© 2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
6 November 1944:
Tsurumi, Yokohama. Laid down at Nippon Kokan K. K.'s shipyard.
30 December 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-79.
6 May 1945:
Completed and registered in the IJN.
15 August 1945:
Japan accepts the Allies “Potsdam Declaration” (of unconditional surrender) and hostilities cease.
25 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
13 October 1945:
Departs Maizuru 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.
27 October 1945:
Departs Tacloban
6 November 1945:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
17 November 1945:
Docked at Innoshima for repairs.
26 November 1945:
Repairs are completed.
1 December 1945:
Formally assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service. [1]
10 December 1945:
Departs Kure.
16 December 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
20 December 1945:
Departs Manila.
26 December 1945:
Arrives at Otaka. Disembarks troops and passengers.
28 December 1945:
Undergoes repairs at Kure.
26 January 1946:
Repairs are completed.
31 January 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
5 February 1946:
Arrives at Amoy. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
7 February 1946:
Departs Amoy.
11 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
13 February 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
15 February 1946:
Arrives at Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
16 February 1946:
Departs Kirun.
18 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
21 February 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
23 February 1946:
Arrives at Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
24 February 1946:
Departs Kirun.
26 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
1 March 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
3 March 1946:
Arrives at Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
4 March 1946:
Departs Kirun.
7 March 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
8 March 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
10 March 1946:
Arrives at Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
11 March 1945:
Departs Kirun.
15 March 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
28 March 1946:
Enters Tamano dockyard for repairs.
20 April 1946:
Repairs are partly completed, transfers to Kitakami Dockyard.
25 April 1946:
Enters Kitakami Dockyard for further repairs.
1 May 1946:
Repairs are completed.
2 May 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
4 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
9 May 1946 :
Departs Shanghai.
11 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
17 May 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
19 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
23 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
25 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
26 May 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
28 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
31 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
2 June 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
5 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
8 June 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
11 June 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
12 June 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
14 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai and departs later the same day.
17 June 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
27 June 1946:
Arrives at at Tamano dockyard for further repairs.
10 July 1946:
Repairs are completed.
16 August 1946:
Departs Kure.
19 August 1946:
Arrives at Tokuyama. Refuels and departs later the same day.
21 August 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.
8 September 1946:
Departs Hakata.
11 September 1946:
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
13 September 1946:
Departs Korojima.
16 September 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
24 September 1946:
Departs Hakata.
27 September 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
28 September 1946:
Departs Korojima.
2 October 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
13 October 1946:
Departs Hakata.
16 October 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
18 October 1946:
Departs Korojima.
21 October 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
3 November 1946:
Departs Kagoshima
6 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
9 November 1946:
Arrives at Kure.
13 November 1946:
Enters the dockyard at Kure for repairs.
16 November 1946:
Repairs are completed.
22 November 1946:
Departs Kure.
25 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
28 November 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
18 June 1947:
Dai-ichi Building, Tokyo. Japanese warships are to be divided into four roughly equal lots among the "Big Four" victorious nations (i.e. U.S., U.K., USSR, China). Vice Admiral Robert M. Griffin, commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Far East, conducts the first drawing of lots that includes a total of 24 destroyers and 68 kaibokan. The Soviet Union is allotted 34 former IJN warships, including 7 destroyers and 17 escort vessels.
28 August 1947:
Nakhodka Bay, Siberia, Maritime Province. CH-79 is ceded to the Soviet Navy as a war reparation.
Late October 1947:
Transferred to Vladivostok.
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.
-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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