© 2007-2020 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 2
5 April 1944:
Laid down at Nihonkai-Senkyo K.K's shipyard at Toyama as
kaibokan No. 2419.
10 May 1944:
Renumbered
CD-37 and provisionally
attached to Yokosuka Naval District.
5 August 1944:
Launched.
10 October 1944:
Lt (reserve) Shibuya Jikichi (former CO of the
auxiliary subchaser KYO MARU No. 13) is appointed the Chief Equipping Officer
(CEO).
15 October 1944:
LtCdr (reserve) Okami Kazuo (former navigating
officer of KAMIKAWA MARU) is appointed the CEO.
3 November 1944:
Completed and attached to Yokosuka Naval District.
Assigned to the Kure Guard Unit. LtCdr (reserve) Okami Kazuo is the CO.
Transferred to Saeki for training and working up. Participates in ASW and AA
exercises in that area. [1]
15 December 1944:
Completes training and working-up. Reassigned to the
Yokosuka Naval District. Departs Saeki for Yokosuka. CD-37 is reassigned as the
training ship for senior students of the Yokosuka Gunnery School.
During training, Emperor Hirohito's (Showa) brother Captain Prince
Takamatsu Nobuhito (52)(former gunnery officer of HIEI), Chief Instructor at
the Gunnery School, comes aboard CD-37 followed by his student officers. The
Imperial Family's sixteen-petal chrysanthemum flag is raised over CD-37 to mark
the presence of the prince.
April 1945:
Tokyo. Dry-docked at Uraga dockyard for maintenance and
modernization. A Type 13 air-search radar is installed. After testing and
training of the device, CD-37 departs for Yokosuka where the ship is fitted
with minelaying equipment.
5 April 1945:
LtCdr (reserve) Kusudo Junichi (former CEO of CD-56) is
appointed the CO.
E 14 May 1945:
Uraga. CD-37 is attacked by a USN carrier-based planes
and claims one Grumman F6F "Hellcat" fighter shot down. Later, CD-37 sends a
cutter and recovers the drop tank of the fighter.
15 July 1945:
Reassigned to No. 1 Special Attack (Tokko) Force. While
anchoring at Kurihama (near Yokosuka), CD-37's rudder malfunctions. Shipyard
workers are dispatched to assist in repairs. After finishing the repairs the
kaibokan heads out to Kujukurigahama area to test her sonar gear. While
returning to Yokosuka she is attacked by several North American P-51 "Mustang"
fighters. Later, CD-37 conducts sounding and measurements in the Kuju-Kurihama
area where American invasion landings are expected.
5 August 1945:
CD-37 is designated the flagship of Rear Admiral Aitoku
Ichiro (45) (former CO of UNYO) who is aboard in command of a mining mission
off the Boso peninsula with kaibokan SHISAKA, minelayer/netlayer KYOSAI and
auxiliary minelayer KINJO MARU. After nightfall departs Yokosuka for
Kuju-Kurihama beach, a probable US landing area.
6 August 1945:
E of Nojimazaki. During the forenoon all mines are sown
and the unit heads back, when several air alarms are received. In Shirahama
Bight CD-37 comes under a strafing attack by fighters of Vice Admiral (later
Admiral) John H. Towers' Task Force 58, returning from the Tokyo area. The CO,
LtCdr Kusudo Junichi, and a number of bridge officers are wounded and five
sailors are KIA (another dies of his wounds later).
CD-37 heads towards Yokosuka at flank speed. A gasoline fire breaks out
but is quickly subdued. Leakage resulting from strafing damage to the hull is
contained, using hand pumps. The planes also attack and damage minelayer KYOSAI
at 34-52N, 139-58E. KYOSAI's cutter is strafed and its fuel tank ignites. The
flaming boat is jettisoned overboard. Kaibokan SHISAKA is undamaged and departs
the area at high speed.
Later that day the CD-37 arrives at Kurihama where all wounded personnel
are disembarked. The injured crewmen and the bodies of those KIA are sent to
Yokosuka Naval Hospital. CD-37 heads for Uraga to be dry-docked.
15 August 1945:
Uraga. CD-37’s crew hear the Emperor's radio
announcement of the end of the war.
15 September 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
8 October 1945:
Named Special Transport KAI No. 37 in the Allied
Repatriation Service. Departs Uraga on her first repatriation voyage. [2]
14 October 1945:
Arrives at Endabi. Embarks troops and passengers to
be repatriated.
18 October 1945:
Departs Endabi.
26 October 1945:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
28 October-8 November 1945:
Under repair at Uraga.
30 October 1945:
Ex-LtCdr Taketomi Kunio (65)(former CO of RO-63) is
appointed the CO.
11 November 1945:
Departs Tokyo.
16 November 1945:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be
repatriated and departs later that day.
19 November 1945:
Arrives at Truk. Embarks troops and passengers to be
repatriated.
20 November 1945:
Departs Truk.
28 November 1945:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
2 December 1945-15 January 1946:
Under repairs at Tsurumi.
15 December 1945:
Ex-Lt (later Vice Admiral, JMSDF) Kadowaki Shoichi
(69)(former gunnery officer of KAKI) is appointed the CO.
20 January 1946:
Departs Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
25 January 1946:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be
repatriated.
26 January 1946:
Departs Guam.
31 January 1946:
Arrives at Palau. Embarks troops and passengers to be
repatriated.
26 February 1946:
Departs Palau.
5 March 1946:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
9 March 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Tsurumi.
16 March 1946:
Repairs are completed.
30 March 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
1 April 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be
repatriated.
3 April 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
4 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo and departs later that day.
7 April 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be
repatriated and departs later that day.
14 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
22 April 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
24 April 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to
be repatriated.
27 April 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
29 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
7 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be
repatriated.
10 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
12 May 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
19 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
21 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be
repatriated.
23 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
24 May 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
2 June 1946 to 5 June 1946:
Under repair at Miho.
18 June 1946:
Departs Uraga.
21 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be
repatriated.
25 June 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
28 June 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
13 July 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
19 July 1946:
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin. Embarks troops and
passengers to be repatriated.
21 July 1946:
Departs Korojima.
28 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
4 August 1946:
Departs Hakata.
7 August 1946:
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin. Embarks troops and
passengers to be repatriated.
9 August 1946:
Departs Korojima.
14 August 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
22 August 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Higashigawa.
10 September 1946:
Repairs are completed.
25 September 1946:
Ex-Lt (later Vice Admiral, JMSDF) Ohori Hajime
(69)(former torpedo officer of I-53) is appointed the CO.
19 October 1946:
Departs Nagasaki.
21 October 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to
be repatriated.
27 October 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
29 October 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
4 November 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Kobe.
16 November 1946:
Repairs are completed.
17 November 1946:
Departs Osaka.
20 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa and departs the same day.
21 November 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and
passengers.
22 November 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
23 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to
be repatriated and departs the same day.
25 November 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and
passengers.
29 November 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
30 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to
be repatriated and departs the same day.
1 December 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
14 December 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
15 December 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to
be repatriated.
16 December 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
17 December 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and
passengers.
20 January 1947:
Ex-Lt Ohori is reassigned.
5 August 1947:
Ex-Lt Hoshide Takaomi (67)(former gunnery officer of
YUGURE) is appointed the CO.
4 September 1947:
Ceded to the United States as a war reparation.
30 October 1947:
Osaka. Scrapped.
Authors' Note:
[1] The wartime history of CD-37 was published on 5 May 1981 by
Yoshida Ikujiro, former IJN Second Class Machinery Mate.
[2] 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 for assistance go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro, Mr. Motoyuki Iwashige
and Mr. Iwasaki Yutaka of Japan.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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