YUSOSEN!


(Type 2TL Wartime Standard Merchant Tanker Seria Maru by Ueda Kihachiro)

TOJO MARU:

Tabular Record of Movement

© 2010-2017 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

Revision 1


8 September 1944:
Aioi. Laid down at Harima Zosensho as a 10,045-ton Type 2TL wartime Standard Merchant Tanker for Dalian Kisen Kaisha Co., Ltd.

6 December 1944:
Launched and named TOJO MARU.

15 January 1945:
Completed.

26 January 1945:
At 0800, TOJO MARU departs Moji for Singapore in convoy HI-91 also consisting of tanker EIYO MARU and transport/cargo liners SANUKI and KITSURIN MARUs escorted by destroyers NOKAZE and KAMIKAZE and kaibokan SHONAN, KUME, CD-25 and CD-53.

28 January 1945:
Yellow Sea. NE of Shanghai, China, off Kokuzan To. Cdr (later Captain) Gordon W. Underwood’s USS SPADEFISH (SS-411) and LtCdr (later Captain) Stephen H. Gimber's POMPON (SS-267) make contact with a three-ship convoy with four escorts. POMPON makes two night submerged approaches, but the escorts drive her off each time.

At about 0200, while two escorts pin down POMPON astern of the convoy, Underwood’s SPADEFISH slips in and, at 0313, torpedoes and sinks SANUKI MARU at 33-55N, 122-55E. SPADEFISH also torpedoes and sinks KUME at 33-54N, 122-55E. Destroyer KAMIKAZE rescues survivors from both ships and is detached to Chinkai to land them.

1 February 1945:
Arrives at Hainan Island, China.

2 February 1945:
At 1500, departs Hainan.

3 February 1945:
At 1915, arrives at Qui Sande Bay, Indochina. CD-53 is detached.

4 February 1945:
At 2100, departs Qui Sande Bay.

8 February 1945:
Arrives at Singapore, Malaya.

18 February 1945:
At 1640, TOJO MARU departs Singapore for Moji in convoy HI-92 also consisting of oiler TATEKAWA MARU No. 2 escorted by kaibokan SHONAN, CD-25 and CD-82. At 2109, TOJO MARU strikes a mine and is damaged, but able to proceed.

21 February 1945:
At 2240, temporarily anchors in Camranh Bay.

22 February 1945:
At 1100, departs Camranh Bay. TATEKAWA MARU No. 2 hits a mine off Cape Padaran and sinks.

25 February 1945:
S of Yulin, Hainan Island. At 0420, LtCdr Miles P. Refo’s USS HOE (SS-258) torpedoes and sinks SHONAN at 17-20N, 110-35E. TOJO MARU makes for Yulin while CD-25 counterattacks, dropping 20 depth charges. HOE evades and escapes undamaged.

2 March 1945:
At 1900, anchors off Swatow.

3 March 1945:
At 0800, departs Swatow.

5 March 1945:
At 1300, arrives Ssu Chiao Shan.

8 March 1945:
At 1430, departs Ssu Chiao Shan with submarine chaser CH-19 and kaibokan CD-39 as additional escorts. The ship is also still escorted by kaibokan CD-25 and possibly CD-82.

10 March 1945:
At 1700, arrives at Pusan.

11 March 1945:
At 1630, convoy HI-92 arrives at Moji.

14 July 1945:
Off Cape Temma, Japan. Carrier aircraft of Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) John S. McCain’s Task Force 38 bomb and damage TOJO MARU.

15 August 1945:
End of hostilities.

15 September 1945:
Damaged by the Makurazaki typhoon.

January 1946:
Repair work completed.

8 March 1947:
Ownership transferred to Toho Kaiun, Tokyo (Dairen Kisen having being liquidated). Probably never traded.

25 August 1947:
Sold to Japanese Government Department of Transportation.

1948:
Sunk as breakwater in Hachinohe Port.


- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.


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