© 2007-2018 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 10
15 February 1944:
Nagasaki. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ shipyard.
10 May 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-30.
26 June 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN. Reserve LtCdr Takamatsu Yashiro is the CO. Attached to Sasebo Naval District. Assigned to Kure Guard Force. Departs for Saeki on that same day.
25 July 1944:
Reassigned to 4th Surface Escort Division. Transferred to Sasebo.
15 August 1944:
At 0300 departs Terajima Straits escorting SHINKO MARU and later that day at 1900 arrives at Kagoshima.
17 August 1944:
At 1900, CD-30 departs Kagoshima escorting convoy KATA-717 consisting of SHINKO, ESASHI, UJINA, UNTEN, KOTSU, DAIBOSHI, HIKOSAN, MAKO, MIKAGE, KORYU, SHIROTAE, TAIKYU, DAISHIN, DAITOKU, DAIYA, BRAZIL, HOKUYU, TOMITSU and WASHIN MARUs, HOEI MARU No. 2, NAVY TRANSPORT No. 135 and three unidentified merchant ships enroute to Koniya or Kagoshima, some direct and some via Naha. Other escorts include torpedo boat TOMOZURU, minelayers NUWAJIMA, TSUBAME, NIIZAKI, subchasers CH-17 and CH-18 (both join later), auxiliary minesweepers TAKUNAN MARUs No. 1 and No. 3, SHONAN MARU No. 16, CHITOSE and HOEI MARUs.
19 August 1944:
At 1200, arrives at Naha. Most ships in the convoy stop and unload. TOMITSU, SHINKO MARUs and Navy Transport No. 135 stop at Naze.
23 August 1944:
HOKUYU and WASHIN MARUs of convoy KATA-717 arrive at Keelung.
28 August 1944:
CD-30 departs Kirun with torpedo boat MANAZURU, minelayers NUWAJIMA and NIIZAKI, auxiliary minesweepers SEKI, CHITOSE and HOEI MARUs and auxiliary patrol boat CHOUN MARU No.13 in convoy TAKA-708 consisting of 20 unidentified merchant ships en route to Kagoshima via Naha.
6 September 1944:
Departs Kagoshima for Naha with minelayers MUWAJIMA, NIIZAKI and TSUBAME, minesweeper W-15, 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 KEIZAN and SHOTO MARUs. CD-30 apparently returns to Kagoshima later that day.
7 September 1944:
At 0505, CD-30 departs Kagoshima with minesweeper W-15, and auxiliary minesweepers TAKUNAN MARU No. 3, CHITOSE MARU and auxiliary CHOUN MARU No. 13 escorting convoy KATA-719 consisting of CHOSAN, EKISAN, YOKO, SAKISHIMA, DAITOKU, DAIHAKU, MUSASHI, MIFUKU and NAKAGAWA MARUs and NISSHO MARU No. 1, NANSHIN MARU No. 26 and thirteen unidentified ships.
9 September 1944:
At 1000, arrives at Naha with one part leaving for Keelung. Minelayers NUWAJIMA and NIIZAKI join escort.
15 September 1944:
Enroute DAITOKU, DAIHAKU and NAKAGAWA MARUs are detached to Ishigaki Shima and Miyako Shima. The remainder of the convoy arrives at Keelung.
19 September 1944:
CD-30 departs Kirun with minesweeper W-15 and auxiliary minesweepers TAKUNAN MARU No.3, TOSHI MARU No.7 and TAIHEI MARU No.3 GO and auxiliary patrol boat TAIAN MARU in convoy TAKA-909 consisting of KEIUN, DAIHAKU MARUs, TOSEI MARU No.2 and seven unidentified merchant ships. Later that day off the E coast of Formosa at about 0900, LtCdr Anton R. Gallaher's (USNA ’35) USS BANG (SS-385) attacks the convoy. Gallaher sinks tanker TOSEI MARU No. 2 with the loss of one crewman and damages CD-30 at 24-54N, 122-23E. CD-30 probably returns to Kirun for repairs.
6 October 1944:
CD-30 and torpedo boat MANAZURU, sub-chaser CH-49, minesweeper W-15, minelayer NUWAJIMA, auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No.2, auxiliary minesweepers KAIYO MARU No.1 GO, CHOUN MARU No.8 and auxiliary patrol boats SOBUN, HOKUYO MARUs and CHOUN MARU No.13 depart in convoy TAKA-410 consisting of TAKUSAN, TAIKAI, KOTSU and DAIYA MARUs and ten unidentified merchant ships.
14 October 1944:
Arrives at Kagoshima.
21 October 1944:
At 1200, convoy KATA-916 consisting of storeship MUROTO and CHOJUSAN, TOMITSU, EDOGAWA, BANSEI, TENSHO, AMAKUSA, SHINTON, SANKA, SANJIN, HAKKA, HAYAMA, TORAI, TAIKYU, SAKISHIMA, RYUKYU, KANKYO and AMOY MARUs and HAKUTETSU MARU No. 11 departs Kagoshima escorted by torpedo boat MANAZURU, subchaser CH-49, storeship KINESAKI, minesweeper W-15, auxiliary minesweeper SHONAN MARU No. 16 and auxiliaries KIKU MARU No. 7 and HIMESHIMA MARU.
22 October 1944:
At 0730, LtCdr (later Vice Admiral) Vernon L. Lowrance's (USNA ’30) USS SEA DOG (SS-401) torpedoes and sinks MUROTO and damages TOMITSU MARU at 29-18N, 129-44E. TORAI MARU takes TOMITSU MARU in tow. The escorts counterattack and drop 109 depth-charges that morning.
CD-30 is anchored at Sasebo. She receives orders to proceed to the sea area north of Uku-Jima, Goto Archipelago where that morning an enemy submarine torpedoed several ships in convoy KATA-916. At about 1500, after leaving Sasebo, CD-30 arrives in the area. She undertakes an anti-submarine sweep in co-operation with other naval craft.
Towards sunset, CD-30's Type 3 sonar detects an object resting on the bottom in 90 metres of water. She drops 9 depth charges set to explode at 75 meters depth. Afterwards, there is a great disturbance of water, huge air bubbles rise to the surface followed by a “ghastly gush of oil.” The next morning a large oil slick is observed at the site.
The convoy then shelters in Kasari Bay, Amami O-Shima. It is possible that
CD-30 joined the escort of convoy KATA-916 at this point.
25 October 1944:
At 1230, arrives at Naha, Okinawa. Later, upon return to Sasebo, she receives congratulations from the commander of the Sasebo Naval District for sinking a submarine.
28 October 1944:
At 1246, convoy KATA-916 consisting of TENSHO, AMAKUSA, SHINTON, SANKA, SANJIN, HAYAMA, TORAI, TAIKYU, SAKISHIMA, BANSEI, CHOKI, KISHIN and KANKYO MARUs departs Naha escorted by kaibokan CD-30, torpedo boat MANAZURU, subchaser CH-49, minesweeper W-15, auxiliary minesweepers HIMESHIMA MARU, SHONAN MARU No. 16 and TOSHI MARU No.7, auxiliary sub-chasers SHOWA MARU, CHa-216, CHa-228, CHa-235, auxiliaries KIYO, KOCHI, AIKAWA MARUs and auxiliary netlayer KIRI MARU No.1 GO.
1 November 1944:
At 2305 arrives at Kirun.
15 November 1944:
CD-30 departs Kagoshima with kaibokan CD-42 and CD-44, auxiliary minesweepers TAIHEI MARU No.3 GO, TOSHI MARU No.7 and CHOUN MARU No.8 and auxiliary patrol boats CHIKUTO and TAIAN MARUs in KATA-416 convoy consisting of UNTEN, KAIJO, KAIRYU, CHOSAN, TAISEI, SEIZAN, KENJO, AMOY MARUs and five unidentified merchant ships.
18 November 1944:
Arrives at Naha.
21 November 1944:
On that day, FRUMEL decrypts a message sent by CD-30, providing the noon positions for the convoy TAMO-29 which left Raffles Island at 1700 on 19 November for Sasebo.
26 November 1944:
CD-30 departs Kirun with Kaibokan CD-42, minesweeper W-15, auxiliary minesweeper TAIHEI MARU No.3 GO, SHONAN MARU No.16 and SEKI MARU and auxiliary patrol boat TAIAN MARU in TAKA-608 convoy consisting of TATSUHARU, SAKISHIMA, SHINTON, HOKUSEN MARUs and nine unidentified merchant ships.
27 November 1944:
Arrives at Miyako Jima.
28 November 1944:
Departs Miyako Jima.
2 December 1944:
Arrives at Kagoshima.
25 December 1944:
CD-30 departs Kagoshima enroute to Keelung, via Naha and Miyako Shima (part way) with torpedo boat MANAZURU (part way), CD-44, minesweeper W-15 (part way), auxiliary minesweepers BANSHU MARU No. 51, TAKUNAN MARU No. 3, TOSHI MARU No. 7 and CHOUN MARU No. 8 escorting convoy KATA-506 consisting of KISHUN MARU and eight unidentified merchant ships. CD-42 only escorts the convoy part way.
28 December 1944:
Arrives at Naha. Later that day meets up with convoy TAKA-406 consisting of TATSUMIYA, SAKISHIMA, KEIUN MARUs and five unidentified merchant ships also escorted by torpedo boat MANAZURU (part way), submarine chaser CH-49, kaibokan CD-42, auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No.2 and auxiliary minsweepers CHITOSE, HIMESHIMA MARUs and CHOUN MARU No.8. CD-42 and MANAZURU apparently take over escorting KATA-506.
31 December 1944:
Arrives at Kagoshima.
5 January 1945:
Departs Kagoshima in unknown convoy with escort consisting of kaibokan CD-30, CD-40, sub-chaser CH-49, minesweeper W-15, auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No.2, auxiliary minesweepers CHITOSE MARU and TAIHEI MARU No.3 GO and auxiliary patrol boat CHOUN MARU No.13.
10 January 1945:
East China Sea. At about 0400, LtCdr (later Cdr) Carl R. Dwyer's (USNA ’38) USS PUFFER (SS-268) attacks an unidentified convoy. Dwyer torpedoes and sinks escort CD-42 with all 170 hands including her CO, LtCdr Egashira Tomiya, then torpedoes and damages CD-30 at 26-45N, 126-11E. CD-30's bow and bridge are wrecked by the torpedo, but she manages to steam to Okinawa at 5 knots. CD-30 has five sailors KIA. En route to Naha, Okinawa, she is further attacked by an unidentified submarine which missed CD-30 with a salvo of four torpedoes.
22 January 1945:
Naha, Okinawa. During a TF 38 carrier strike two CD-30 sailors are killed.
24 January 1945:
Departs Kirun with submarine chaser CH-49 and auxilary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2 and auxiliary minesweepers CHITOSE MARU and TOSHI MARU No. 7 escorting an unidentified convoy consisting of SEIZAN and KISHUN MARUs and others.
31 January 1945:
Arrives at Kagoshima.
12 February 1945:
At 0900 off Yamakawa CD-30 meets up with a convoy consisting of SHOKA and RYUWA MARUs and departs port.
14 February 1945:
Arrives at Mutsure.
23 February 1945:
Pusan. CD-30 is dry-docked in Chosen Heavy Industries drydock for hull repairs.
19 April 1945:
At 0930 departs Chinkai and at 1830 arrives at Sasebo.
10 May 1945:
Reassigned to Osaka Area Guard District. She is transferred to Yura Bay and commences anti-submarine patrols off Cape Shiono-misaki and in Kii Suido Channel.
1 June 1945:
Reassigned to 6th Special Attack Squadron with CD-190.
8 July 1945:
After patrolling off Shiono-misaki, CD-30 arrives at Yura Bay, in the Kii Strait, Wakamiya Prefecture.
10 July 1945:
During the afternoon, to boost morale, boat races are organised. While these are in progress, eight American P-51 "Mustang" fighters, that had just attacked an airfield in the Osaka area, strafe the ship. CD-30 is thoroughly worked-over with many bullets striking her deck and superstructure. Amidst smoke and spray, CD-30 returns fire, but without effect. Twelve crewmen are KIA and 20 injured.
28 July 1945:
Osaka Bay. P-51 fighters of the 15th Fighter Group based at Iwo Jima, strafe and severely damage CD-30 at anchor in the bay. She is beached at Yura Bay.
Later, aircraft from Vice Admiral (Admiral posthumously) John S. McCain's (USNA ’06) (former CO of RANGER, CV-4) Task Force 38 attack and sink CD-30 at 34-20N, 135-00E. 98 crewmen are KIA and 51 injured.
15 September 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
1 According to Jiro Kimata's Kaibokan 98 crewmen are KIA.
Thanks go to Mr. Bill Somerville of USA and Mr. Gilbert Casse of France. Special thanks also go to Hans Mcilveen of the Netherlands for research based on wartime FRUMEL intercepts.
-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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