SOKAITEI!

© 2008-2009 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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1943:
Osaka. Laid down at Fujinagata Shipbuilding & Engineering K. K.

1944:
Launched and numbered W-41.

17 July 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN.

18 August 1944:
Davao, Philippines. W-41 is assigned to the 32nd Special Base Force of the Southwest Area Fleet's Third Southern Expeditionary Fleet.

1 September 1944:
Mako, Pescadores. W-41 and W-20 and minelayer AOTAKA join the escort of convoy MI-17 that left Moji on 27 August consisting of tankers NITTETSU and SHIMOTSU MARUs, cargo ships BAIKAL, AMAHI, DAITEN, NORWAY, ARAOSAN, NICHIZUI, HOKUREI MARU, SHINYO MARU No. 8 and three unidentified ships escorted by destroyers SHIOKAZE and KURETAKE, kaibokan CD-18, minelayer YURISHIMA and W-17.

4 September 1944:
At 1000, the convoy departs Mako for Manila.

1 October 1944:
Reassigned to the 21st Minesweeper Division.

3 October 1944:
At 1830, W-41 departs Manila with minesweepers W-20 and subchaser CH-41 escorting convoy MATA-28 consisting of KOHOKU, HOKUREI, BUNZAN, SHOEI, HOKUSEN, TERUKUNI, HISHIGATA MARUs and SHINYO MARU No.

4 October 1944:
At 1908, arrives at Santa Cruz.

5 October 1944:
At 0630, departs Santa Cruz and at 1800, arrives at North San Fernando. W-41 is detached.

17 October 1944:
W-41 departs Manila with kaibokan CD-6 and CD-16 escorting the Taihi (Refugee) convoy consisting of six unidentified merchant ships.

21 October 1944:
Arrives at Yulin, Hainan Island.

24 October 1944:
W-41 and kaibokan CD-6 depart Sana, Hainan Island escorting convoy YUTA-13 consisting of six unidentified merchant ships.

26 October 1944:
At 1625, an enemy submarine is sighted at 18-00N, 113-24E.

27 October 1944:
At 1346, an enemy submarine is sighted at 21-00N, 114-04E.

29 October 1944:
Arrives at Takao.

22 December 1944:
At 0718, W-41 departs Saei (Tsoying) Formosa with auxiliary AIKAWA MARU, auxiliary subchasers SHOWA MARU No. 2 and WAKATAKE MARU and auxiliary subchaser CHa-191 escorting convoy TAMA-36B consisting of TORAI, SONJO and HAKKA MARUs and small tanker NIPPO MARU No. 11. At 1709, the convoy anchors at Nanwan.

23 December 1944:
At 0648, departs Nanwan.

24 December 1944:
At 0909, arrives Basco Island, Batan Islands group. TORAI MARU and NIPPO MARU No. 11 are detached. At 1302, the remaining ships depart Basco. At 1405, they arrive at Camiguin Island and SONJO Maru and possibly the escorts are detached. HAKKA MARU departs at 1759 and is sunk by air attack on 1 January 1945 at San Fernando.

4 January 1945:
Kaiko, Kainan Island, Formosa. Vice Admiral John S. McCain’s Task Force 38’s planes attack and damage W-41. Later, she is beached near Takao.

14 February 1945:
W-41 departs Keelung with auxiliary subchaser MIYAKO MARU Maru and possibly naval tug SHOHO MARU escorting convoy TAMO-43 consisting of two unidentified merchant ships.

17 February 1945:
Arrives at Shanghai.

24 April 1945:
W-41 and W-39 depart Keelung, Formosa for Moji.

25 April 1945:
N of Keelung. At about 0100, LtCdr James A. Adkins' USS COD (SS-224) torpedoes and sinks W-41 at 26-10N, 121-30E. COD surfaces and picks up one POW.

27 April 1945:
At 1430, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from W-39 that reads: “Reply to your serial 270826 [a request for information on W-41]: 1. Position of disaster 26-10N, 121-30E. 2. Survivors ----, Ensign --- and 76 enlisted men. Other details unknown.”

15 September 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Author’s Note:

Thanks go to John Whitman for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages.

-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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