© 2007-2016 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 2
7 August 1944:
Laid down at Maizuru Navy Yard.
15 October 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-81.
15 December 1944:
CD-81 is commissioned and registered in the IJN. Attached to Maizuru Naval District. Lt Sakamoto Masanobu is the Commanding Officer.
29 January 1945:
At 0700 INAGI and CD-81 departs Kure. At 1530 the escorts arrive at Moji.
31 January 1945:
CD-81 departs Moji for Singapore with kaibokan INAGI and CD-66 escorting convoy HI-95 consisting of Type 2TL tankers AMATO and FUJISAN MARUs.
1 February 1945:
At 0100, arrives at Reisui (Yosu) Harbor, South Korea. Departs at 0700 that day.
6 February 1945:
At 1600 anchors at Lao Man Shan. Departs later that day.
7 February 1945:
At 0800, arrives and anchors at Yalang Bay, Hainan Island.
8 February 1945:
At 1700, departs Yalang Bay.
9 February 1945:
At 1700, arrives at Quinhon Bay, Indochina.
10 February 1945:
At 0730, departs Quinhon Bay. At 1700, arrives and anchors a Camranh Bay.
11 February 1945:
At 0730, departs Camranh Bay.
14 February 1945:
At 2002 arrives at Singapore.
22 February 1945:
At 1800 CD-81 departs Singapore for Moji with kaibokan INAGI and CD-66 escorting convoy HI-96 consisting of AMATO, MITSUSHIMA and FUJISAN MARUs.
27 February 1945:
Off Camranh Bay, Indochina. At 0035, LtCdr (later Cdr) William H. Hazzard’s (USNA ’35) USS BLENNY (SS-324) torpedoes and sinks tanker AMATO MARU at 11-56N, 109-18E with the loss of73 crewmen and 76 passengers.
28 February 1945:
Near Hainan Island. At 2025, a B-29 is spotted and air raid preparations are made by the convoy.
1 March 1945:
Hainan Strait. At 1430, an air attack by B-24 “Liberator” heavy bombers begins. On the third attack, at 1540, MITSUSHIMA MARU is damaged and forced to jettison 2,500 tons of crude. She is detached for repairs at Hong Kong escorted by CD-66. FUJISAN MARU, undamaged in the attacks, departs the area for Moji with CD-81 and kaibokan INAGI. At 2100 arrives at Howshui Wan.
3 March 1945:
At 0800 departs Howshui Wan. At 2000 arrives at Tien Pai Wan.
5 March 1945:
Departs Tien Pai Wan. At 2300 arrives off north coast of Wan Shan Island, Ladrone Islands.
6 March 1945:
At 0700 departs Wan Shan escorting FUJISAN MARU with INAGI.
7 March 1945:
At 2000 arrives at Amoy.
8 March 1945:
At 0630 departs Amoy.
10 March 1945:
At 1000, CD-81, INAGI and FUJISAN MARU arrive at Shushan Island.
11 March 1945:
Departs Ssu Chiao Shan (Shushan Island) at 0900. At 2000 arrives at Sinjin Do (Shinchi Do), Chosen.
12 March 1945:
At 0600 departs Sinjin Do and at 1800 arrives at Katoku Suido.
13 March 1945:
At 0500 departs Katoku Suido. At 1810, arrives at Moji.
14 March 1945:
At 1300 departs Moji and at 1900 arrives at Fukuoka Wan.
15 March 1945:
At 0600 departs Fukuoka Wan and at 1700 arrives at Sasebo. Undergoes repairs.
22 April 1945:
CD-81 is damaged by aircraft at 31-26N, 123-30E.
18 May 1945:
Off Cheju Do, Chosen (Korea). ENKYO MARU (ex-Italian cargo ship ENDERTA) is serving as the regular ferry to Reisui (Yosu) when it is attacked and sunk by two PB4Y’s “Liberator” heavy bombers of VPB-109 at 33-14N, 120-50E with the loss of 24 crewmen. CD-81 rescues about 2,400 passengers that were on board.
15 August 1945:
Japan accepts the Allies “Potsdam Declaration” (of unconditional surrender) and hostilities cease.
2 October 1945:
Departs Maizuru on her first repatriation voyage.
5 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
11 October 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
14 October 1945:
Departs Manila.
22 October 1945:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
8 November 1945:
Departs Saiki.
13 November 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
16 November 1945:
Departs Manila.
21 November 1945:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 December 1945:
Departs Kure.
1 December 1945:
Officially assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service. [1]
13 December 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
18 December 1945:
Departs Manila.
25 December 1945:
Arrives at Otaka. Disembarks troops and passengers.
27 December 1945:
Undergoes repairs at Kure.
5 January 1946:
Repairs are completed.
8 January 1946:
Departs Kure.
15 January 1946 :
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
23 January 1946:
Arrives at Kure.
29 January 1946:
Departs Kure.
1 February 1946:
Arrives at Takao. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
6 February 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
10 February 1946:
Enters drydock at Tamano for repairs.
10 March 1946:
Undocked. Repairs are completed.
18 March 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
20 March 1946:
Arrives at Kirun (Keelung). Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
23 March 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
25 March 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
28 March 1946 :
Arrives at Kwaren (Hua Lien). Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
1 April 1946:
Departs Kwaren.
4 April 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
8 April 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
10 April 1946:
Arrives at Kwaren. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
12 April 1946:
Departs Kwaren.
14 April 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
15 April 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
18 April 1946:
Arrives at Kwaren. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
20 April 1946:
Departs Kwaren.
23 April 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
25 April 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
27 April 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
4 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
7 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
12 May 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
15 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
16 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
18 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
23 May 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
25 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
26 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
28 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
4 June 1946:
Undergoes repairs at an unspecified location.
23 June 1946:
Repairs are completed.
17 July 1946:
Departs Hakata.
20 July 1946:
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
23 July 1946:
Departs Korojima.
26 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 August 1946:
Departs Hakata.
8 August 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
9 August 1946:
Departs Korojima.
12 August 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
23 August 1946:
Departs Hakata.
27 August 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
30 August 1946:
Departs Korojima.
1 September 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
10 September 1946:
Departs Hakata.
13 September 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
16 September 1946:
Departs Korojima.
19 September 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.
27 September 1946:
Enters drydock at Kure.
13 October 1946:
Repairs are completed.
14 October 1946:
Departs Ujina.
16 October 1946:
Arrives at Naze. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
18 October 1946 :
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
22 October 1946:
Departs Ujina.
25 October 1946:
Arrives at Naze. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
27 October 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
31 October 1946:
Departs Kure.
2 November 1946:
Arrives at Naze. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
4 November 1946:
Arrives at Kure.
5 November 1946:
Enters dockard at Kure for repairs.
14 November 1946:
Undocked. Repairs are completed.
22 November 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
23 November 1946:
Arrives at Naze. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later 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.
1 December 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
2 December 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
13 December 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
14 December 1946:
Arrives at Naze. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
15 December 1946:
Departs Naze.
17 December 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
29 August 1947:
Tsingtao. Ceded to the Nationalist Republic of China as a war reparation. Renamed MUKDEN. Later renamed HUANG AN.
1949:
Taken over by the Communist People’s Republic of China (PRC). Renamed SHENG YANG.
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 and Mr. Matt Jones of Ohio, USA.
-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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