YUSOSEN!
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(Oiler by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings
of Japanese Warships")
IJN TSURUMI: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2005-2008 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
10 March 1921:
Sakurajima. Laid down at Osaka Ironworks.
29 September 1921:
Launched and named TSURUMI.
14 March 1922:
Completed and registered in the Maizuru Naval District.
1924:
Completes conversion to a seaplane carrier/tender. TSURUMI can operate as a tanker while in the seaplane role. She carries eight Type 14-1 Yokosuka E1Y1 three-seat reconnaissance floatplanes, two of which are reserves and remain disassembled until needed.
1931:
TSURUMI begins and completes reconversion to an oiler.
September 1935: The Combined Fleet's Great Maneuvers:
TSURUMI is attached to the Fourth Fleet in the “Red Fleet”. Exercises are conducted in the NW Pacific between Japan and the Kuriles. TSURUMI serves with fleet oilers KAMOI and SUNOSAKI.
25 September 1935: The "Fourth Fleet Incident”:
Hokkaido. The fleet departs Hakodate and steams into the NW Pacific where it encounters a major typhoon. Light carriers HOSHO and RYUJO, several cruisers and destroyers are damaged by the storm. Over 50 men are killed. The extent of damage to TSURUMI, if any, is unknown.
18 August 1936:
Cdr Joshima Takatsugu (40) (former XO of battleship KIRISHIMA) assumes command.
1 December 1936:
Cdr Joshima is promoted Captain.
7 July 1937: The Marco Polo Bridge (Sino-Japanese) Incident:
Lugouqiao, China. Japanese troops on night maneuvers fire blank cartridges. Chinese troops fire back, but do not cause injuries. At morning roll call, the Japanese discover a soldier missing and assume the Chinese captured him. They demand entry to a suburb of Beijing to look for the soldier, but the Chinese refuse. The Japanese then shell the city and an undeclared war on China begins.
10 August 1937:
TSURUMI departs Sasebo with the 22nd Sea Scout Unit embarked. Later, the 22nd establishes a seaplane base in the Ma-an Islands, off China.
16 October 1937:
Captain Joshima is reassigned as CO of carrier HOSHO. An unknown Captain assumes command.
22 April 1941:
TSURUMI is assigned directly to the Combined Fleet.
11 August 1941:
Captain Fujita Shunzo assumes command.
26 November 1941:
Departs Hashirajima.
30 November 1941:
Arrives at Hahajima on a water replenishment mission.
21 December 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
30 January 1942:
Departs Kure.
9 February 1942:
Arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.
February 1942: Operation "J" - The Invasion of Java, Netherlands East Indies:
TSURUMI is with Vice Admiral Takahashi's Third Fleet's Netherlands East Indies Force. Supports Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s Western Java Seizure Force.
11 February 1942:
Departs Camranh Bay.
17 February 1942:
Arrives at Anambas Islands, Netherlands East Indies.
21 February 1942:
Departs Anambas. Refuels CruDiv 7's MOGAMI, MIKUMA, KUMANO and SUZUYA and other naval units engaged in Netherlands East Indies and Indochina military operations.
28 February 1942: The Battle of the Sunda Strait:
TSURUMI arrives at Bantam Bay, Java.
At about 2215, American Captain Albert H. Rooks USS HOUSTON (CA-30) and Australian Captain Hector M. L. Waller’s light cruiser HMAS PERTH, attempt to retire to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), but accidentally encounter Ozawa’s Seizure Force transports screened only by DesDiv 5's HARUKAZE, HATAKAZE and DesDiv 11's FUBUKI. The Allies attack. The Japanese destroyers make smoke. FUBUKI charges and launches nine torpedoes.
At 2300, the Third Escort Force's light cruiser NATORI and her destroyers arrive on scene with CruDiv 7’s MOGAMI and MIKUMA and destroyer SHIKINAMI. At 2327, in the Sunda Strait, MOGAMI fires six “Long Lance” torpedoes at HOUSTON, but they all miss and pass into Bantam Bay. At 2335, five explosions erupt. IJA transports SAKURA, HORAI and TATSUNO MARUs, landing ship SHINSHU (a.k.a. RYUJO) MARU and minesweeper W-2 are hit by the torpedoes and sink in shallow water.
1 March 1942:
At 0025, IJN destroyers sink PERTH. At 0045, after being hit by torpedoes and gunfire, HOUSTON also sinks.
Bantam Bay, E of Nicholas Point. That same day, Dutch Ltz/II Carel W. T. Baron van Boetzelaer's submarine Hr.Ms. K-XV attacks TSURUMI. Van Boetzelaer fires two torpedoes. At least one hits and damages TSURUMI.
9 March 1942:
Departs Bantam Bay.
12 March 1942:
Arrives at Seletar Naval Base, Singapore. Undergoes battle damage repairs.
7 May 1942:
Departs Singapore.
19 May 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
28 May 1942: Operation “MI” – The Battle of Midway:
TSURUMI departs Kure in Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Kondo Nobutake's (former CO of KONGO) Second Fleet, Midway Invasion Force with Captain Murao Jiro's Supply Group’s oilers TSURUMI and SATA and GENYO and KENYO MARUs and repair ship AKASHI.
17 June 1942:
Arrives at Hashirajima. Operates as an oiler in the Komatsushima area.
18 September 1942:
Departs Kure.
3 October 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
4 October 1942:
Departs Truk.
10 October 1942:
Arrives at Shortland, Bougainville.
23 October 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul. Transports fuel in the general area.
7 November 1942:
Captain Ito Giichi assumes command.
26 December 1942:
St. Georges Channel, Bismarcks. Destroyer TANIKAZE is towing unnavigable destroyer UZUKI that collided the previous day with transport NANKAI MARU. The transport herself had been torpedoed and damaged that day by LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) William E. Ferrall's USS SEADRAGON (SS-194). At 1200, TSURUMI, destroyer URAKAZE and minesweeper W-21 arrive from Rabaul as escorts.
Arrives back at Rabaul later that day.
4 January 1943:
At 0800, TSURUMI departs Rabaul escorting a convoy consisting of small tanker KYOEI MARU and small cargo ships HOKKAI and GIYU MARUs also escorted by an unknown subchaser.
6 January 1943:
At 1030, the convoy is attacked by two aircraft that are driven off without damage. At 1300, arrives at the Shortland Islands.
30 January 1943:
Allied codebreakers pick up a signal indicating TSURUMI is near Truk escorted by auxiliary gunboat HEIJO MARU.
10 February 1943:
Departs Shortland.
15 February 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
26 February 1943:
Departs Truk.
13 March 1943:
Arrives at Palembang, Sumatra.
17 March 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
23 March 1943:
Departs Singapore.
6 April 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
8 April 1943:
Arrives at Kure. Undergoes repairs.
9 May 1943:
Departs Kure.
18 May 1943:
Arrives at Surabaya.
4 June 1943:
Departs Surabaya.
7 June 1943:
Arrives at Balikpapan.
22 June 1943:
Departs Balikpapan.
28 June 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
1 July 1943:
Departs Palau.
10 July 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
18 July 1943:
Departs Kure for Palau via Manila, Tarakan and Balikpapan.
26 August 1943:
Off Palau. LtCdr John A. Scott's TUNNY (SS-282) unsuccessfully attacks a convoy consisting of TSURUMI and transport AMAGISAN MARU escorted by subchaser CH-4 at 07-30N, 134-20E. CH-4 damages TUNNY and forces Scott to terminate his patrol.
2 September 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
9 September 1943:
At 0630, departs Truk in a convoy consisting of oilers TSURUMI and KYOEI MARU No. 2, and cargo ship TAIKO MARU escorted by subchaser CH-29 and auxiliary patrol boat SHOWA MARU. Steams to Palau, then Balikpapan via Tarakan.
17 November 1943:
At 0950, departs Palau in convoy 8175 consisting of oilers TSURUMI, SATA, SEIAN MARU, KYOEI MARUs and cargo ship SHOYU MARU escorted by destroyer AMATSUKAZE, subchaser CH-33 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-27.
20 November 1943:
At 2000, auxiliary subchaser CHa-27 detaches and returns to Palau.
24 November 1943:
Arrives 0840 at Truk with a cargo of 8,000 tons of fuel oil.
29 December 1943:
Departs Truk.
2 January 1944:
Arrives at Saipan.
6 January 1944:
At 1315, departs Saipan for Palau, Balikpapan and Surabaya on a fuel transport mission in convoy NE-602 consisting of TSURUMI and cargo ship NAGISAN MARU escorted by destroyer SHIMAKAZE and cable layer TATEISHI.
11 January 1944:
Arrives at Palau.
26 January 1944:
Departs Palau in the same convoy, but now escorted by patrol boat PB-2 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-26.
E 30 January 1944:
The escorts are detached at 130 degrees East longitude.
1 February 1944:
Arrives Balikpapan.
5 February 1944:
At 1030, departs Balikpapan in a convoy consisting of TSURUMI, tankers YAMAMIZU and KYOEI MARUs and cargo ship NAGISAN MARU escorted by auxiliary subchasers CHa-36, CHa-37 and CHa-41.
6 February 1941:
At 0930, the YAMAMIZU is detached for Singapore.
9 February 1941:
At 1430 arrives at Surabaya.
1 March 1944:
At 1200, departs Surabaya in a convoy consisting of TSURUMI, tanker KYOEI MARU and cargo ship KITA MARU.
2 March 1944:
A message is received that indicates Balikpapan has been mined. The convoy heads for Pagatan and awaits notification to proceed.
3 March 1944:
At 0400, departs Pagatan. At 0930, KITA MARU is detached. Later that day ,anchors in the Kotabaru area.
4 March 1944:
At 1500 departs the Kotabaru area. At 2000, arrives at Pamukan Bay and temporarily anchors.
5 March 1944:
At 0500, departs Pamukan Bay. At 1730, arrives Balikpapan.
15 March 1944:
At 0730, TSURUMI departs Balikpapan for Palau in an unnumbered convoy consisting of three echelons of seven ships escorted by destroyers HARUSAME and SHIRATSUYU, minesweeper W-36, subchaser CH-6 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-52. The first echelon consists of fleet oiler IRO and tankers NAGISAN MARU and HISHI MARU No. 2. The second echelon consists of TSURUMI, tanker KYOEI MARU and cargo ship RAIZAN MARU and the third echelon consists only of cargo ship HOKUTAI MARU.
16 March 1944:
At 1530, destroyer MICHISHIO joins the convoy and the other escorts depart.
20 March 1944:
At 0910, auxiliary subchasers CHa-51 and CHa-53 join the escort.
31 March 1944:
Arrives at Saipan.
3 April 1944:
Departs Saipan.
19 April 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.
1 May 1944:
At 0820, departs Balikpapan in the "TSURUMI convoy" consisting of TSURUMI and NAGISAN MARU escorted by patrol boat PB-2. At Tawi Tawi, TSURUMI refuels the First Mobile Fleet.
3 May 1944:
At 1904, arrives at Tarakan.
4 May 1944:
At 1036, the same convoy departs Tarakan.
5 May 1944:
At 1207, arrives at Balikpapan. [1]
13 May 1944:
Captain Yamamoto Muro assumes command.
10 July 1944:
Departs Balikpapan.
22 July 1944:
Arrives at Davao.
5 August 1944:
At 0148, departs Davao for Balikpapan in the "TSURUMI convoy" now consisting of TSURUMI and cargo ships BINGO and OSEI MARUs escorted by minesweeper W-30, auxiliary subchaser CHa-11 and KYO MARU No. 12.
S of Mindanao. At 1113, TSURUMI is attacked by LtCdr Edward F. Dissette’s CERO (SS-225) at 05-53N, 125-41E. In an underwater attack, Dissette fires six torpedoes and claims four hits. At 1130, TSURUMI capsizes and sinks in Davao Gulf.
10 October 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
[1] It is unclear why TSURUMI steamed to Tarakan. Probably she was carrying refined fuel oil for the fast oilers to convey to Tawi Tawi.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
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