SOKAITEI!

© 2008 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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E 1943:
Osaka. Laid down at Fujinagata Shipbuilding & Engineering K. K. as minesweeper No. 423.

1944:
Launched and numbered W-38.

10 June 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN.

5 July 1944:
W-38 and W-39 are assigned to the 21st Minesweeper Division.

12 July 1944:
At 1500, W-38 and W-39 depart Moji for Takao, Formosa with destroyer SHIOKAZE, kaibokan SHIMUSHU, subchaser CH-55, auxiliary gunboat HUA SHAN (KAZAN) MARU escorting convoy MI-11 consisting of cargo/transports EIKYU, TOSHINO, MIHO, ENOSHIMA, MANKO, HACHIJIN, DAKAR, FUSO, TEIRITSU and FUKUJU MARUs, BANSHU MARU No. 16 and tankers KOEI, TAKETOYO, AYAYUKI, SHICHIYO, AYAGUMO and HARIMA MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 1.

18 July 1944:
Arrives at Takao.

29 July 1944:
The convoy departs Takao for Miri, Borneo joined by tanker HARIMA MARU and minesweeper W-28. Destroyer SHIOKAZE is detached.

30 July 1944:
At 2200, BANSHU MARU No. 16 incurs rudder problems and collides with MANKO MARU, but both proceed.

31 July 1944:
Luzon Strait. A wolfpack patrols the Strait under Captain (later Rear Admiral) Lewis S. Parks consisting of LtCdr (later Vice Admiral/MOH/COMSUBLANT) Lawson P. Ramage's USS PARCHE (SS-384)(F), LtCdr (later Captain) David L. Whelchel's STEELHEAD (SS-280) and LtCdr John C. Martin's HAMMERHEAD (SS-364).

280 miles NNW of Cape Mayraira, Luzon. At 0332, LtCdr Ramage's PARCHE torpedoes and sinks KOEI MARU. About the same time, oiler OGURA MARU No. 1 is hit by a torpedo, but does not sink. At 0340, Ramage torpedoes and sinks YOSHINO MARU. She carries down 2, 495 troops and crewmen and a cargo of ammunition. [1][2]

At 0420, Whelchel's STEELHEAD torpedoes DAKAR MARU, but she does not sink. At 0455, Whelchel torpedoes and sinks FUSO MARU. She takes down 1, 384 troops and crewmen and a cargo of vehicles.

At 0514, Ramage's PARCHE torpedoes and sinks MANKO MARU. She carries down several hundred naval personnel and crewmen and a cargo of ammunition.

3 August 1944:
At 1730, the remainder of MI-11 arrives at Manila where it is reorganized.

7 August 1944:
At 1900, departs Manila.

12 August 1944:
Arrives at Miri.

22 August 1944:
At 1410, W-38 and W-39 depart Takao for Manila with kaibokan YASHIRO, CD-8, CD-25, CD-32 and torpedo boat HATO escorting convoy TAMA-24 consisting of HIDA, KOTOKU, TEIHOKU, RAKUTO, BATOPAHAT, GENKAI and MANSHU MARUs and tankers TACHIBANA and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2 and an unidentified ship, probably YUKIKAWA MARU.

25 August 1944:
CD-25 and GENKAI MARU are detached. Destroyer YUNAGI joins TAMA-24.

At 1024, Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Glynn R. Donaho's USS PICUDA (SS-382) torpedoes and sinks KOTOKU MARU at 18-42N, 120-49E. At 1026, in the same position, Donaho torpedoes and sinks YUNAGI as the destroyer attempts a counter-attack. At 1325, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Louis D. McGregor's USS REDFISH (SS-395) torpedoes and sinks BATOPAHAT MARU at 18-31N, 120-32E.

28 August 1944:
At 2100, arrives at Manila.

9 September 1944:
Off Musa Bay, Fuga Island. At 1600, W-38 and W-39 meet convoy MI-14 consisting of TOKUSHIMA, ENOSHIMA, MIHO, KENSEI Marus and tankers ATAGO and TOKUWA MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 2 escorted by Kaibokan CD-14, patrol boat PB-38 and subchaser CH-20.

16 September 1944:
At 0440, departs Basco Bay, Batan Island, Philippines. At 1355, TOKUSHIMA MARU is torpedoed and sunk at 21-57N, 121-35E. The explosion damages nearby oiler OGURA MARU No. 2's (hull more likely a dud torpedo hit). She stops for repairs, but at 1515, the ship is hit by six torpedoes and sunk by LtCdr Louis D. McGregor's USS REDFISH (SS-395) at 21-42N, 121-41E.

17 September 1944:
Arrives at Takao. W-38 and CH-20 are detached.

1 October 1944:
At 1300, W-38 and W-39 depart Takao for Manila, Philippines with torpedo boat HIYODORI, kaibokan CD-6, CD-16 and CD-20 and three unidentified warships escorting convoy TAMA-29 consisting of EJIRI, TOKO, RYUEI, KOSHO, URADO and TEIFU MARUs and seven unidentified merchant ships.

3 October 1944:
At 1703, the convoy arrives at Camiguin Island.

6 October 1944:
At 1900, the convoy departs Camiguin Island.

8 October 1944:
The convoy arrives at North San Fernando. W-38 and W-39 are detached.

10 October 1944:
At 0100, W-38 and W-39 depart North San Fernando for Takao with auxiliary subchaser CHa-95 and two unidentified warships escorting convoy MATA-29 consisting of HOTEN, TERUKUNI, TSINGTAO and OMINE (TAIHO) MARUs. Because of the risk of air attacks, the convoy shelters at Calayan Island.

18 October 1944:
At 0955, USN aircraft locate and attack the ships at anchor. All four merchant ships and CHa-95 are sunk in the resulting air attacks. [3]

20 November 1944:
South China Sea. SW of Takao, Formosa. After midnight, Cdr (later Rear Admiral/COMSUBPAC) John H. Maurer’s USS ATULE’s (SS-403) SJ radar picks up a slow moving vessel. Maurer moves in to attack on the surface, but the target is protected by a rain squall. ATULE continues tracking the target. At about 0500, the target is silhouetted against a clear horizon. Maurer fires four torpedoes. The third torpedo hits below the minesweeper’s stack. Less than three minutes later, W-38 sinks by the bow. Her depth charges explode as she goes under at 21-21N, 119-45E.

10 March 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Authors' Notes:
[1] For his actions in the Luzon Strait that night, Ramage was awarded the Medal of Honor.

[2] Both PARCHE and STEELHEAD received 1/2 credit for sinking YOSHINO MARU.

[3] It is not clear from available records whether W-38 and W-39 were present at the time of these attacks. In any event, they were not damaged.

-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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