YUSOSEN!
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(Oiler by Takeshi Yuki )
IJN ASANAGI MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2009-2014 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 4
2 August 1943:
Aioi. Laid down at Harima Shipbuilding as a 5,141-ton Standard 1TM tanker
for Nippon Kaiun K.K., Tokyo.
30 November 1943:
Launched and named ASANAGI MARU.
30 December 1943:
Completed and chartered by the Imperial Navy (IJN). Departs Aioi.
4 January 1944:
Arrives at Tsurumi.
7 January 1944:
Departs Yokohama.
10 January 1944:
At 1600, ASANAGI MARU departs Moji for Singapore in convoy HI-33 consisting of AOBASAN MARU and tankers YUHO, TARAKAN, ASASHIO MARU and an unidentified ship escorted by kaibokan ETOROFU, minelayer YAEYAMA and subchaser CH-36. CH-36 only provides escort part way.
13 January 1944:
Escort carrier KAIYO joins convoy HI-33.
14 January 1944:
At 1933, arrives at Takao.
16 January 1944:
At 1400, departs Takao.
17 January 1944:
Convoy HI-33 departs Manila. KAIYO develops a steering problem and is forced to return to Manila later that day.
23 January 1944:
At 1030, the convoy arrives at Singapore.
27 January 1944:
At 1000, departs Singapore escorting convoy HI-34 also consisting of tankers TARAKAN, EIHO and SARAWAK MARUs and two unidentified merchant ships escorted by kaibokan ETOROFU.
4 February 1944:
At 1035, arrives at Takao.
5 February 1944:
At 0620 ETOROFU departs Takao alone on a submarine sweep but returns at 2040.
6 February 1944:
At 1030, the convoy departs Takao.
10 February 1944:
The convoy arrives at Moji.
15 February 1944:
Arrives at Yokohama.
22 February 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
29 February 1944:
Departs Takao. Overtakes convoy TAMO-7 that departed Kirun that day consisting of tanker MATSUMOTO MARU and 21 unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyers ASAGAO, HARUKAZE and NAMIKAZE, auxiliary subchaser CHa-74 and minesweeper W-18.
7 March 1944:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
11 March 1944:
Departs Tokuyama. Arrives at Moji.
19 March 1944:
ASANAGI MARU departs Moji for Singapore in convoy HI-55 consisting of OTORISAN, KACHIDOKI (ex American PRESIDENT HARRISON), RYOEI, TARAKAN and TENSHIN MARUs and six unidentified ships escorted by destroyer HARUKAZE.
24 March 1944:
Arrives at Takao. The six unidentified ships and destroyer HARUKAZE are detached. She is replaced by kaibokan MATSUWA and torpedo boat HATO.
26 March 1944:
The convoy departs Takao consisting of ASANAGI, OTORISAN, KACHIDOKI (ex American PRESIDENT HARRISON), RYOEI, TARAKAN and TENSHIN MARUs escorted by kaibokan MATSUWA and torpedo boat HATO. Soon after departure RYOEI and TENSHIN MARUs develop unknown problems and return to Takao.
31 March 1944:
Arrives and anchors at Cap St. Jacques, Indochina.
2 April 1944:
Near the Anambas Islands. At 0400, a surfaced submarine is discovered. The convoy opens fire on it and the escorts drop depth charges after the submarine submerges. At 0405, TARAKAN MARU is torpedoed and damaged by LtCdr John C. Broach (USNA ’27) USS HAKE (SS-256), but is able to continue.
At 0520, HAKE again torpedoes TARAKAN MARU, this time breaking the ship in two. The forward part sinks, but the stern remains afloat. She makes for Singaore at slow speed escorted by torpedo boat HATO. At 1900, the rest of the convoy arrives at Singapore.
8 April 1944:
ASANAGI MARU departs Moji for Singapore in convoy HI-56 consisting of tankers OTORISAN and SARAWAK MARUs, NICHINAN MARU No.2, and two other unidentified ships escorted by old destroyer KURETAKE, kaibokan MATSUWA and torpedo boat HATO.
11 April 1944:
Arrives at Cap St Jacques and merges with convoy HI-54 consisting of cargo liners NANKAI and ARIMASAN MARUs and tankers MIRI and KYOKUHO MARUs escorted by kaibokan AWAJI and CD-7.
14 April 1944:
At 0800, the combined convoy departs Cap St. Jacques.
19 April 1944:
The convoy arrives at Takao.
24 April 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
25 April 1944:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
29 April 1944:
Departs Tokuyama.
30 April 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
3 May 1944:
At 0445, ASANAGI MARU departs Moji-Mutsure to Singapore in convoy HI-61 consisting of empty tankers TATEKAWA, NICHIEI, AZUSA, EIYO, AKANE, OTORISAN, SARAWAK and JINEI MARUs, fleet oiler HAYASUI and passenger cargo ship MIZUHO MARU escorted by escort carrier TAIYO, destroyers ASAGAO, HIBIKI and INAZUMA and kaibokan SADO, CD-5, CD-7 and CD-13.
7 May 1944:
JINEI MARU is detached because of engine trouble.
8 May 1944:
ASANAGI MARU is requisitioned by the IJA and registered in the Sasebo Naval District as an auxiliary oil supply oil supply boat (Otsu) Category by the Department of the Navy under internal order No. 642.
9 May 1944:
HI-61 arrives at Manila. That same day,
12 May 1944:
HI-61 departs Manila for Singapore. Kaibokan KURAHASHI joins escort at this time.
18 May 1944:
Arrives at Singapore. Undergoes construction by Seletar Naval Base's 101st Repair Unit.
24 May 1944:
The construction is completed.
25 May 1944:
Departs Singapore. Later that day, arrives at nearby Pulau Sambu oil terminal.
27 May 1944:
Departs Pulau Sambu and returns to Singapore.
28 May 1944:
Departs Singapore.
29 May 1944:
Arrives at Bangka Strait.
2 June 1944:
In Banka Strait, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) first meets up with IJN oiler RYOEI MARU and then at 2330 at 225° and 2 nautical miles of the Dapur Island Lighthouse, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) meets up with minesweeper W-101 that is to escort the ships. The ships anchor and wait at this point.
3 June 1944:
At 0500 departs the temporarily Bangka Strait anchorage with IJN oiler RYOEI MARU escorted by minesweeper W-101.
5 June 1944:
At 0800 south off Laut Island, Borneo, Netherlands East Indies (now Kalimantan, Indonesia) minesweeper W-101 detaches and is replaced by subchaser CH-3. Later that day the tankers arrives at Balikpapan.
7 June 1944:
Departs Balikpapan for Jolo.
11 June 1944:
Off Jolo, Philippines. At 0029, LtCdr Marshall H. Austin‘s (USNA ’35) USS REDFIN (SS-272) makes a radar contact at 16,000 yards. Later, an escort is sighted. Austin increases speed to 15 knots on the surface to close the range. The target is soon identified as a tanker. At 0050, Austin takes REDFIN down to 40 feet.
At 0109, Austin spots a “CHIDORI-type” escort astern of the tanker. At 0116, from 3,070 yards, he fires a salvo of six torpedoes and gets one hit. The tanker begins to smoke and ASANAGI MARU’s captain beaches her about 1,000 yards from shore. The escort conducts an unsuccessful counterattack with DCs.
Later, ASANAGI MARU is abandoned as a constructive total loss at 06-00N, 120-50 E. No casualties are sustained.
10 August 1944:
Removed from the Navy List under internal order No. 949.
Authors' Notes:
Thanks for assistance goes to Sander Kingsepp of Estonia and Gilbert Casse of France.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
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