SOKAITEI!

© 2009 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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10 June 1942:
Aioi. Laid down at Harima Zosensho, K. K.

23 February 1943:
Launched and numbered W-27.

30 July 1943:
Completed and registered in the IJN.

8 December 1943:
W-27 departs Kagoshima escorting convoy ROKU-804 consisting of FUYO MARU, SOTSU GO, NANKAI MARU No.1 and TOYO MARU No. 5. Bad weather forces the convoy to return to Kagoshima arriving back at 1630.

9 December 1943:
At 0800, convoy ROKU-804 consisting of the same ships departs Kagoshima again.

10 December 1943:
At 1300, FUYO MARU and TOYO MARU No. 5 are detached for Koniya.

11 December 1943:
At 1130, arrives at Naha, Okinawa.

26 December 1943:
At 2400, W-27 departs Kagoshima escorting convoy ROKU-505 consisting of SHUNTAI, SUMIDA, AKAGI MARUs, cableship TOYO MARU and KYODO MARU No. 13.

28 December 1943:
At 0800, SUMIDA and TOYO MARUs are detached for Koniya.

29 December 1943:
At 0900, arrives at Naha.

30 December 1943:
At 0900, W-27 departs Naha escorting convoy OKI-003 consisting of Hiburi, NICHINAN and FUYO MARUs. At 1800, anchors at Koniya, Amami Oshima and convoy is joined by TOYO MARU No. 5, SUMIDA and BIYO MARUs.

4 January 1944:
At 0700, departs Koniya. MITSU MARU joins the convoy but immediately straggles because of engine troubles and returns to Koniya.

5 January 1944:
At 1300, MITSU MARU catches up with convoy. At 2200 arrives Kagoshima.

8 January 1944:
At 1000, departs Kagoshima escorting convoy ROKU-706 consisting of RYUWA, KACHOSAN, KANTO, TAIKYU, SANYO and FUJI MARUs.

9 January 1944:
At 1300, KANTO MARU is detached for Naze. At 1600, TAIKYU MARU is detached for Koniya. SANKA MARU joins the convoy from Koniya.

10 January 1944:
At 1140, arrives at Naha.

15 January 1944:
At 1930, W-27 departs Naha for Takao as additional escort to convoy No. 127 consisting of NIKKI, HOKOKU, KINREI, ROKKO and IKUTAGAWA MARUs escorted by destroyer KARUKAYA.

18 January 1944:
At 1455, arrives at Takao.

1 February 1944:
At 0700, convoy HI-41 departs Moji consisting of transports AWA, ASAMAs, NANKAI and TEIA (ex-French Liner ARAMIS) MARUs and tankers MIRI and NAMPO MARUs escorted by kaibokan MATSUWA.

2 February 1944:
At 0730, W-27 joins the convoy.

3 February 1944:
At 0200, W-27 is detached.

25 February 1944:
At 0622, W-27 departs Yokosuka escorting convoy No. 3225 consisting of MITAKESAN MARU.

27 February 1944:
At 0929, arrives at Chichi Jima.

10 April 1944:
At 0900, W-27 departs Yokohama with auxiliary subchasers SHONAN MARU No. 3 and SHONAN MARU No. 11. escorting convoy No. 3409 consisting of KASHIMASAN MARU, BANEI MARU No. 6, UNKAI MARU No. 10 and three yard craft under tow: Power Craft No. 1 Go, Powercraft No. 2 Go and Sasebo No. 8 Go.

11 April 1944:
At 1600, arrives at Hachijo Jima where the yard craft are left behind because of the rough weather.

14 April 1944:
At 0600, arrives at Chichi Jima.

10 July 1944:
At 0500, W-27 departs Yokosuka with destroyers WAKABA and HATSUHARU, kaibokan AMAKUSA and CD-12 and auxiliary subchaser FUMI MARU escorting convoy No. 3710 consisting of NISSHU, TAISEI, TONEGAWA, DAIJI and EIKO MARUs and TOKAI MARU No. 4.

12 July 1944:
At 1500, NISSHU, TAISEI, TONEGAWA MARUs and destroyer HATSUHARU and kaibokan AMAKUSA and CD-12 are detached for Iwo Jima.

13 July 1944:
Bonin Islands. At 0726, LtCdr Albert L. Becker's USS COBIA (SS-245) fires three torpedoes and gets two hits that sink storeship DAIJI MARU at 27-27N, 140-32E. W-27, destroyer WAKABA and auxiliary subchaser FUMI MARU counter-attack and drop 45 depth charges on COBIA, but Becker evades without damage to his boat. Later that day, the remaining ships of convoy No. 3710 arrive at Chichi Jima.

16 July 1944:
W-27 departs Chichi Jima with destroyer HATSUHARU escorting convoy No. 3716 consisting of TAISEI, TONEGAWA and EIKO MARUs.

19 July 1944:
At 1025, convoy No. 3716 arrives at Yokosuka.

31 October 1944:
Takao. Convoy MOMA-06 is reconstituted. It now consists of transport HAMBURG, tanker SHIMOTSU, ASOKAWA, TOTTORI, EIWA, ATLAS, DAITOKU, SHINSHO, KAKOGAWA, SEKIHO and SEIWA MARUs escorted by W-27, old destroyer KURETAKE, kaibokan CD-7, CD-1, CD-3, subchaser CH-41 and fleet supply ship KURASAKI.

1 November 1944:
At 1800, the convoy departs Takao for Manila.

2 November 1944:
At 2305, LtCdr John B. Hess’s USS POMFRET (SS-391) torpedoes and damages ATLAS MARU.

3 November 1944:
At 0435, Hess attacks ATLAS MARU again, but misses. At 0500, POMFRET also torpedoes and damages HAMBURG MARU. At 1850, one of the escorts scuttles her.

4 November 1944:
About 1330, ATLAS MARU finally goes aground. Torpedo boat SAGI arrives from Takao and joins the escort.

8 November 1944:
Off Cape Bolinaro, Luzon. LtCdr Guy E. O'Neil, Jr’s USS GUNNEL (SS-253) torpedoes and sinks SAGI. The convoy later arrives at Santa Cruz, Philippines. Warned of a typhoon in the area, the convoy departs the same day and arrives at Manila Bay at 2238.

9 November 1944:
At 0925, convoy MOMA-06 arrives at Manila harbor.

16 December 1944:
At 0800, W-27 departs Yokosuka for Chichi-Jima, Ogasawara Gunto, (Bonin Islands) with kaibokan AMAKUSA, CD-4, CD-56 and auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 2 escorting convoy No. 3217 consisting of AITOKU MARU, UNYO MARU No. 6 and HIYOSHI MARU No. 2.

20 December 1944:
Arrives at Chichi-Jima.

21 December 1944:
At 0337, HIYOSHI MARU No. 2 is mined and badly damaged and has to be beached off Kagaura. AMAKUSA also sets off a magnetic mine beneath her keel, but with the aid of two pumps borrowed from CD-56 is able to control the flooding and proceed.

22 December 1944:
At 1400, the convoy departs Chichi-Jima for Yokosuka on its return journey. The convoy is renumbered No. 4222.

26 December 1944:
At 1700, arrives at Yokosuka.

10 July 1945:
Off Yamada Bay, northern Honshu. At about 1100, LtCdr Raymond H. Bass’ USS RUNNER II (SS-476) torpedoes and sinks W-27 at 39-20N, 142-07E.

15 September 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

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-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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