© 2008 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
1917:
A MOMI-class destroyer is ordered from Ishikawajima Shipbuilding.
24 January 1918:
The destroyer is designated TSUGA.
5 March 1919:
Laid down at Ishikawajima Shipbuilding as the first destroyer built at the Ishikawa yard.
17 April 1920:
Launched.
20 July 1920:
Completed and registered in the Sasebo Naval District.
Assigned to DesRon 26. An unknown officer is the CO.
1 December 1920:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Narita Jiro (36) assumes command.
1 December 1921:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Kashiwagi Ei (36) assumes command.
20 September 1922:
An unknown officer assumes command.
10 November 1925 to 2 December 1926:
Sasebo. Placed in the first reserve for engine repairs. Both funnels are elevated.
1 December 1925:
Lt (later Rear Admiral) Sakiyama Shakao (42) assumes command.
1 December 1926:
LtCdr (later Vice Admiral ) Hara Chuichi (39) assumes command.
1 December 1927:
An unknown officer assumes command.
30 November 1929:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Onishi Keiichi (44) assumes command.
20 April 1930:
Lt (later Rear Admiral) Konishi Kaname (44) assumes command.
15 April 1931:
Lt (later Rear Admiral) Yamamoto Iwata (46) assumes command.
1 May 1933:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Wakita Kiichiro (48) assumes command.
15 November 1933:
DesDiv 26 is assigned to DesRon 11. Patrols off the Chinese coast.
15 November 1934:
TSUGA and KURI are directly attached to DesRon 11 HQ. Based at Mako, Pescadores (now Penghu Island), they patrol off the Chinese coast.
31 October 1935:
An unknown officer assumes command.
7 July 1937: The Marco Polo Bridge (The"First China Incident") Incident:
Hun River, Lukuokiao, China. Japanese troops at the bridge fire blank cartridges during night maneuvers. Chinese troops fire back. Later, the Japanese discover a soldier missing. They demand entry to the Peking (Beijing) suburb of Wanping to look for him, but the Chinese refuse. The Japanese shell the city and an undeclared war on China begins.
12 November 1937:
Shanghai is captured.
13 June 1938 - The Battle of Wuhan:
Midway down the Yangtze River. The Japanese make a naval landing at Anqing supported by 100 vessels, including more than 40 destroyers, mine sweepers, naval and river gunboats and blockade boats. TSUGA is in Rear Admiral Kondo Eijiro’s 11th Sentai with KURI and HASU. The landing force totals about 12,000 men and 80 to 90 guns. The Japanese begin the Battle of Wuhan to annihilate the Chinese Army and force a surrender. The battle rages for over four months and ends in a stalemate.
15 October 1940:
LtCdr Nishino Shigeru (55) assumes command.
November 1941:
TSUGA is in Vice Admiral (Fleet Admiral, postumously) Koga Mineichi’s (34)(former CO of ISE) China Area Fleet in Vice Admiral Makita Kakusaburo's (38)(former CO of KIRISHIMA) Shanghai Area Base Force with old destroyers HASU and KURI.
8 December 1941: Operation "C" - The Invasion of the British Crown Colony
of Hong Kong:
TSUGA supports the Japanese assault on Hong Kong
25 December 1941:
Hong Kong surrenders.
1942:
Assigned to Shanghai Guard Unit until late July. TSUGA’s midships 4.7 mount is landed and replaced with two triple 25mm Type 96 AA mounts.
1 August 1942:
Lt Mori Shinichi (59) assumes command.
August 1942:
Shanghai. Escorts convoys between Shanghai and Mako, Pescadores.
21 December 1942: No. 6 Go Transportation Operation:
Convoy No. 35 assembles at Shanghai to transport the IJA’s 6th Infantry Division via Truk to Guadalcanal (after the decision is made to evacuate Guadalcanal, the convoy’s destination is changed to New Guinea).
The convoy consists of troop convoy Parts A, B and C. Part A consists of TEIYO, MYOHO MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 1; Part B consists of OIGAWA, KENKON, KYOKUSEI and PANAMA MARUs and Part C consists of MEIU, SOMEDOMO, SOURABAYA and SHINAI MARUs. Second-class destroyer HASU departs Shanghai for New Guinea escorting Part A and second-class destroyer KURI departs escorting Part B.
25 December 1942:
Part C departs Shanghai consisting of MEIU, SOMEDONO, SURABAYA and SHINAI MARUs escorted by TSUGA.
5 January 1943:
Parts A and B arrive at Mako, Pescadores. The old China Area Fleet second-class destroyers are detached and replaced by the Southwest Area Fleet’s destroyers HOKAZE and NAGATSUKI tasked to escort the convoy to 136 degrees E longitude. The escort is further augmented by destroyer SHIRAYUKI, subchasers CH-2 and CH-11 and auxiliary gunboat CHOAN MARU No. 2.
15 March 1943:
Lt Hirata Masaki (58) assumes command.
4 October 1943:
At 1900, TSUGA departs Woosung, China for Mako escorting a convoy consisting of ROZAN, SHOZAN, YULIN, CHEFOO, TSUKUBA and SETSUZAN MARUs.
7 October 1943:
Arrives at Mako.
6 November 1943:
Tsuga is escorting No. 505 from Japan to Takao. SHISEN MARU is detached for Keelung.
E 7 November 1943:
The rest of the convoy arrive safely at Takao.
19 February 1944:
TSUGA departs Keelung for Takao, Formosa escorting a convoy consisting of TAIRYU and CHIKUZEN MARUs. At about 1320 that afternoon, the convoy is bombed and strafed by two aircraft that sink TAIRYU MARU.
1 March 1944:
Lt Kuniya Masanobu (64) assumes command.
May 1944:
Arrives at Manila escorting a convoy from Shanghai.
12 May 1944:
Arives at Davao.
28 May 1944:
At 1300, TSUGA departs Manila with patrol boats PB-102 (ex-USS STEWART, DD-224) and PB-104, subchaser CH-38 and auxiliary netlayer KOREI MARU escorting convoy H-27 consisting of SHINNO, KOHOKU, KOSEI, MURORAN,
SHIROGANESAN, TAIYU, TEIYU and JUZAN MARUs.
3 June 1944:
At 2044, arrives Banka anchorage, NE Celebes.
4 June 1944:
At 0555, departs Banka anchorage.
8 June 1944:
At 1617, arrives Wasile, Halmahera, Moluccas.
11 June 1944:
TSUGA departs Kau Bay, Halmahera with patrol boat PB-104, subchaser CH-38 and auxiliary netlayer KOREI MARU escorting convoy H-27 (return) consisting of AKAGISAN, KOAN, SORACHI, SHIROGANESAN, YOZAN and TAIYU MARUs and YOSHIDA MARU No. 3.
12 June 1944:
TSUGA and CH-38 are detached for Davao.
14 June 1944:
TSUGA departs Davao towards the Philippine Sea refueling point with the 1st Supply Force oilers
HAYUSUI and NICHIEI, KOKUYO and SEIYO MARUs and destroyers HATSUSHIMO and SHIRATSUYU.
15 June 1944:
90 miles SE of Surigao Strait. SEIYO MARU collides with and sinks SHIRATSUYU.
16 June 1944:
At about 1000, at 11-00N, 130-00E, the 1st Supply Force
completes a rendezvous with Vice Admiral Ugaki Matome's (former CO of HYUGA)
aborted Operation "Kon" Task Force's Bat Div 1's YAMATO, and MUSASHI, Cru Div
5's HAGURO and MYOKO, DesRon 2's light cruiser NOSHIRO and Des Div 4's OKINAMI,
SHIMAKAZE, ASAGUMO, MAIKAZE and MICHISHIO and DesRon 10's YAMAGUMO and NOWAKI.
Ugaki's force is refueled promptly, then Ugaki's force and the 1st Supply Force
head north to join Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo's (former CO of HARUNA) First
Mobile Fleet's Main Body.
At 1650, Ugaki's force and the 1st Supply Force rendezvous with Ozawa.
The 1st Supply Force begins to refuel the Mobile Fleet.
17 June 1944:
At 2000, the refueling is completed. At this time, the First Mobile Fleet
is at 12-15N, 132-45E. The 1st Supply Force stands by to rendezvous with the the 2nd Supply Force's
oilers GENYO and AZUSA MARUs enroute from Guimaras. All six oilers then depart the area for a
designated standby point at 14-40N, 134-20E.
20 June 1944: - The Battle of the Philippine Sea: :
TSUGA and destroyers HIBIKI, YUNAGI, and HATSUSHIMA escort the 1st Supply Force’s NICHIEI MARU.
They are attacked by LtCdr J. D. Blitch's seven Grumman "Avenger" TBF torpedo-bombers, 12 Curtiss
"Helldiver" SB2C dive-bombers and 16 Grumman "Hellcat" F-6F-3 strafers from Task Force 58's USS WASP (CV-18).
SEIYO MARU and HAYASUI are hit by bombs. Destroyer YUKIKAZE scuttles SEIYO MARU. The 2nd Supply Force's oiler GENYO MARU is also damaged by bombs and later scuttled by destroyer UZUKI. TSUGA is undamaged. Later that day, NICHIEI MARU departs the area for Okinawa with the 1st Supply Force.
June 1944:
TSUGA escorts some surviving tankers to Balikpapan, Borneo.
July 1944:
Escorts several tankers from Balikpapan via Manila to Takao.
25 July 1944:
At 0400, TSUGA departs Manila for Takao with escort carrier KAIYO, destroyers AKIKAZE and HATSUSHIMO and minesweeper W-28 escorting convoy MAMO-01 consisting of transports GOKOKU and ASAMA MARUs.
27 July 1944:
At 1400, arrives at Takao.
4 August 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo. Later, TSUGA returns to China.
16 August 1944:
At 1835, TSUGA departs Woosung, China for Naha, Okinawa with HASU and gunboat UJI escorting a convoy consisting of KAZUURA, TSUSHIMA and GYOKU MARUs. The convoy is carrying about 6,000 troops of the 62nd Infantry Division.
19 August 1944:
Arrives at Naha.
22 October 1944:
At 1700, TSUGA departs Foochow, China for Takao, Formosa with HASU escorting a convoy consisting of KORI GO, TATSUJU, TOUN and WAKATAKE MARUs.
23 October 1944:
NNW of Mako, Pescadores. At 0336, Cdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret/MOH) Richard H. O’Kane’s USS TANG (SS-306) attacks the convoy. O’Kane torpedoes and damages TOUN MARU that catches fire. Next, O’Kane torpedoes and sinks TATSUJU MARU. WAKATAKE MARU spots the half-surfaced TANG and tries to ram, but O’Kane goes hard to port and evades, then torpedoes and sinks WAKATAKE MARU at 24-49N, 120-26E.
24 October 1944:
TANG torpedoes and sinks KORI GO at 24-42N, 120-21E.
25 October 1944:
While attacking another convoy, TANG is sunk in shallow water by a circular run of her last Mark-18 torped. LtCdr O'Kane and eight of his crew survive. They are captured and transported as POWs to Formosa and then Japan.
2 December 1944:
LtCdr Yoshida Toshio (62) assumes command.
15 January 1945:
Off Mako. Carrier planes of Vice Admiral (later Admiral) John S. McCain’s Task Force 38 attack and sink TSUGA at 23-33N, 19-33E. LtCdr Yoshida is KIA. He is promoted Commander, posthumously. Other crew losses are unknown.
10 March 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Author's Notes:
[1] Little data were found detailing TSUGA's movements during 1942 and most of 1943. Readers with access to such missing data are requested to post the information on the Discussion
and Questions board or j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message
Board
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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