Japanese Auxiliary Oilers

YUSOSEN!

(Oiler by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")

IJN TOA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2004-2007 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

23 June 1934:
Kobe. Completed as 10,052-ton merchant tanker TOA MARU by the Kawasaki Dockyard for the Iino Shoji Steamship Co. Registered in Maizuru. Operates as a wetboat charter tanker operated by her owners on behalf of other oil companies, Zaibatsu and the IJN.
1934:
Completes eight voyages; five under charter to the IJN, two for Mitsui Bussan and one for Nippon Sekiyu.
1935:
Completes ten voyages; nine under charter to the IJN and one for Hayayama Sekiyu.
1936:
Completes ten voyages; four under charter to the IJN, three for Chosen Sekiyu and three for Mitsui Bussan.
1937:
Completes nine voyages; five under charter to the IJN, three for Chosen Sekiyu and one for Nomura Jimusho.
1938:
Completes nine voyages; seven under charter to the IJN, one for Mitsui Bussan and one for Chosen Sekiyu.
1939:
Completes ten voyages; six under charter to the IJN, one for Mitsui Bussan, two for Chosen Sekiyu and one for Nippon Sekiyu.
1940:
Completes seven voyages; two under charter to the IJN, three for Mitsui Bussan, one for Maruzen Sekiyu and one for Toa Sekiyu.
13 June 1941:
Owner restyles its name to Iino Kaiun Kaisha, Ltd.
1941:
Completes four voyages; all under charter of Toa Sekiyu.
1 September 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
20 September 1941:
Registered in the Kure Naval District. Arrives at Kure Naval Yard to begin conversion to a Naval Auxiliary. Captain Yokohama Yataro (38) is appointed Supervisor (Kantokukan).
15 October 1941:
The conversion is completed.
10 November 1941: The Hawaii Operation:
Saeki Bay. TOA MARU is in Vice Admiral Shimizu Mitsumi's (former CO of ISE) Sixth Fleet's Refueling Unit with fleet oiler ONDO.
9 December 1941:
Departs Kure for Truk.
1 January 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
1 February 1942: American Air Raid on Kwajalein:
Vice Admiral (later Fleet Admiral) William F. Halsey Jr’s Task Force 8 (USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6) raids Kwajalein and Wotje in the Marshall Islands. ENTERPRISE’s Douglas “Dauntless” SBDs of VB 6 and VS 6 and TBD “Devastators” of VT-6 sink a transport and damage light cruiser KATORI, flagship of the Sixth Fleet, TOA MARU, oiler HOYO MARU, submarine I-23, submarine depot ship YASUKUNI MARU and other important ships.
19 February 1942:
After emergency repairs departs Kwajalein.
27 February 1942:
Arrives at Kure and enters drydock.
10 April 1942:
Undocked. Repairs are completed.
5 May 1942:
Departs Singapore for Balikpapan, Borneo where she loads fuel oil.
16 May 1942:
Arrives at Tokuyama IJN oil storage depot and discharges her fuel oil cargo.
28 May 1942:
Departs Kure.
29 May 1942: Operation "MI" - The Battle of Midway:
The 2nd Supply Unit's oilers TOA and SAN CLEMENTE MARUs sortie with Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Takasu Shiro's (former CO of ISUZU) Aleutian Screening Force's BatDiv 2's HYUGA, ISE, FUSO and YAMASHIRO, CruDiv 9's KITAKAMI and OI, DesDiv 20's AMAGIRI, ASAGIRI, YUGIRI and SHIRAKUMO, DesDiv 24's KAWAKAZE, YAMAKAZE, SUZUKAZE and UMIKAZE and DesDiv 27's ARIAKE, YUGURE, SHIGURE and SHIRATSUYU.
3 June 1942:
At 0700, TOA and SAN CLEMENTE MARUs and the 1st Supply Unit's TOEI MARU refuel five destroyers.
4 June 1942:
BatDiv 2, CruDiv 9, DesDivs 20, 24 and 27 and TOA and SAN CLEMENTE MARUs are detached from the Main Body to support the Northern Force. Enroute north, the oilers refuel the warships.
17 June 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
8 July 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
5 August 1942:
Arrives atYokosuka.
13 August 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
15 August 1942:
Arrives at Kanogawa.
1 September 1942:
Departs Truk for the Shortland, Bougainville escorted by destroyer NOWAKI.
6 September 1942:
Arrives at Shortland Islands anchorage. Later that day, still escorted by NOWAKI, departs Shortland towing destroyer SHIRAKUMO that was damaged by American dive bombers while on a troop transport run to Guadalcanal. [1]
9 September 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
29 September 1942:
Departs Rabaul for Shortlands escorted by destroyer SHIGURE.
1 October 1942:
Arrives at Shortlands.
30 October 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
2 November 1942:
Kure. Captain Yokohama is relieved by an unknown captain.
18 November 1942:
Departs Kure.
10 December 1942:
Shortland, Bougainville. Oilers TOA and FUJISAN MARUs are attacked by 11 USAAF Boeing B-17 bombers and six fighters. After the raid, minelayer TSUGARU comes alongside the burning FUJISAN MARU to help extinguish the fires.
14 January 1943:
Off Bougainville. LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) William H. Brockman's USS NAUTILUS (SS-168) fires five torpedoes at TOA MARU and gets one hit, but it is a dud.
14 March 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
18 April 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
16 May 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
22 May 1943:
Tokyo Bay. CruDiv 7’s MOGAMI collides with TOA MARU. The extent of the damage to her is unknown.
2 June 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
30 June 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
6 July 1943:
Departs Kure for Saiki.
7 July 1943 At 1400, departs Saiki in convoy O-703 consisting of TOA MARU and transports NIGITSU and AOBASAN MARUs escorted by destroyer UMIKAZE and minelayer NUWAJIMA.
10 July 1943:
At 0600, at 20-55N, 144-00E, TOA MARU detaches and steams ahead unescorted.
14 July 1943:
At 1400, arrives at Truk.
7 August 1943:
Departs Palau in convoy 8283 for Truk.
2 September 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
8 November 1943:
At 0900, departs Tarakan in an unnumbered convoy consisting of TOA and NIPPON MARUs escorted by destroyer HIBIKI.
9 November 1943:
At about 0122, LtCdr Edward S. Hutchison's USS RASHER (SS-269) attacks the convoy. At 1,500 yards, Hutchison fires four torpedoes at TOA MARU in a submerged attack made at 00-34N, 118-59E. Hutchinson is not sure if he gets a hit and claims possible damage. In fact, one torpedo runs deep and passes under TOA MARU without exploding; another hits but is a dud. TOA and NIPPON MARUs proceed to Balikpapan. [2]
At 1700, the convoy arrives at Balikpapan.
14 November 1943:
At 1700, departs Balikpapan, Borneo for Truk in an unnumbered convoy with oilers SHINKOKU, NIPPON and NANPO MARUs escorted by destroyers HIBIKI and HAMAKAZE.
20 November 1943: American Operation “Galvanic” – The Invasion of the Gilberts:
Forces under Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Raymond A. Spruance, Commander, Central Pacific, invade Tarawa and Makin Islands. The invasion fleet of 200 ships includes 13 battleships and 11 carriers.
21 November 1943:
At 0530, arrives at Truk.
24 November 1943:
Cruisers SUZUYA, KUMANO and CHOKAI with destroyers HATSUZUKI, SUZUTSUKI, HAMAKAZE, FUJINAMI and HAYANAMI depart Truk for the Marshalls.
25 November 1943:
In response to the invasion of Tarawa, TOA and NIPPON MARUs' Refueling Group departs Truk for the Marshalls escorted by DesDiv 4’s YAMAGUMO, MAIKAZE and NOWAKI and DesDiv 10's AKIGUMO.
100 miles N of Seniavina Island, N of Ponape. LtCdr Melvin H. Dry's SEARAVEN (SS-196) makes contact with the Refueling Group. At 1231, TOA MARU is hit in the engine room by one of four torpedoes that LtCdr Dry fires. At 1247, she sinks at 08-30N, 158-00E. AKIGUMO counterattacks dropping 27 depth charges, but is unsuccessful. Thirteen crewmen are killed, but AKIGUMO rescues 117 survivors, then returns to Truk.
5 January 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

Authors' Note:
[1] During the campaign to retake Guadalcanal, TOA MARU served mainly as a station tanker at Shortland.
[2] The attack demonstrated two of the Mark 14's three major defects: deep running and failure of its magnetic influence exploder.
Thanks for assistance goes to Allan Alsleben of Oregon.

- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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