Japanese Auxiliary Submarine Tenders

TOKUSETSU SENSUI-BOKAN!

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

IJN Submarine Tender
TSUKUSHI MARU: Tabular Record of Movement
© 1998-2008 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
Revision 1

20 June 1940:
Kobe. Laid down at Kawasaki Jukogyo for passenger-cargo service for the Osaka Shosen KK Line between Kobe and Dairen, Manchukuo. A sister ship, NANIWA MARU is projected but never built.
24 September 1941:
Launched and named TSUKUSHI MARU. Fitting out is delayed owing to other more critical demands on the shipbuilder. TSUKUSHI MARU is not finally delivered until completion of the conversion in March 1943.
15 January 1943:
Kobe. Requisitioned by the IJN. Begins conversion at Kawasaki Heavy Industies to an auxiliary submarine tender. She is fitted with one 152-mm (6-inch) gun and two 13.2-mm single-mount Type 93 machine guns. Captain-Ret (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Seki Tei (36)(former CO of SANTOS MARU) is posted as the Chief Equipping Officer.
25 March 1943:
Completes conversion and is registered as a submarine tender in the Sasebo Naval District. Captain Seki is the Commanding Officer. Assigned to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral), the Marquis, Daigo Tadashige's soon to be activated SubRon 11, First Fleet.
1 April 1943:
Arrives at Kure. Begins training duty in the Seto Inland Sea. For the next ten months, the TSUKUSHI MARU remains at Kure, but makes frequent local voyages, most probably for training purposes. During this period, she runs aground, but is refloated successfully.
1 May 1943:
Captain Mizohata Sadaichi (46) assumes command. Captain Seki is reassigned to SubRon 3 and later becomes CO of YASUKUNI MARU on which he is KIA.
17 December 1943:
Departs Kure.
21 December 1943:
TSUKUSHI MARU departs Moji in fleet convoy HI-27 consisting of the cargo-passenger liner MIIKE MARUs, transport KUNIKAWA MARU, cargo liner NOTO MARU, troop landing ship MAYASAN MARU and oilers KYUEI and OTORISAN MARUs escorted by destroyer ASAKAZE.
24 December 1943:
Arrives at Takao, Formosa.
26 December 1943:
Departs Takao for Singapore with a replacement escort, kaibokan MATSUWA. The convoy now only consists of TSUKUSHI, KUNIKAWA, KYUEI and OTORISAN MARUs; the others remain at Takao.
27 December 1943:
At about 1100, in the second of two submerged attacks, LtCdr Robert D. Risser's FLYING FISH (SS-229) successfully torpedoes and sinks tanker KYUEI MARU at 21-25N, 118-05E. MATSUWA rescues survivors and TSUKUSHI MARU and the other ships continue their voyage.
1 January 1944:
TSUKUSHI MARU is assigned as a tender of Rear Admiral Ishizaki Noboru's (former CO of SubRon 8) SubRon 11, Sixth Fleet (Submarines), consisting of the 1-42, I-43, I-45, I-52, I-183, I-184, RO-40, RO-41, RO-43, RO-113, RO-114, RO-115 and flagship CHOGEI.
2 January 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
27 January 1944: Operation "Tatsumaki" (Tornado) - Amphibious Tank Attack at Majuro, Marshalls:
Arrives at Sasebo. Later that same day, arrives at Nasake Jima, Inland Sea. TSUKUSHI MARU and the I-36, I-38, I--41, I-44 and I-53 commence training for Tatsumaki. The operation, part of the planned "YU-GO" surprise attack on the American fleet anchorage at Majuro, calls for the submarines to each carry two Type 4-shiki Motor Boat amphibious tanks on their afterdecks from Kure to Majuro. The tanks, armed with Type 2 (450-mm) torpedoes, are to be launched at night, climb over the coral, make their way overland, enter the water again and torpedo the anchored American carriers. [1]
30 January 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
1 February 1944:
Departs Kure.
11 February 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo.
17 February 1944:
Departs Sasebo.
4 March 1944:
Departs Guam for Truk.
17 March 1944:
Departs Truk in a convoy consisting of TSUKUSHI, KAZUMUURA, IMIZU MARUs and minelayer YURISHIMA escorted by kaibokan OKI.
24 March 1944:
Arrives at Saipan. Departs later that day.
27 March 1944:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
30 March 1944:
Arrives at Kure. For the next four months, TSUKUSHI MARU remains at Kure, but makes frequent local voyages for training purposes.
May 1944:
Nasake Jima, Inland Sea. The CINC, Sixth Fleet, Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) Takagi Takeo (former CO of MUTSU) aboard TSUKUSHI MARU personally leads preparations for Operation Tatsumaki, the planned amphibious tank attack on Majuro. Takagi concentrates five submarines and 14 tanks on small Nasake Jima. Also, several support vessels and a 30-ton floating crane arrive from Kure to facilitate loading the tanks aboard the submarines. Each of the five submarines carries one tank and practices crash-dives, full-speed underwater maneuvers, launch exercises and torpedo attacks. [1]
12 May 1944:
After tests reveal major deficiencies in the amphibious tanks, Vice Admiral Takagi submits a negative report to the Naval General Staff. Operation YU-GO is "postponed".
22 June 1944:
RO-41 is ordered to proceed to the Western part of the Inland Sea where she is to be provisioned and repaired by TSUKUSHI MARU.
15 August 1944:
Kure. TSUKUSHI MARU is reassigned as the flagship of Vice Admiral Miwa Shigeyoshi's (39) (former CO of KINU) CINC, Sixth Fleet.
1 October 1944:
Departs Kure. Arrives at Tokuyama.
9 October 1944:
Departs Tokuyama.
10 October 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
2 December 1944:
Kure. Vice Admiral Miwa convenes a special conference of more than 200 staff officers and specialists aboard flagship TSUKUSHI MARU to evaluate the results of the first kaiten suicide-submarine mission to Ulithi by the "Kikushi" (floating chrysanthemum) Group. Based on action reports and photo reconnaissance, the Sixth Fleet staff concludes erroneously that three aircraft carriers and two battleships were sunk in the attack.
Late 1944:
Converted to a collier to transport coal between Osaka and Kobe. A portion of her second deck is removed.
20 January 1945:
Demilitarized. Rerated a transport in the Sasebo Naval District. During the next six months, TSUKUSHI MARU makes frequent voyages to Inland Sea ports, probably picking up and delivering coal.
4 July 1945:
SE of Shimonoseki. TSUKUSHI MARU hits a mine at 33-50N, 131-19E and sustains damage.
15 August 1945: The Cessation of Hostilities:
TSUKUSHI MARU is surrendered to the Allies.
5 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
1945-1947:
TSUKUSHI MARU is taken over by the Allied Repatriation Service and employed thereafter as a transport.
26 October 1945:
Departs Kure on her first repatriation voyage.
3 November 1945:
Arrives at Manila.
8 November 1945:
Departs Manila.
6 November 1945:
Arrives at Saiki.
27 November 1945-4 February 1946:
Undergoes extensive repairs at Sasebo Dockyard.
4 February 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
7 February 1946:
Arrives at Amoy, China.
8 February 1946:
Departs Amoy.
11 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima, Kyushu.
14 February 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
15 February 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo.
16 February 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
17 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima.
18 February 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
21 February 1946:
Arrives at Amoy.
22 February 1946:
Departs Amoy.
23 February 1946:
Arrives at Swatow, China.
24 February 1946:
Departs Swatow.
27 February 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo.
2 March 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima.
3 March 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo.
7 March 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
12 March 1946:
Arrives at Manila.
18 March 1946:
Departs Manila.
23 March 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Departs the same day.
26 March 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. After unloading, re-enters dock for repairs.
13 May 1946:
Repairs are completed.
15 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
22 May 1946:
Arrives at Manila. On this voyage, repatriates various Japanese ex-diplomats.
3 June 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo.
6 June 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
11 June 1946:
Arrives at Guam.
15 June 1946:
Departs Guam.
19 June 1946:
Arrives at Tinian, Marianas. Departs the same day.
26 June 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Departs the same day.
3 July 1946:
Arrives at Amami-Oshima. Departs the same day.
9 July 1946:
Arrives at Naze. Departs the same day.
10 July 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Enters Kitami Dockyard for repairs.
18 August 1946:
Repairs completed and departs Kagoshima.
23 August 1946:
Arrives at Korojima, China.
24 August 1946:
Departs Korojima.
26 August 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.
1947:
Returned to owners.
1952:
Sold to the Pan-Islamic Steamship Co., Karachi, Pakistan and renamed SAFINA-E-MILLAT.
16 March 1953:
Karachi. While refitting as a pilgrim carrier for the Hadj, catches fire and is burnt out. A constructive total loss, the wreck is later sold to the Pak-Hedjaz Shipping Company, Karachi and scrapped.

Authors' Notes:
[1] For more on Operation "Tatsumaki" see YU-GO: THE JAPANESE PLAN FOR A SECOND PEARL HARBOR SURPRISE ATTACK!

- Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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