SOKAITEI!

(W-5 scanned from SOTW, v. 507)

IJN Minesweeper W-6:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2005-2013 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

Revision 1

10 March 1928:
Osaka. Laid down at the Sakurajima ironworks shipyard.

29 October 1928:
Launched and numbered W-6.

25 February 1929:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District.

1 November 1941:
Assigned to Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo's (37) Southern Expeditionary Fleet in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hiraoka Kumeichi's (39) (former CO of HIEI) 9th Base Force, both based at Camranh Bay, Indochina.

8 November 1941:
Departs Kure.

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

1 December 1941:
At 1750 W-5 and W-6 depart Sana.

3 December 1941:
At 1430 both arrive at Camranh Bay, Indochina.

5 December 1941:
At 0630 W-5 and W-6 depart Camranh Bay.

11 December 1941:
At 1129, W-5 and W-6 arrive off Singora, Siam (Thailand). Thereafter, supports the invasion.

18 December 1941:
At 1935 departs Singora.

21 December 1941:
At 1448 W-3 and W-6 arrive at Miri.

22 December 1941: The Invasion of Sarawak (British Borneo).
At 1100 W-6 and W-3 depart Miri, Borneo escorting an invasion convoy consisting of KATORI. HIYOSHI, HOKKAI, MYOHO, KENKON, NICHIRAN MARUs, UNYO MARU No. 2 and TONAN MARU No. 3 plus two unidentified Marus transporting the Kawaguchi Detachment and the Yokosuka No. 2 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) to Kuching, Sarawak. Other escorts include light cruiser YURA, destroyers DesDiv 12's SHIRAKUMO, MURAKUMO and USUGUMO. CruDiv 7/1's KUMANO and SUZUYA, light cruiser KINU and destroyers FUBUKI and SAGIRI provide the covering force. West of the covering force is CruDiv 7/2's MIKUMA and MOGAMI with destroyer HATSUYUKI. Seaplane tender KAMIKAWA MARU provides air cover.

23 December 1941:
At 2300 arrives at Kuching.

26 December 1941:
Off Kuching, Sarawak. Dutch Army Glenn Martin B-10 bombers from Samarinda, Borneo bomb and sink W-6 (casualties unknown) and auxiliary transport UNYO MARU No. 2 (eight crewmen KIA) at 01-34N, 110-21E.

10 January 1942:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
Photo credit goes to Ships of the World (SOTW) via J. Ed Low. Thanks to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.

-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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