KYUSUISEN!
(MISHIMA MARU sistership of ASAYAMA MARU, prewar)
IJN ASAYAMA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2015-2018 Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall
Revision 2
E 1940:
Koyagishima, Nagasaki. Laid down by Kawaminami Kogyo K.K. Zosensho for Yamamoto Kisen K.K. as a Std. Prewar (D) Type cargo ship.
28 January 1941:
Launched and named ASAYAMA MARU. [1]
13 March 1941:
Completed and registered at Kobe.
5 November 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
16 November 1941:
Nagasaki. Starts conversion to military duty at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard.
1 December 1941:
Registered by the IJN as an auxiliary water tanker attached to the Sasebo Naval District with Sasebo as home port under Navy’s instruction No. 1573.
December 1941:
Attached to Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo’s (36) third fleet as an auxiliary water tanker, (Otsu) category [2].
8 December 1941:
Still at Nagasaki.
10 December 1941:
Main conversion completed.
16 December 1941:
Departs Nagasaki and arrives at Sasebo later that day.
25 December 1941:
The conversion is completed at the Sasebo Naval Yard. Departs Sasebo later that same day.
27 December 1941:
Arrives at Mako and later transfers to Takao, Formosa (now Kaohsiung, Taiwan).
1 January 1942:
At 0800 departs Takao in a convoy also consisting of YODOGAWA, SENDAI, KOSEI, KOAN, KIKU MARUs and KUREHA MARU No. 1 escorted by auxiliary gunboats TAIKO, MANYO, OKUYO and KAMITSU MARUs.
3 January 1942:
At 2039 arrives at Camiguin Island, Philippines. Departs later that same day at 2400 in same convoy.
8 January 1942:
At 1030 arrives at Davao, Mindanao.
29 January 1942:
Replenishes hospital ship ASAHI MARU with 125-tons of fresh water.
31 January 1942:
Auxiliary gunboat OKUYO MARU comes alongside and is replenished with fresh water.
Early February 1942:
Departs Davao.
13 February 1942:
Meets up with auxiliary gunboat OKUYO MARU, destroyer AMATSUKAZE, transports TENRYU and NANIWA MARUs and auxiliary oiler/collier KOSEI MARU.
14 February 1942:
Arrives at Ambon, Celebes (now Sulawesi).
22 February 1942:
Departs Ambon.
25 February 1942:
Arrives at Davao.
10 March 1942:
Assigned to auxiliary troop transport forces under Philippines Forces Command secret instruction No. 6.
4 April 1942:
At Olangapo, Zambales, Luzon, P.I. Replenishes auxiliary seaplane tender SANUKI MARU with fresh water.
April 1942:
Departs Olangapo.
8 April 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
13 April 1942:
Departs Takao.
E 14 April 1942:
Arrives at San Fernando, Luzon.
16 April 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat NAMPO MARU with fresh water.
April 1942:
Departs San Fernando.
25 April 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
30 April 1942:
Departs Takao.
E 1 May 1942:
Arrives at San Fernando.
2 May 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat NAMPO MARU with fresh water and rations.
17 May 1942:
Scheduled to be fitted with one Type 92 7.7mm mod. A MG under Navy’s secret instruction No. 5990.
1942:
Departs San Fernando at an unknown date.
13 July 1942:
Arrives at Kirun (now Keelung), Formosa.
1 August 1942:
Assigned to Vice Admiral Hosogaya Boshiro’s (36) 5th Fleet under Navy’s secret instruction No. 671. Assigned that same day to auxiliary transport force and scheduled to depart for Ominato, Aomori Prefecture under Northern Force telegram No. 145.
7 August 1942:
Departs Kirun.
10 August 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
13 August 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
17 August 1942:
Arrives at Ominato.
7 September 1942:
Departs Ominato.
17 September 1942:
Arrives at Kataoka Wan (Bay), Shimushu Island, Kuriles (now Zaliv Kozyrevskogo, Ostrov Shumushu).
22 September 1942:
Departs Kataoka Wan.
26 September 1942:
Arrives at Ominato.
12 October 1942:
Departs Ominato.
15 October 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
19 October 1942:
Departs Yokosuka escorted by auxiliary gunboat HIYOSHI MARU No. 2 GO up to 34N.
E 26 October 1942:
Arrives at Truk, Central Carolines.
12 November 1942:
Departs Truk with Fleet oiler KYOKUYO MARU escorted by destroyer ASANAGI.
13 November 1942:
At 07-15N, 149-46E ASANAGI is detached.
17 November 1942:
Arrives at Palau, Western Carolines.
24 December 1942:
At 1200, departs Truk via southern channel. Minesweeper W-8 escorts the ship until 07-55N, 153-07E.
19 January 1943:
Departs Truk with auxiliary minesweeper ATAKA MARU on searching mission for IJN requisitioned (B-APK) passenger/cargo transport HEIYO MARU. [3]
21 January 1943:
Arrives with auxiliary minesweeper ATAKA MARU in the vicinity of 10-10N, 151-25E, about 216 nautical miles N of Truk. ASAYAMA and ATAKA MARUs rescue 70 crewmen and 1,021 passengers.
23 January 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
26 January 1943:
Departs Truk for Saipan in convoy with auxiliary transport KAIHEI MARU with subchaser CH-12 as escort. Steams via the South Channel.
27 January 1943:
At 1500, in position 08-28N, 117-13E, CH-12 is detached and returns to Truk.
29 January 1943:
Arrives at Saipan, Marianas.
1 February 1943:
Departs Saipan escorted by auxiliary minesweeper KINJO MARU bound for Truk.
2 March 1943:
Departs Truk for Fais Island, Eastern Carolines in a convoy also consisting of auxiliary transports KIMISHIMA and TATSUHARU MARUs, auxiliary storeships HOKO MARU (1,504 GRT) and TENYO MARU NO. 2 GO, auxiliary transport YAMASHIMO MARU and IJA transport MIKAGE MARU No. 20, escorted by destroyer YUNAGI and submarine chasers CH-11 and CH-12. CH-11 is detached sometime into the voyage north.
5 March 1943:
Detached and proceeds to Saipan. KIMISHIMA MARU and YUNAGI are detached at 11-18N, 142-38E. KIMISHIMA MARU later arrives at Fais, Eastern Carolines. Later that day arrives at Saipan.
12 March 1943:
Departs Saipan in convoy with NOSHIRO MARU.
16 March 1943:
At 1200 arrives at Truk.
1 April 1943:
Assigned to Vice Admiral Hosogaya Boshiro’s (36) 5th Fleet.
11 May 1943:
At 1330, departs Truk with convoy No. 5113 also consisting of auxiliary transport OKITSU MARU and IJN requisitioned cargo ship (B-AK) YAMAKUNI MARU escorted by subchaser CH-31 and minesweeper W-8.
16 May 1943:
At 1100, arrives at Kwajalein, Marshalls.
19 May 1943:
At 0330, departs Kwajalein with auxiliary transport HIYOSHI MARU in convoy No. 6192 escorted by minesweeper W-8.
23 May 1943:
At 1055, arrives at Truk.
7 September 1943:
Departs Ponape, Eastern Carolines in a convoy with auxiliary water tanker NIPPO MARU escorted by auxiliary gunboat CHOUN MARU.
9 September 1943:
At 1200, arrives at Truk by South channel.
15 October 1943:
Departs Truk in convoy No. 1151 escorted by torpedo boat HIYODORI. The convoy steams at 9.5 knots.
19 October 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul, New Britain.
5 November 1943:
At 0500, departs Rabaul.
6 November 1943:
West of Buka, Bougainville, Solomons. USAAF North American B-25 “Mitchell” medium bombers bomb and sink ASAYAMA MARU (unknown casualties), ASAHI MARU No. 9 (four crewmen KIA) and subchaser CH-11(unknown casualties).
5 January 1944:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 54.
Authors notes :
[1] Also known as CHOZAN MARU or CHOSAN MARU.
[2] There were two categories of Kyusuisen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
[3] HEIYO MARU was torpedoed and sunk on 17 Jan ’43 at position 10-10N, 151-25E by LtCdr John B. Azer’s (USNA ’28) USS WHALE (SS-239) while sailing alone (voy. Tokyo – Truk), carrying 1,753 troops and 4,000-tons of military equipment. 44 crewmen and about 900 troops were KIA.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.
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