SOKAITEI!

© 2005-2007 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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1 December 1923:
Laid down at the Sasebo Navy Yard.

24 April 1924:
Launched and numbered W-4.

29 April 1925:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District.

1 November 1941:
Assigned to Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo's South Expeditionary Fleet in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hiraoka Kumeichi's (former CO of HIEI) 9th Base Force, both based at Camranh Bay, Indochina.

8 November 1941:
Departs Kure.

17 November 1941:
Arrives at Sana (now Ya Xian), Hainan island and conducts patrols.

2 December 1941:
Departs Sana.

E 3 December 1941:
Arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.

5 December 1941:
Departs Camranh Bay.

7 December 1941:
At 2340, arrives off Singora, Siam (Thailand). Thereafter, supports the invasion.

20 January 1942:
W-1, W-3, and W-4 departs Camranh escorting 11 troop transports with DesDiv 11's FUBUKI, HATSUYUKI and SHIRAYUKI, DesDiv 20's ASAGIRI, AMAGIRI and YUGIRI.

22 January 1942:
The convoy arrives at Singora.

26 January 1942:
The convoy arrives at Endau, Malaya.

27 January 1942: The Battle off Endau:
Singapore. LtCdr B. S. Davies' old WW1 destroyer HMS THANET and LtCdr W. T. A. Moran's HMAS VAMPIRE are dispatched to make a night attack on the troop tansports at Endau, about 80 miles N of Singapore. At 0237, approaching Endau, they engage a warship they take to be a destroyer, but actually is W-4. VAMPIRE launches two torpedoes at W-4, but they miss. W-4 raises the alarm. The Allied destroyers continue towards Endau.

vAt about 0400, THANET is hit in the engine and boiler rooms. Her speed falls off and an explosion wrecks the old destroyer. She goes dead in the water, lists heavily to starboard and begins to sink. VAMPIRE lays a smoke screen, but THANET is attacked by destroyers FUBUKI, HATSUYUKI, ASAGIRI, AMAGIRI, YUGIRI and W-4. At 0415, HMS THANET sinks. VAMPIRE is undamaged and without casualties, but she has no chance to pick up survivors. She makes for Singapore arriving there at 1000.

Troop transports KANSAI MARU and KANBERA MARU are damaged in the action. Later, destroyer SHIRAYUKI picks up 31 survivors from THANET. They are never seen again.

31 January 1942:
The escort force returns to Camranh.

29 January 1942:
South China Sea. Conducts patrols from the Anambas Islands.

2 February 1942:
Assigned to escort the Bangka-Palembang, Sumatra invasion force.

9 February 1942: Operation "L" - The Invasions of Palembang and Banka Island:
MineSweepDiv 1's minesweepers W-4, W-1, W-2, W-3 and W-5 and SubChasDiv 11's CH-7 and CH-8 depart Camranh Bay, Indochina for Palembang escorting eight transports. Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hashimoto Shintaro's DesRon 3's light cruiser SENDAI with DesDiv 11's FUBUKI, HATSUYUKI and SHIRAYUKI, DesDiv 20's ASAGIRI provides close cover.

11 February 1942:
W-1, W-3 and W-4 escort eleven transports of the invasion force.

16 February 1942:
The transports land troops near Palembang.

18 February 1942: Operation "J" - The Invasion of Java, Netherlands East Indies:
W-4 is in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hirose Sueto's (former CO of AOBA) 2nd Base Force's 1st MinesweepDiv 1 with W-1, W-2, W-3 and W-5 of Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo's Third Fleet, Southern Force, Netherlands East Indies Force.

28 February 1942: The Battle of the Sunda Strait:
USS HOUSTON (CA-30) and Australian cruiser HMAS PERTH sortie for Tjilatjap via the Sunda Strait.

Bantam Bay. 27 transports land the main body of the IJA's 2nd Infantry Division. At 2215, HOUSTON and PERTH attack the Japanese troop transports that are screened only by destroyers HARUKAZE, HATAKAZE and FUBUKI and MineSweepDiv 1's W-1, W-2, W-3 and W-4. The escorts make smoke to mask the transports. FUBUKI charges and launches a salvo of torpedoes at HOUSTON and PERTH.

At 2300, the IJN’s Western Support Force's MIKUMA and MOGAMI, destroyer SHIKINAMI, Third Escort Force's light cruiser NATORI and destroyers SHIRAKUMO, MURAKUMO, SHIRAYUKI, HATSUYUKI and ASAKAZE arrive and engage HOUSTON and PERTH with gunfire and torpedoes.

1 March 1942:
At 0108, torpedoes strike both HOUSTON and PERTH. At 0142, PERTH sinks at 05-51-42S, 106-07-52E. At 0135, torpedoes fired by MOGAMI sink W-2 and sink or disable transports SAKURA, HORAI, TATSUNO and RYUJO MARUs, the latter carrying LtGen Imamura Hitoshi, Commander-in-Chief of the invading 16th Army. Imamura jumps into the sea, but survives. At 0142, PERTH sinks at 05-51-42S, 106-07-52E. At 0206, HOUSTON sinks at 05-48-45S, 106-07-55E.

8 March 1942:
MinesweepDiv 1 and DesRon 3's DesDiv 10 and DesDiv 20 depart Singapore escorting four invasion transport ships to Sabang and Koetaradja, Sumatra.

12 March 1942: Operation "T" - The Seizure of North Sumatra:
Sweeps for mines and covers troop landings at Kutaradja and Sabang.

19 March 1942:
MineSweepDiv 1's W-1, W-3 and W-4 and SubChasDiv 91's CHOKO MARU and SHONAN MARU Nos. 5 and 7 are assigned to the No. 2 Escort Unit comprised of light cruiser KASHII (F), escort SHIMUSHU, minelayer HATSUTAKA, destroyers of DesRon 3 and 5 and the 9th Base Force's gunboat EIKO MARU. The No. 2 Escort Unit departs Singapore escorting 32 transports carrying the IJA's 56th Infantry Division.

20 March 1942: Operation “D” – The Seizure of the Andaman Islands.
Indian Ocean. Sweeps for mines in the Andaman Islands area in support of the invasion landings.

25 March 1942: Operation “U” – The Seizure of Rangoon, Burma.
The transports begin landing troops at Rangoon.

28 March 1942:
Arrives at Penang.

30 March 1942:
Departs Penang.

1 April 1942:
Strait of Malacca. Off Pulau Perak, Malaya. Empty transports YAE MARU and SHUNSEI MARU are torpedoed and sunk by Royal Navy Lt Cdr Hugh A.V. Haggard's submarine HMS TRUANT. TRUANT escapes a counterattack by the escort. Arrives at Singapore later that day.

3 April 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.

8 April 1942:
Seletar Naval Base, Singapore. Drydocked.

1 May 1942:
Undocked. Conducts mine sweeping in the Singapore area.

20 May 1942:
Assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District.

25 May 1942:
Departs Seletar. Escorts a convoy.

12 June 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.

8 September 1942:
Departs Sasebo. Patrols the Okuma strait area.

5 October 1942:
Departs Sasebo. Patrols the Goto archipelago area.

1 April 1943:
Reassigned to the Yokosuka Naval District.

8 April 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.

23 April 1943:
Departs Yokosuka. Escorts a convoy between Yokosuka and Kobe.

4 May 1943:
Yokosuka. Drydocked.

8 June 1943:
Undocked. Departs Yokosuka. Conducts mine sweeping in the Toba area.

2 July 1943:
Departs Yokosuka. Escorts a convoy between Yokosuka and Muroran.

6 September 1943:
At 0930, W-4 and CH-28 arrive at Kimishima Channel, Truk escorting a convoy consisting of KIYOSUMI and TOKYO MARUs.

1 December 1943:
Reassigned to Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) Yamagata Seigo's (39)(former CO of ARIAKE) 4th Southern Expeditionary Fleet's Special Base Force 26.

21 December 1943:
Departs Yokosuka. Escorts a convoy between Manila and Davao.

29 December 1943:
At 1500, W-4 , W-5 and destroyer ASAGAO depart Moji for Takao, Formosa escorting convoy No. 125 consisting of SEINAN and KOKKO MARUs.

4 January 1944:
At 0932, arrives at Takao.

6 January 1944:
At 0900, W-4, W-5 depart Takao to Manila and Halmahera Island, Moluccas escorting Rinji (Special) convoy "S" consisting of SEINAN, KOSHIN, YAMAMIYA and WAHO MARUs.

7 January 1944:
At 1057, W-4's cutter is damaged by heavy waves.

9 January 1944:
At 1000, arrives at Manila. SEINAN, KOSHIN and WAHO MARUs leave the convoy.

12 January 1944:
W-4 and W-5 depart Manila for Halmahera escorting convoy H-13 consisting of YAMAMIYA and KAZUURA MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 5.

17 January 1944:
At 0704, arrives at Davao. SHINSEI MARU No. 5 leaves the convoy.

19 January 1944:
Departs Davao.

31 January 1944:
Arrives at Halmahera.

14 February 1944:
At 1400, W-4 and patrol boat No. 105 depart Halmahera for Manila escorting convoy M-12 consisting of MIZUHO, FUSO, MITSUKI, KENWA, TONEGAWA, KUROGANE and WALES MARUs.

16 February 1944:
At 0145, KENWA MARU is attacked unsucessfully by a submarine, probably by LtCdr (later Captain) Henry G. Munson's USS CREVALLE (SS-291). At 2000, W-4 is detached from the convoy.

9 March 1944:
At midnight, W-4 and auxiliary netlayer HINOKI MARU depart Halmahera for Manokwari, New Guinea escorting a convoy consisting of TENCHO, SHOGEN, YAMAGATA and SHINYU MARUs.

11 March 1944:
At 1017, arrives at Manokwari.

20 March 1944:
W-4 and HINOKI MARU depart Manokwari escorting a convoy consisting of YAMAGATA and SHINYU MARUs to Biak Island and Sarmi, New Guinea.

29 March 1944:
At 0400, the convoy departs Sarmi for Manokwari.

31 March 1944:
At 1916, arrives at Manokwari.

3 April 1944:
At 0500, W-4 , W-105, HINOKI MARU and auxiliary NITTO MARU No. 17 depart Manokwari for Halmahera escorting TENCHO, SHOGEN, YAMAGATA, SHINYU and TETSUYO MARUs and an unidentified ship.

6 April 1944:
At 0625, arrives at Halmahera.

13 April 1944:
At 0526, W-4 departs Sorong, New Guinea for Manokwari escorting a convoy consisting of TENSHO and ROKKO MARUs.

16 April 1944:
Arrives at Manokwari.

19 April 1944:
At 0555, W-4 and minelayer WAKATAKA depart Manokwari for Halmahera escorting a convoy consisting of ANSHU and TENSHO MARUs.

23 April 1944:
Arrives at Kau, Halmahera Island.

1 June 1944:
Escorts a convoy between Ambon and Davao.

16 July 1944:
Arrives at Batavia (now Jakarta), Java. Undergoes repairs.

15 September 1944:
Repairs are completed.

1 October 1944:
Reassigned to the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet in the 10th Special Base Force at Singapore.

1 December 1944:
Arrives at Singapore. Thereafter, conducts patrols, performs minesweeping and escorts convoys.

12 June 1945:
W-4 and destroyer KAMIKAZE depart Singapore escorting oiler TOHO MARU towards Indochina.

15 June 1945:
Off Samui Island, Gulf of Siam (Thailand). 10th Air Force Consolidated B-24 “Liberator” heavy bombers attack the convoy and sink TOHO MARU and damage W-4 and KAMIKAZE at 09-25N, 99-54E. Later, KAMIKAZE rescues 200 of TOHO MARU's survivors.

E18 June 1945:
Arrives at Singapore.

15 August 1945:
Singapore. W-4's crew receives notice of the termination of hostilities with the Allied Powers.

11 July 1946:
Off Singapore. Scuttled by the Royal Navy.

10 August 1946:
Removed from the Navy List.

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-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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