© 2009-2019 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 4
10 September 1944:
Tsurumi, Yokohama. Laid down at Nippon Kokan K. K.
15 November 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-57.
13 January 1945:
Completed and registered in the IJN.
1 March 1945:
At 2000 departs Kure.
2 March 1945:
At 0920 arrives at Moji.
3 March 1945:
At 0600 CD-57 departs Moji with kaibokan SAKITO and CD-67 and subchaser CH-26 escorting convoy MOTA-41 consisting of one unidentified merchant ship.
7 March 1945:
At 1600 arrives at Wenchow.
8 March 1945:
At 0600 departs Wenchow and at 1829 arrives at Mazu Shan. Departs at 2300.
11 March 1945:
At 1800 arrives at Kirun (Keelung).
19 March 1945:
At 0200 departs Kirun with SAKITO. At 2300 arrives at Mazu Shan.
20 March 1945:
At 0600 departs Mazu Shan.
23 March 1945:
At 2000 the escorts arrive back at Mazu Shan and departs soon after.
25 March 1945:
At 1130 arrives at Pei Ju Men (Kurogyo Wan).
26 March 1945:
At 0400 CD-57 departs Pei Ju Men (Kurogyo Wan) with kaibokan SAKITO escorting the Rinji Convoy consisting of two unidentified merchant ships.
27 March 1945:
At 1600 arrives at Ssu Chiao Shan.
28 March 1945:
At 0600 departs Ssu Chiao Shan.
30 March 1945:
At 1200 arrives at Seito (Tsingtao). Later sails on to Moji arriving early April.
16 April 1945:
At 1200 departs Sasebo for Shanghai with CD-38.
20 April 1945:
CD-57 departs Shanghai for Maizuru with kaibokan DAITO, OKINAWA, UKURU and CD-27 escorting refloated KOTOBUKI MARU (ex-Italian passenger liner CONTE VERDE).
22 April 1945:
KOTOBUKI MARU and her escorts are attacked by 10 Consolidated B-24 "Liberators", but they score no hits. One bomber is damaged and later forced to ditch. The convoy arrives at Tsingtao, China that day.
25 April 1945:
Arrives at Chinkai (Chinhae) harbor, Korea.
3 May 1945:
At 1420, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from CD-57 that reads: “Action Summary. At 2130, 2 May, picked up radar emanations of enemy submarine bearing 70 [degrees]. This appeared to (draw aft ?) to 180 [degrees]. In order to give evasive action to left, gave red signal, but although convoy gave left rudder at first, it was misunderstood, and we ascertained by radar that they were proceeding in opposite direction. While taking position at head of convoy to act as guide, made contact with first target bearing 60 [degrees]. While taking defensive measures against this, TORYU (Hisashi/Sakan) MARU suddenly received two torpedo hits and sank at once in position 37-28N, 123-50E. --.” [1]
8 May 1945:
SW of Mokpo, SW coast of Korea. Enroute to Japan, KOTOBUKI MARU hits a mine laid by USAAF 20th Air Force B-29 “Super Fortress” heavy bomber at 34-30N, 126-09E.
May 1945:
KOTOBUKI MARU arrives at Maizuru under tow. The identity and number of her escorts are unclear.
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.
25 July 1945:
At 1800, CD-57 departs Otaru, Hokkaido for Kefuta on the southern Kamchatka Peninsula with kaibokan CD-36 escorting a convoy consisting of KASADO MARU (ex-Russian KAZAN) and RYUHO MARU No. 2. [2]
31 July 1945:
The convoy arrives at the Kefuta Sea. KASADO MARU and RYUHO MARU No. 2 proceed separately to different ports. CD-57 and CD-36 remain just outside Soviet territorial waters.
1 August 1945:
At 0800, the Russian authorities arrive to discuss procedures and prepare the paperwork for the Japanese ships’ entry into Soviet Union Far East waters. RYUHO MARU No. 2’s mission is to quickly load 50,000 cans of salmon and trout, salted salmon and salmon roe, but the Soviet authorities cause endless delays.
9 August 1945:
At 1300, as RYUHO MARU No. 2 prepares to get underway, she is boarded by ten Russian soldiers. The senior Russian warns of numerous United States submarines operating in the Sea of Okhotsk. He says that the return journey is not to be undertaken at the request of the Japanese Government. About that time, the Japanese realize their communications are being jammed. At 2200, all onboard RYUHO MARU No. 2 leave the ship under guard. [3]
That same day, KASADO MARU is at Utka. At 1030, after being boarded by Russian soldiers, her crew is ordered to leave the ship. About an hour later, a Russian officer informs them that the Soviet Union and Japan are at war. Unmanned KASADO MARU remains at anchor. At 1355, four Soviet fighter-bombers bomb the ship. She sinks in shallow water. Her crew is interned.
E 13 August 1945:
CD-57 and CD-36 return to Hokkaido.
15 August 1945:
Hokkaido. CD-57’s crew is notified of the termination of the war.
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.
26 October 1945:
Arrives at Tacloban. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
1 November 1945:
Departs Tacloban.
7 November 1945:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
19 November 1945:
Enters Mukojima Dockyard.
1 December 1945:
Formally assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service. [4]
11 December 1945:
Departs dockyard.
15 December 1945:
Departs Kure.
22 December 1945:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
25 December 1945:
Arrives at Palau and departs later that day.
6 January 1946:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
7 January 1946:
Enters Uraga dockyard for repairs.
10 February 1946:
Repairs are completed.
12 February 1946:
Departs Uraga.
17 February 1946:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
20 February 1946:
Arrives at Saipan and departs later the same day.
26 February 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
1 March 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
7 March 1946:
Enters dockyard at Sasebo for repairs.
6 April 1946:
Departs dockyard.
7 April 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
11 April 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
12 April 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
15 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
21 April 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
25 April 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
28 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
4 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
9 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
10 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
13 May 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
20 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
22 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
24 May 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
30 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
2 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
5 June 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
11 June 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
12 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
19 June 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
May 1948:
Scrapped.
Authors' Notes:
[1] TORYU MARU was sunk by USS RATON (SS-270).
[2] KASADO MARU was a former Russian ship. Under her original name KAZAN, she was attached to the Russian Baltic Fleet and captured in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War.
[3] RYUHO MARU No. 2’s crew remained interned the following two years. On 8 December 1947, the forty-nine men were landed at Hakodate, southern Hokkaido. RYUHO MARU No. 2's seizure was disclosed by her returning captain. Until then, the Japanese believed the ship had been sunk by aircraft attack.
[4] 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. Thanks also go to the late John Whitman of Virginia, USA for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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