© 2006 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
16 July 1942:
Tamano. Laid down at the Mitsui shipyard.
19 April 1943:
Launched and named WAKAMIYA.
10 August 1943:
Completed and registered in the Kure Naval District.
After arrival at Kure, undergoes maintenance to correct construction
deficiencies.
25 August 1943:
Reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet's First Surface
Escort Division.
20 September 1943: At 1800, WAKAMIYA and fleet oiler SHIRIYA depart Mako
for Moji escorting convoy RINJI-B (Special-B) consisting of oilers, SHOYO MARU
and OGURA MARU No. 1 and freighters ARGUN, MANTAI, KIYO, GYOKU and TAKETSU
MARUs. [1]
21 September 1943:
East China Sea. NE of Keelung, Formosa. LtCdr
(later Captain) Robert E. Dornin's USS TRIGGER (SS-237) is patrolling submerged
30 miles N of the Hoka Sho light. At 2058, Dornin makes a visual surface attack.
At 1500 yards, he fires three torpedoes at the lead oiler and three at the
second oiler. One hits the lead ship, SHIRIYA carrying aviation gasoline. She
explodes and sinks at 26-27N, 122-40E. The second ship, freighter ARGUN MARU is
hit by a torpedo amidships, breaks in half and sinks immediately.
LtCdr Dornin brings TRIGGER about. He fires three stern tubes at the
OGURA MARU No. 1, but misses. Dornin crash-dives to escape gun fire from a third
oiler. He comes to periscope depth and fires two bow torpedoes at SHOYO MARU
that send her down by the bow. Dornin makes two more attacks on a freighter, but
all of his Mark 14 torpedoes either miss or are duds. Nevertheless, GYOKU MARU
is damaged in the attacks. TRIGGER returns safely to Midway Island for refit.
21 September 1943:
The remainder of the convoy arrives at Moji.
October 1943:
Escorts convoys between Saigon, Indochina and Manila.
11 November 1943:
At 0740, WAKAMIYA departs Takao escorting convoy
HI-14 consisting of transports KAGU, AWA, HOKUROKU and AKI MARUs and oiler
AMATSU MARU.
14 November 1943:
At 0930, departs Daicho anchorage, Chusan Islands,
China.
16 November 1943:
Reassigned to the General Escort Command's First
Surface Escort Division.
16 November 1943:
Arrives at Moji at 1030.
20 November 1943:
At 1800, WAKAMIYA departs Moji escorting convoy
HI-21 consisting of oilers GOYO and ICHIYO MARUs and army cargo-passenger ship
NEKKA MARU.
23 November 1943:
East China Sea, S of Shushan Island. At 0330, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) William S. Post’s USS GUDGEON (SS-212) launches an attack on the convoy at 28-38N, 122-05E. Post fires torpedoes at either GOYO MARU or NEKKA MARU, but hits WAKAMIYA. She blows up, breaks in two and sinks immediately. Only four of her 135 crewmen survive. Post then torpedoes and sinks NEKKA MARU at 28-49N, 122-11E. Of NEKKA MARU's over 1400 crew and troops, 387 are lost. GOYO and ICHIYO MARUs escape.
5 January 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
[1] Another Japanese source says WAKAMIYA left Moji on 21 Sep
'43 escorting convoy No. 199 that arrived at Takao on 26 Sep '43.
Thanks for assistance go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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