© 2009-2014 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 2
31 December 1944:
Nagasaki. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. shipyard.
26 February 1945:
Launched and numbered CD-196.
31 March 1945:
Completed and registered in the IJN.
21 April 1945:
CD-77, CD-196, CD-198 and CD-221 depart Maizuru en route to Nanao.
18 May 1945:
Departs Nanao.
19 May 1945:
Arrives at Ominato.
31 May 1945:
Departs Ominato.
22 June 1945:
Northern Honshu. At about 0800, Cdr Donald G. Irvine’s (USNA '34) USS PIRANHA (SS-389) fires a Mark-27 “Cutie” acoustic homing torpedo at CD-196 at 39-31N, 142-39E. The Cutie hits CD-196 in the stern and blows her rudder off. Two men are KIA.
23 June 1945:
Arrives at Yamada Bay, Iwate Prefecture. Thereafter, undergoes repairs at an unknown location.
15 August 1945:
CD-196's crew is informed of the cessation of hostilities with the Allied Powers.
30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
1 December 1945:
Officially assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service.
1 January 1946:
Enters Kure dockyard for repairs.
10 February 1946:
Repairs are completed.
16 April 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Ominato.
7 May 1946:
Repairs are completed.
12 May 1946:
Departs Hakata on her first repatriation trip.
14 May 1946:
Arrives at Pusan. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
17 May 1946:
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
20 May 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
26 May 1946:
Departs Hakata.
30 May 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
1 June 1946:
Departs Korojima.
2 June 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
7 June 1946:
Departs Hakata.
9 June 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
11 June 1946:
Departs Korojima.
14 June 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
19 June 1946:
Departs Hakata.
23 June 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
24 June 1946:
Departs Korojima.
26 June 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
27 June 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
30 June 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
4 July 1946:
Departs Hakata.
7 July 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
8 July 1946:
Departs Korojima.
11 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
17 July 1946:
Arrives at Urasaki dockyard and undergoes repairs.
1 August 1946:
Repairs are completed.
23 September 1945:
Departs Sasebo.
24 September 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
28 September 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
30 September 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
14 October 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
16 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
18 October 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
23 October 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
25 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
27 October 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
1 November 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo and enters dockyard for repairs.
10 November 1946:
Repairs are completed.
6 December 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
8 December 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
10 December 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
18 June 1947:
Dai-ichi Building, Tokyo. Japanese warships are to be divided into four roughly equal lots among the "Big Four" victorious nations (i.e. U.S., U.K., USSR, China). Vice Admiral Robert M. Griffin, commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Far East, conducts the first drawing of lots that includes a total of 24 destroyers and 68 kaibokan. The Soviet Union is allotted 34 former IJN warships, including 7 destroyers and 17 escort vessels.
28 August 1947:
Nakhodka Bay, Siberia, Maritime Province. CH-196 is ceded to the Soviet Navy as a war reparation.
Late October 1947:
Transferred to Vladivostok.
Authors' Note:
[1] Allied occupation forces were responsible for the return of six million Japanese military personnel and civilians from Japan's defunct far-flung Empire. In addition, there were over a million Korean and about 40,000 Chinese prisoners and conscript laborers and approximately 7,000 Formosans and 15,000 Ryukyu Islanders to be repatriated.
Some Allied and many former IJN warships, from aircraft carriers to kaibokan, were used to facilitate the enormous repatriation effort. Japanese vessels and crews were used to the fullest extent possible to conserve Allied manpower and accelerate demobilization. Each ex-IJN ship first had to be demilitarized; guns removed or, in the case of large warships, barrels severed, ammunition landed, and radar and catapults removed, if fitted. Repatriation of the Chinese on Japanese ships began early in October from Hakata, but U.S. guard detachments had to be placed on many ships to prevent disorder because the Japanese crews could not control the returnees.
Japanese-run repatriation centers were established at Kagoshima, Hario near Sasebo, and Hakata near Fukuoka. Other reception centers were established and operated at Maizuru, Shimonoseki, Sasebo, Senzaki, Kure, Uraga, Yokohama, Moji and Hakodate. Allied line and medical personnel supervised the centers. Incoming Japanese were sprayed with DDT, examined and inoculated for typhus and smallpox, provided with food, and transported to his final destination in Japan.
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan and Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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