.
Bob Hackett, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.

Back to Ex-French Transports in Japanese Service