© 2009-2019 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 6
20 August 1944:
Tsurumi. Laid down at Nippon Kokan K. K.'s shipyard.
4 November 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-55.
22 December 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN. Attached to Kure Naval District.
1 February 1945:
Departs Kure.
2 February 1945:
Arrives at Muko Jima. Drydocked and undergoes repairs.
7 February 1945:
At 1400 departs Muko Jima. At 2145 arrives back at Kure.
14 February 1945:
At 1300 departs Kure.
15 February 1945:
Arrives at Moji.
16 February 1945:
At 0500 destroyer TSUBAKI and kaibokan CD-55 and CD-82 depart Moji in convoy MOTA-38 consisting of SEISHU MARU and four unidentified merchant ships.
20 February 1945:
Arrives at Ssu Chiao Shan, Shushan (Chusan) Archipelago.
21 February 1945:
At 0700 departs Ssu Chiao Shan.
23 February 1945:
At 2230 the convoy arrives at Kirun.
3 March 1945:
At 0200 convoy TAMO-47 consisting of KINYU MARU No.7, NISSHO MARU No. 18, SEISHU MARU and four unidentified merchant ships escorted by kaibokan CD-55, CD-82 and CD-150 departs Kirun.
5 March 1945:
Arrives at Ssu Chiao Shan.
6 March 1945:
At 1435 departs Ssu Chiao Shan.
11 March 1945:
At 0730 convoy TAMO-47 arrives at Mutsure. At 1730 CD-55 departs Mutsure.
12 March 1945:
Arrives at Kure. Undergoes repairs.
22 March 1945:
Departs Kure and at 1710 arrives at Moji.
23 March 1945:
At 1245 departs Moji on patrol.
25 April 1945:
Reassigned to 11th Coast Defense Group.
Late April 1945:
Transferred to Maizuru.
10 May 1945:
At 0700 departs Chinkai with KANJU. At 1020 the escorts meet up with SASSHU MARU, that had departed Reisui (Yosu) off Komun Island and begin escorting the ship. At 1800 arrives at Tsutsu Wan where KANJU hands over escort to CD-39. It is unclear if CD-55 is detached at this point.
21 May 1945:
CD-36, CD-55 and CD-57 arrive at Ominato.
2 June 1945:
At 0400 SHIMUSHU, CD-36, CD-55 and CD-57 depart Otaru escorting combined Ru Convoy consisting of HAKUAI, KANATO, HIRANO MARUs and KYODO MARU No. 13 and Wa Convoy consisting of KOJO, EIHO MARUs and UNKAI MARU No. 15. At some point the convoy is joined by kaibokan ETOROFU.
15 July 1945:
Off Otaru. Task Force 38 planes attack and damage CD-55. Five sailors are killed.
5 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
16 October 1945:
Departs Sasebo on her first repatriation voyage.
23 October 1945:
Arrives at Davao. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
24 October 1945:
Departs Davao.
25 October 1945:
Arrives at Tacloban. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
31 October 1945:
Departs Tacloban.
6 November 1945:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
22 November 1945:
Departs Kure.
1 December 1945:
Formally assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service. [1]
2 December 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
6 December 1945:
Departs Manila.
11 December 1945:
Arrives at Otaka. Disembarks troops and passengers.
Mid December 1945:
Undergoes repairs at Kure.
24 December 1945:
Repairs are completed.
29 December 1945:
Departs Kure.
5 January 1946:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
7 January 1946:
Departs Guam.
10 January 1946:
Arrives at Palau. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
11 January 1946:
Departs Palau.
18 January 1946:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
22 January 1946:
Enters Uraga Dockyard for repairs.
30 January 1946:
Repairs are completed.
2 February 1946:
Departs Uraga.
7 February 1946:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
8 February 1946:
Arrives at Tinian. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
12 February 1946:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
24 February 1946:
Departs Uraga.
1 March 1946:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
2 March 1946:
Departs Guam.
3 March 1946:
Departs Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
8 March 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
11 March 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
17 March 1946:
Enters dockyard at Kure for repairs.
13 April 1946:
Repairs are completed.
15 April 1946:
Departs Kure.
19 April 1946:
Arrives at Kwaren (Hua Lien). Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
22 April 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
28 April 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
1 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
4 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
6 May 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
16 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
18 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
19 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
23 May 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
12 June 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
14 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
16 June 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
18 June 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
28 June 1946:
Enters dockyard at Kure for repairs.
14 July 1946:
Repairs are completed.
17 August 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
19 August 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
20 August 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
23 August 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
24 August 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
25 August 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
26 August 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
29 August 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
31 August 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
2 September 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 September 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
6 September 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
8 September 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
9 September 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima.
12 September 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
13 September 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
14 September 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
15 September 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
20 September 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
21 September 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
22 September 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
23 September 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
27 September 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
28 September 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
29 September 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
1 October 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
3 October 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
4 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
5 October 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
7 October 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
10 October 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
11 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa.
12 October 1946:
Departs Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
13 October 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
18 October 1946:
Enters dockyard at Tamano for repairs.
27 October 1946:
Repairs are completed.
31 October 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
2 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
3 November 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
5 November 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
8 November 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
9 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
10 November 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
11 November 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
15 November 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
16 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
17 November 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
18 November 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
1 December 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
2 December 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
3 December 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
16 July 1947:
Singapore. Ceded to the United Kingdom as a war reparation. Later, scrapped.
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 to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.
-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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