FUSETSUKAN!
(TSUBAME by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of
Japanese Warships")
IJN Minelayer NIIZAKI:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2008-2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
12 July 1941:
Tamano. Laid down at Mitsui's shipyard.
2 March 1942:
Launched and named NIIZAKI.
31 August 1942:
Completed and registered in the Maizuru Naval
District. Attached to the Maizuru Guard Unit.
7 March 1944:
Departs Takao with destroyers HASA and TSUGA escorting
convoy TAMO-07 consisting of nine unidentified merchant ships.
8 March 1944:
Arrives at Kirun (Keelung).
13 March 1944:
Departs Kirun. The convoy splits into two parts after
departing port.
17 March 1944:
The first part arrives Moji.
18 March 1944:
The second part arrives Moji.
26 April 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Koniya with minelayer
TSUBAME and auxiliary patrol boat TAIAN MARU escorting convoy ROKU-508
consisting of eight unidentified merchant ships.
3 May 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Koniya with auxiliary patrol
boat TAIAN MARU escorting Army Fishing Boat Convoy No. 2 consisting of 16
unidentified fishing boats enroute to Minami Daito Jima.
13 May 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Naha for Kagoshima with torpedo boat
MANAZURU and auxiliary minesweeper SHONAN MARU No. 16 escorting convoy OKI-305
consisting of six unidentified merchant ships.
22 May 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with torpedo boat
MANAZURU, subchaser CH-49, auxiliary minesweeper HIMESHIMA MARU, auxiliary
patrol boats TAIAN MARU and CHOUN MARU No. 13 escorting convoy KATA-205
consisting of 10 unidentified merchant ships.
E 24 May 1944:
N of Naha. NIIZAKI joins the escort of convoy NAKA-305
consisting of five unidentified merchant ships escorted by minelayers TSUBAME,
minesweeper W-15, auxiliary minesweeper HAKATA MARU No. 6, and auxiliary YUKO
MARU enroute to Kagoshima via Koniya.
29 May 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with minelayer
TSUBAME, minesweeper W-15, auxiliary minesweeper HAKATA MARU No. 6, auxiliary
patrol boat RYUSEI MARU escorting convoy KATA-906 consisting of seven
unidentified merchant ships.
16 June 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kirun via Naha for Kagoshima with
minelayer TSUBAME, auxiliary minesweepers Shonan MARU No. 16, SHIMPO MARU,
TAKUNAN MARU No. 1, TAIHEI MARU No. 3 Go, auxiliary patrol boats CHOUN MARU No.
13 and CHIKUTO MARU escorting convoy TAKA-606 consisting of nine unidentified
merchant ships.
27 June 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with auxiliary
minesweeper SHONAN MARU No. 16, auxiliary patrol boats RYUSEI and CHIKUTO MARUs,
auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2 escorting convoy KATA-412 consisting of 12
unidentified merchant ships.
10 July 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kirun via Naha for Kagoshima with
auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2, auxiliary minesweepers TOSHI MARU No. 7,
TAKUNAN MARU No. 1, HAKATA MARU No. 6 and auxiliary patrol boat CHOUN MARU No.
13 escorting convoy TAKA-005 consisting of 10 unidentified merchant ships.
19 July 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with torpedo boat
MANAZURU, auxiliary gunboat TOMITSU MARU, auxiliary minesweepers HAKATA MARU No.
6, HOEI MARU, auxiliary patrol boats RYUSEI MARU, CHOUN MARU No. 13, TAISEI MARU
No. 5 and auxiliary YUKO MARU escorting convoy KATA-917 consisting of 20
unidentified merchant ships, some enroute to Kirun, some direct, others via
Naha.
26 July 1944:
At 0600, NIIZAKI departs Imari Bay for Miri with
kaibokan MATSUWA, CD-14, patrol boat PB-38, minesweeper W-18, auxiliary
minesweeper TAKUNAN MARU No. 3, auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU and auxiliary
patrol boats EIFU, FUYO, KASUGA and NUNOBIKI MARUs escorting convoy MI-13
consisting of tankers SHINCHO, TEIKON, TOKUWA, KYOEI and ATAGO MARUs and cargo
ships HIYORI, DURBAN, KIZAN, KUNIYAMA, URAL, SHIROTAE, KOKUSEI, CHINA, HIGANE,
MATSUURA, RISSHUN and ATLAS MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 1 and OGURA MARU No. 2.
31 July 1944:
The convoy arrives at Takao. SHIROTAE, CHINA and
MATSUURAs are detached and tankers SHIMPO and ZUIYO MARUs and cargo ship SHINKO
MARU join the convoy. NIIZAKI, TAKUNAN MARU No. 3 and CHOHAKUSAN MARU are
detached from the escort and replaced by kaibokan KUSAGAKI and YASHIRO and
destroyer ASAKAZE. Naval Transport T-3 also joins.
6 August 1944:
At 0900, NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with
torpedo boats TOMOZURU and MANAZURU, minelayers TSUBAME and NUWAJIMA, auxiliary
minesweepers SHONAN MARU No. 16, HAKATA MARU No. 6, TAIAN, HIMESHIMA and SEKI
MARUs and subchasers CH-18 and CH-17 escorting convoy KATA-626 consisting of
NISSHO, SHINTON, TAIYO, TAIKEN, SEIZAN, ARISAN, NAKAGAWA, TAKUSAN, FUKUURA,
TETSUZAN, KENJO, DAITOKU, EJIRI, DAII and DAIIUKU MARUs.
9 August 1944:
At 1830, arrives at Naha. NUWAJIMA and the subchasers
return to Kagoshima.
17 August 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Naha for Kagoshima with minelayer
NUWAJIMA, auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2 and auxiliary minesweeper CHITOSE
MARU escorting convoy NAKA-105 consisting of four unidentified merchant ships.
17 August 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kirun with minelayer TSUBAME, torpedo
boat MANAZURU, subchasers CH-17, CH-18 and CH-49, auxiliary minesweepers SEKI
MARU, SHONAN MARU No. 16, TOSHI MARU No. 7, TAKUNAN MARU No. 1, HIMESHIMA MARU,
CHOUN MARU No. 8, auxiliary patrol boats CHOUN MARU No. 13, TAISEI MARU No. 5
and TAIAN MARU escorting convoy TAKA-708 consisting of 23 unidentified merchant
ships enroute to Koniya or Kagoshima, some direct and some via Naha.
19 August 1944:
At 1200, arrives at Naha. Most ships in the convoy
stop and unload.
21 August 1944:
DAIYA, HOKUYU and WASHIN MARUs depart with an unknown
escort.
22 August 1944:
DAIYA MARU is detached at Miyako-Jima.
23 August 1944:
The convoy arrives at Keelung.
28 August 1944 NIIZAKI departs Kirun to Kagoshima with minelayer
NUWAJIMA, torpedo boat MANAZURU, auxiliary minesweepers SEKI, CHITOSE and HOEI
MARUs, auxiliary patrol boat CHOUN MARU No. 13 escorting convoy TAKA-708 (part
II) consisting of 20 unidentified merchant ships enroute to Kagoshima, some
direct and some via Naha.
28 August 1944:
At 0400, NIIZAKI, subchasers CH-49, CH-17 and CH-18
depart Kagoshima, Kyushu for Keelung, Formosa escorting convoy KATA-827
consisting of TSUKUSHI MARU No. 3, DOSHI, ISSHIN, KINZAN, NANYO, HAKUYO and JOGU
MARUs and 25 other unidentified ships. Other escorts include torpedo boat
MANAZURU, auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2, auxiliary subchaser CHIKUTO
MARU, auxiliary minesweepers SHONAN MARU No. 16, HOEI MARU and auxiliary HOKOKU
MARI No. 3.
30 August 1944:
Departs Naha.
4 September 1944:
At 1030, arrives at Keelung.
6 September 1944:
NIIZAKI, departs Kagoshima for Naha with minelayers
NUWAJIMA and TSUBAME, minesweeper W-15, kaibokan CD-30, auxiliary minesweepers
KAIYO MARU No. 1 Go, TAKUNAN MARU No. 3, CHITOSE MARU, auxiliary patrol boat
HOKOKU MARU No. 3 Go escorting convoy KANA-602 consisting of two unidentified
merchant ships.
29 September 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Naha to Kagoshima wih subchaser
CH-49, auxiliary patrol boat Chikuto MARU, auxiliary minesweepers SEKI , and
HOEI MARUs and SHONAN MARU No. 16 escorting convoy NAKA-908 consisting of four
unidentified merchant ships.
26 October 1944:
At 1730, NIIZAKI departs Moji with light cruiser
KASHI and kaibokan NOMI and UKURU escorting convoy HI-79 consisting of fleet
stores ship MAMIYA, transports KAGU, MELBOURNE and ARIMASAN MARUs and tankers
TENEI and MATSUSHIMA MARUs.
27 October 1944:
Kaibokan CD-17 joins the escort.
28 October 1944:
Minesweeper W-21 joins the escort.
29 October 1944:
MELBOURNE MARU is detached for Keelung escorted by
kaibokan UKURU and CD-17.
30 October 1944:
HI-79 arrives at Takao. W-21, MAMIYA and KAGU MARU
are detached. Tankers KUROSHIO and RYOEI MARUs and kaibokan MANJU join the
convoy.
9 November 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
17 November 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Singapore with light cruiser KASHII
(F), kaibokan MANJU, UKURU, NOMI, KASADO, MIYAKE, CD-17, CD-23 and CD-51
escorting convoy HI-80 consisting of tankers TENEI, MATSUSHIMA, RYOEI, MUNAKATA,
KUROSHIO, NICHINAN and KAIHO MARUs and transport ARIMASAN MARU.
20 November 1944:
CD-17 is detached for Saigon.
24 November 1944:
A Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" heavy bomber attacks
the convoy at 16-34N, 108-21E, but is driven off without inflicting damage to
the convoy.
27 November 1944:
RYOEI and ARIMASAN MARUs escorted by NIIZAKI are
detached for Takao.
22 January 1945:
NIIZAKI departs Moji for Hong Kong with kaibokan
AGUNI and CD-17 escorting convoy MOHO-01 consisting of four unidentified
merchant ships.
2 February 1945:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
18 February 1945:
NIIZAKI departs Kirun with destroyer KIRI and
subchaser CH-21 escorting convoy TAHO-01 consisting of two unidentified merchant
ships.
21 February 1945:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
15 August 1945:
NIIZAKI's crew is informed of the cessation of
hostilities with the Allies.
September 1945:
Hong Kong. Surrendered to Chinese Forces; thereafter
turned over to the British Royal Navy.
4 October 1945:
Off Muroran, Hokkaido. While engaged in minesweeping
duties for the Allied Minesweeping Service, NIIZAKI hits a mine and is disabled.
5 October 1945:
Towed to Muroran and laid up. Removed from the Navy
List that same day.
1947:
Scrapped.
Author's Notes:
[1] No data were found on NIIZAKI 's movements during 1942
and 1943. Readers with access to any such data are requested to post the
information on the Discussion
and Questions board or j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message
Board
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
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