© 2009-2019 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 4
31 July 1944:
Tsurumi, Yokohama. Laid down at Nippon Steel Tubing.
15 October 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-49.
16 November 1944:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District. Attached to the Kure Guard Unit.
4 December 1944:
Departs Yokosuka, Tokyo Bay for Saeki, northeast Kyushu. After arrival, CD-49 carries out anti-submarine and general training at the anti-submarine school based there.
December 1944-January 1945:
Engages in training from dawn to dusk, sometimes submarine RO-500 (ex-German U-511) is utilized as a target during search and attack exercises.
18 January 1945:
Attached to the Yokosuka Guard Unit.
20 January 1945:
Anti-submarine training is completed. Departs Saeki for Kure and arrives the same day. CD-49 then enters drydock for some fitting-out work. Later, loads fuel, ammunition, clothing, food and canteen goods.
24 January 1945:
At 0900 departs Saiki for Kure.
26 January 1945:
Departs Kure for Yokosuka.
At 1805 arrives at Yokosuka.
5 February 1945:
CD-49 departs Yokosuka for Chichi-Jima, Ogasawara Gunto, (Bonin Islands) with CD-56 and an auxiliary submarine-chaser in convoy No. 3205 escorting KURETAKE, DAIBI MARUs and UNYO MARU No. 6. The captain of CD-56 is the convoy commander.
6 February 1945:
The convoy anchors in Tateyama Bay for the night. That evening, the ships huddle together, facing into a strong northwest wind. Flames are seen rising high in the air after a USAAF B-29 heavy-bomber raid on Tokyo.
7 February 1945:
Early. The convoy departs Tateyama Bay and heads southward. 10 miles east of Mikura-Jima, the 1,924 ton KURETAKE MARU is torpedoed by LtCdr (later Cdr) Robert B. Lander's (USNA ’37) USS RONQUIL (SS-396). KURETAKE MARU is forced to retire towards Tokyo Bay with CD-56 as escort. The flag of the convoy is handed over to CD-49. She and the rest of the convoy continue southward.
9 February 1945:
Arrives at Chichi-Jima. At the time of entry into Futami Harbour, the convoy is shadowed by a lone B-24 heavy-bomber. However, no attack develops. Soon after arrival, CD-49 is detached and heads northward to Tokyo Bay. At 1500, lookouts claim they see an enemy periscope. CD-49 remains in the area for a few hours conducting a sweep. Finally, at 2100, an underwater contact is made and a depth charge attack begun. A sinking is claimed. The identity of the submarine, if there was one, remains unknown.
10 February 1945:
At 2000, a contact is gained on an unknown vessel, range 3,000 metres. As CD-49 draws closer, the conclusion is drawn that it is a surfaced enemy submarine. All hands go to battle-stations as the submarine submerges. A depth charge attack follows. It brings up air bubbles and oil amidst a phosphorescent glow in the water. Another sinking is claimed, but also cannot be substantiated.
11 February 1945:
While in the Uraga Channel, CD-49 is attacked by carrier-based enemy aircraft returning from attacks in the Tokyo-Yokohama region. CD-49 claims shooting down three without incurring injury. The same day, she arrives at Yokosuka.
16 February 1945:
Yokosuka. CD-49 begins repairs and maintenance work.
2 March 1945:
CD-49 departs Yokosuka as an escort of a convoy consisting only of NISSHO MARU No. 2 destined for Hachijo-Jima, south of Tokyo Bay.
3 March 1945:
At 0400 in position 34-05N 139-54E NISSHO MARU No. 2 is torpedoed and sunk by USS TREPANG with the loss of 38 crewmen.
5 March 1945:
CD-49 arrives back at Yokosuka.
9 March 1945:
Departs Yokosuka with small convoy No. 3309 consisting only of UNYO MARU No. 6 bound for Hachijo-Jima. Later that day arrives at Tateyama.
10 March 1945:
Departs Tateyama and later that day arrives at Shimoda.
11 March 1945:
Departs Shimoda and later that day arrives at Hachijo Jima.
13 March 1945:
Departs Hachijo Jima escorting convoy No. 4313 consisting of UNYO MARU No. 6 and later that day arrives Tateyama.
14 March 1945:
Departs Tateyama and later that day arrives at Tokyo. Undergoes repairs. After concluding the mission, CD-49 spends the rest of the month on anti-submarine patrol duty in the Tokyo-Hachijo-Jima shipping lane.
24 March 1945:
Repairs are completed and arrives at Yokosuka.
25 March 1945:
Departs Yokosuka and later that day arrives at Shimoda.
26 March 1945:
Departs Shimoda and later that day arrives at Hachijo Jima.
28 March 1945:
Departs Hachijo Jima with auxiliary submarine chaser FUMI MARU escorting convoy No. 4328 consisting of HAKUTETSU MARU No. 5, NIKKO MARU No. 2 and TOKO MARU and later that day arrives at Shimoda.
30 March 1945:
Departs Shimoda escorting convoy No. 3330 consisting of NIKKO MARU No. 2 and TOKO MARU and later that day arrives at Hachijo Jima.
1 April 1945:
Departs Hachijo Jima escorting convoy No. 4401A consisting of NIKKO MARU No. 2 and TOKO MARU.
2 April 1945:
Arrives at Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture and departs later that day.
3 April 1945:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
20 April 1945:
Departs Yokosuka escorting a convoy.
21 April 1945:
Arrives at Onagawa.
22 April 1945:
Departs Onagawa escorting ammunition ship SOYA.
23 April 1945:
Arrives at Hachinohe and departs later that day escorting a convoy.
24 April 1945:
Arrives at Muroran and departs later that day.
25 April 1945:
Arrives at Ominato, northern Honshu. Soon after, cruises to Otaru, western Hokkaido and joins the Otaru convoy force. Escorts shipping between Otaru and the Kurile Islands chain.
26 April 1945:
Departs Ominato with auxiliary gunboat SHINKO MARU No. 2 GO escorting a convoy.
28 April 1945:
Arrives back at Ominato.
1 May 1945:
CD-49 and auxiliary gunboat SHINKO MARU No. 2 GO depart Ominato escorting a convoy.
6 May 1945:
Arrives at Matsuwa Jima.
8 May 1945:
CD-49 and auxiliary gunboat SHINKO MARU No. 2 GO depart Matsuwa Jima escorting a convoy.
12 May 1945:
Arrives at Otaru.
22 May 1945:
CD-6 and CD-49 and auxiliary gunboat SHINKO MARU No. 2 GO depart Otaru escorting a convoy.
23 May 1945:
Arrives at Wakkanai.
25 May 1945:
CD-6 and CD-49 and auxiliary gunboat SHINKO MARU No. 2 GO depart Wakkanai escorting a convoy.
27 May 1945:
Arrives at Matsuwa Jima.
29 May 1945:
CD-6 and CD-49 and auxiliary gunboat SHINKO MARU No. 2 GO depart Matsuwa escorting a convoy.
2 June 1945:
Arrives at Otaru.
3 June 1945:
Departs Otaru with CD-6 and a convoy bound for Matsuwa Island, Central Kurile Islands.
10 June 1945:
Sea of Okhotsk. Soon after noon, LtCdr Otis R. Cole's (USNA ’36) USS DACE (SS-247) attacks the convoy. Cole torpedoes and sinks 1,391-ton freighter HAKUYO MARU with provisions, coal and fortifications material at 47-21N, 149-07E. 19 gunners, 25 crewmen, six guards and two passengers are KIA. The submarine also fires a Mark-27 "Cutie" homing-torpedo at the escorts, but fails to score. After rescuing survivors, the escorts search the area, but failed to gain contact. The convoy goes onward to its destination.
June 1945:
The escorts arrive at Wakkanai, northern Hokkaido.
18 June 1945:
At 1900 CD-6 and CD-49 arrive at Otaru, ready to escort a convoy.
June 1945:
CD-49 escorts a ferry between Honto, Karafuto (southern Sakhalin) and Wakkanai.
9 July 1945:
Arrives at Ominato. While at anchor with other vessels, they are attacked a number of times by carrier-based aircraft. In one such attack, CD-49 incurs slight damage by machine-gun strafing. A number of men receive slight wounds, but none are killed.
15 August 1945:
Tokyo. Japan accepts the Allies “Potsdam Declaration” (of unconditional surrender) and hostilities cease.
CD-49 is at Ominato.
30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List. Hereafter, serves as a minesweeper in the northern part of the Sea of Japan, attached to the Ominato Minesweeping Force. [1]
March 1946:
Operating off Kikai Jima with kaibokan KURAHASHI, YASHIRO, CD-48 and CD-77 together with US minesweepers USS SHOVELER (AM-382) and USS REDSTART (AM-378). When not minesweeping the ships were anchoring off Amami-Oshima.
15 January 1947:
Yokosuka. CD-49 is designated a Laid-up Reserve Warship.
1 September 1947:
After being ceded as a war reparation to the USA, CD-49 arrives at Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, southern Honshu.
2 August 1948:
Shimizu. Scrapped.
Authors' Notes:
[1] In 1945, the U. S. Army Air Force launched a five-phased campaign known as “Operation Starvation” to mine Japan’s home waters. The USAAF used 80 to 100 B-29 “Super Fortress” heavy bombers of the 21st Bomber Command based at Tinian in the Marianas. The B-29s could carry seven 2,000 lb. or twelve 1,000 lb. mines.
Beginning on 27 March 1945 and continuing until 5 August 1945, the B-29s flew 1,529 nighttime radar sorties and laid 4,900 magnetic, 3,500 acoustic, 2,900 pressure and 700 low-frequency mines for a total of more than 12,000 mines laid in Japanese waters. These mines sank 294 ships, damaged 137 beyond repair and damaged another 239 that could be repaired. The total was 1, 250,000 tons sunk or damaged or about 75 percent of Japanese shipping available in March 1945. Only 15 B-29s were lost during the mining campaign.
Postwar, removal of these mines posed a major challenge for the Allied Occupation Forces. They pressed 269 Japanese ships of various types into mine sweeping service to augment their own efforts.
Special thanks go to Bill Somerville of the USA, M Willmann and to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.
-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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