SOKAITEI!

© 1998-2005 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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27 October 1937:
Tamano shipyard. Laid down at Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding's yard.

16 June 1938:
Launched and numbered W-7.

25 December 1938:
Completed and registered in the Sasebo Naval District.

1 June 1941:
W-7 is assigned to Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo's (former CO of KIRISHIMA) Third Fleet's 1st Base Force in MineSweepDiv 21 with W-8, W-9, W-10, W-11 and W-12.

21 September 1941:
Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Kitamura Masayuki (45) assumes command of MineSweepDiv 21.

27 November 1941:
Departs Sasebo.

4 December 1941:
Arrives at Peleliu, Palau.

8 December 1941:
At 0800, departs Peleliu in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kubo Kyuji's (former CO of SUZUYA) Fourth Surprise Attack Unit.

12 December 1941:
At 1200, arrives off Legaspi, Philippines. Participates in its capture.

17 December 1941: The Invasion of Miri, Borneo:
W-7 and another minesweeper provide cover for the invasion with cruisers KUMANO and SUZUYA, light cruisers YURA and KINU, seaplane tender KAMIKAWA MARU, DesDiv 11's FUBUKI, DesDiv 12's SHIRAKUMO, MURAKUMO and SHINONOME and DesDiv 20's SAGIRI and a few subchasers. In the darkness, SHINONOME completes escorting W-7 and troop transport HIYOSHI MARU to the landing site.

Just after dawn, steaming alone off shore, SHINONOME is attacked by Dutch Dornier Do-24 K-1 flying-boat X-32 of Aircraft Group GVT-7 based at Tarakan, E Borneo. Of five 200-kg bombs she drops, X-32 scores two direct hits and a near-miss. An explosion severs SHINONOME's stern and she sinks quickly with all hands - the first FUBUKI-class destroyer sunk in WWII. The invasion force goes ashore almost unopposed at Miri, Seria and Lutong. The 2,500 men of MajGen Kawaguchi Kiyotake's "Kawaguchi Detachment" and the Yokosuka No. 2 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) quickly capture Miri's airfield and oil fields.

19 December 1941:
W-7 escorts a convoy to Lamon Bay, Philippines. Conducts minesweeping before amphibious operations.

9 January 1942: Operation "H" - The Invasion of Celebes, Netherlands East Indies:
MineSweepDiv 21's W-7, W-8, W-9, W-11 and W-12 depart Davao in Rear Admiral Kubo's 1st Base Force with light cruiser NAGARA, SubChasDiv 1's CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3 and patrol boats P-1, P-2, P-34 escorting eight transports of the Menado, Celebes Seizure convoy carrying Captain (later Vice Admiral) Mori Kunizo's (former CO of SATA) Sasebo No. 1 Combined SNLF.

11 January 1942: The Invasion of Menado, Celebes Dutch East Indies:
Rear Admiral Kubo’s 1st Base Force with MineSweepDiv 21, NAGARA, patrol boats and SubChasDiv 1’s CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3 provides escort for the Menado invasion force of eight transports carrying Captain Mori's Sasebo No. 1 Combined SNLF.

At 0300, the SNLF lands on Kema, Celebes. At 0400, they land on Menado. Later, 334 men of Cdr (later Captain) Horiuchi Toyoaki's (later XO of TAKAO) Yokosuka No. 1 SNLF (Air) are dropped successfully from Mitsubishi G3M1-L "Nell" converted transport aircraft in the Menado-Kema area. The paratroops seize Langoan airfield.

21 January 1942:
Escorts the Kendari invasion convoy and conducts minesweeping.

23-24 January 1942: The Invasion of Kendari, Celebes:
MineSweepDiv 21’s W-7, W-8, W-9, W-11 and W-12, DesRon 10’s light cruiser NAGARA, DesDiv 15’s HAYASHIO, KUROSHIO, OYASHIO and NATSUSHIO, DesDiv 16’s TOKITSUKAZE, HATSUKAZE, AMATSUKAZE and YUKIKAZE, and Subchaser Div 1’s CH-1 and CH-2 escort Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kubo Kyuji’s Kendari Invasion Force under consisting of six troop transports carrying Captain Mori’s Sasebo Combined SNLF. The 11th Seaplane Tender Division’s CHITOSE and MIZUHO provide distant support.

29 January 1942:
Departs Staring Bay (Kendari), Celebes. Escorts the Ambon, Moluccas Seizure convoy.

31 January 1942: The Invasion of Ambon Island, Moluccas, Netherlands East Indies:
MineSweepDiv 21’s W-7, W-8, W-9, W-11 and W-12 escort the convoy thatincludes ten transports carrying 820 men of Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hatakeyama Koichiro's (former CO of KINUGASA) Kure No. 1 SNLF, elements of the Sasebo SNLF and the 228th Infantry Regiment, The convoy is also escorted by Rear Admiral Tanaka's DesRon 2’s light cruiser JINTSU, DesDiv 8’s ASASHIO, MICHISHIO, ARASHIO and OSHIO, DesDiv 15’s HAYASHIO, KUROSHIO, OYASHIO and NATSUSHIO, DesDiv 16’s TOKITSUKAZE, HATSUKAZE, AMATSUKAZE and YUKIKAZE and SubChasDiv 1’s CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3. Seaplane carriers CHITOSE and MIZUHO arrive at Ceram and provide air cover for the invasion convoy.

February 1942:
MineSweepDiv 21's W-7 and W-8 depart Ambon for Staring Bay.

6 February 1942: The Invasion of Makassar, Celebes:
MineSweepDiv 21's W-7 and W-8 depart Staring Bay escorting the Makassar Occupation Force consisting of six troop transports carrying Captain Mori’s Sasebo Combined Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) also escorted by NAGARA, DesDiv 8’s ASASHIO, MICHISHIO, ARASHIO and OSHIO, DesDiv 15’s HAYASHIO, KUROSHIO, OYASHIO and NATSUSHIO, DesDiv 21’s WAKABA, NATSUSHIN and NENOHI and SubChasDiv 2’s CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15. Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Fujita Ruitaro's (former CO of FUSO) CarDiv 11's CHITOSE, MIZUHO and SANUKI MARU provide distant support.

9 February 1942:
Makassar Strait. During the landing of the Sasebo Combined SNLF invasion force, DesDiv 15's NATSUSHIO is torpedoed and sunk by Lt (later Rear Admiral) James C. Dempsey's old submarine USS S-37. NATSUSHIO is only loss suffered by the IJN in the action.

17 February 1942:
At 0800, nine transports carrying the 228th Infantry Regiment and men of the Yokosuka No. 3 SNLF depart Ambon for Kupang, Dutch Timor. Light cruiser JINTSU provides close escort with the No. 2 Escort Unit's DesDiv 7's USHIO and SAZANAMI, DesDivs 15, 16 and DesDiv 24's UMIKAZE.

18 February 1942:
MineSweepDiv 21's W-7 and W-8, DesDiv 24's KAWAKAZE and YAMAKAZE and a subchaser depart Ambon for Dili, Portugese Timor escorting a second convoy of five transports and fast transports (converted destroyers) P-1, P-2 and the P-34. CruDiv 5's HAGURO and MYOKO, DesDiv 6's INAZUMA and IKAZUCHI and DesDiv 7's AKEBONO provide distant cover. Air cover is provided by seaplane carrier MIZUHO.

19 February 1942:
That night, both convoys arrive off Timor. Operating as part of the American-British-Dutch-Australian ABDA FLOAT, the U. S. Asiatic Fleet's USS PIKE (SS-173) under LtCdr W. New, LtCdr L. Wallace's TARPON (SS-175) and LtCdr B. E. Bacon's PICKEREL (SS-177) make contact with the invasion force.

20 February 1942:
Alor island. At 0243, PIKE attacks what LtCdr New misidentifies as two "light cruisers". The ships, in fact, are W-7 and W-8. LtCdr New fires two torpedoes from 4,000 yards, but they miss ahead. The minesweepers move out of range before he can set up for another attack.

25 February 1942:
W-7 departs Kendari escorting a convoy to Surabaya.

3 March 1942:
W-7 and W-8 depart Kupang for Kendari escorting YAMAMURA, MIKKE, ZENYO, RYOYO and AFRICA MARUs.

5 March 1942:
Arrives at Kupang.

10 March 1942:
Assigned to the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet’s Special Base Force 21.

26 March 1942:
Arrives at Singapore. Escorts a convoy.

10 April 1942:
Reassigned to the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet’s Special Base Force 10.

20 May 1942:
Departs Singapore. Escorts a convoy to Indochina.

6 September 1942:
Erscorts a convoy to Singapore.

21 June 1943:
Arrives at Singapore. Drydocked for repairs.

13 July 1943:
Departs Singapore escorting a convoy to the Andaman Islands.

25 March 1944:
W-7, minelayer No. 4, subchaser CH-7 and auxiliary submarine chaser CHa-59 depart Singapore for Port Blair, Anaman Islands escorting the "Matsukawa convoy" consisting of cargo ships MATSUKAWA and KONAN MARU No. 1.

26-27 March 1944:
Arrives at Pangkor, then Penang, Malaya. CH-7 is detached to return to Singapore.

14 April 1944:
Indian Ocean. Arrives at Port Blair, Andaman Islands. Unloads. [1]

16 April 1944:
Departs Port Blair.

25 April 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.

10 June 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Author's Note:
[1] Some sources claim W-7 was attacked by Royal Navy (Volunteer Reserve) LtCdr Edward Young’s submarine HMS STORM and sank at 11-34N, 93-08E.

-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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