© 2009-2019 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
27 November 1944:
Yokohama. Laid down at Tsurumi Ship Building, Ltd.
4-11 February 1945:
Crimea (now in Ukraine). At the Yalta Conference, held in the between the US, UK and the Soviet Union, Premier Josef Stalin agrees to attack Japan within 90 days after the defeat of Germany.
15 February 1945:
Launched and numbered CD-87.
8 May 1945: V-E Day:
Berlin. Germany surrenders unconditionally to the Allies.
20 May 1945:
Completed and registered in the IJN.
28 July 1945:
With CD-12 departs Sakata on an anti submarine sweep.
29 July 1945:
At 0635, detaches on a rescue mission.
1 August 1945:
Sea of Japan. CD-87 departs Fushiki for Rashin, NE Korea with kaibokan CD-150 escorting RASHIN, HORAI and HEIYU MARUs and two unidentified ships.
6 August 1945:
At 0815, Colonel (later Brig Gen) Paul W. Tibbetts’ B-29 "Superfortress", nicknamed "ENOLA GAY", of the 509th Composite Group, drops the 15-kiloton yield "Little Boy" uranium atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
That same day, the convoy arrives at Nanao and departs later for Unggi, NE Korea.
8 August 1945:
Moscow. The Soviet Union declares that from 9 August 1945, the Soviet Government will consider itself to be at war with Japan.
At 1405, LtCdr David B. Bell’s USS PARGO (SS-264) torpedoes and sinks RASHIN MARU at 41-15N, 131-19E. She takes down about 800 of about 1,500 troops she was carrying, mostly from the 1st Rocket Regiment. 35 of her crewmen are also KIA. The escorts counterattack and drop 35 DCs, but PARGO evades undamaged.
9 August 1945: Soviet Operation "August Storm":
Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky, CINC, Soviet Far East Forces, carrying out Stalin's pledge at Yalta, launches the invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria (Manchukuo). The attack is made by three Soviet army groups ("fronts") comprising 80 divisions of 1.5 million men.
Unggi (Yuki), North Korea. Beriev MBR-2 flying boats and Ilyushin IL-4 bombers attack the port. After dawn, Soviet Yakovlev Yak-9 fighters and IL-2 "Sturmovik" attack bombers of the 10th Dive Bomber Division and 12th Ground Attack Division attack again and damage CD-87.
15 August 1945:
Japan accepts the Allies “Potsdam Declaration” (of unconditional surrender) and hostilities cease.
5 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
10 October 1945:
Departs Sasebo on her first repatriation voyage.
15 October 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
20 October 1945:
Arrives at Kure.
10 November 1945:
Departs Sasebo.
15 November 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
16 November 1945:
Departs Manila.
22 November 1945:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers and departs later that day.
23 November 1945:
Arrives at Kure.
1 December 1945:
Officially assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service. [1]
5 December 1945:
Departs Kure.
13 December 1945:
Arrives at Manila. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
19 December 1945:
Departs Manila.
25 December 1945:
Arrives at Otaka. Disembarks troops and passengers.
7 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. Disembarks troops and passengers.
31 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 Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
11 February 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
12 February 1946:
Arrives at Kirun (Keelung).
14 February 1946:
Departs Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
16 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
19 February 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
22 February 1946:
Arrives at Keelung. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
23 February 1946:
Departs Kirun.
25 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
1 March 1946:
Drydocked at Kure for repairs.
24 March 1946:
Undocked. Repairs are completed.
27 March 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
28 March 1946:
Arrives at Keelung. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
29 March 1946:
Departs Kirun.
1 April 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
2 April 1946:
Departs Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
4 April 1946:
Arrives at Kirun. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
5 April 1946:
Departs Kirun.
6 April 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
8 April 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
10 April 1946:
Arrives at Kwaren (Hua Lien). Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
11 April 1946:
Departs Kwaren.
13 April 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
16 April 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
18 April 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
20 April 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
22 April 1946 :
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
26 April 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
1 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
3 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
6 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
11 May 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
13 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
15 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
17 May 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
19 May 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
21 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
22 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
24 May 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
1 June 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Maizuru dockyard.
15 June 1946:
Repairs are completed.
17 June 1946:
Departs Hakata.
20 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
21 June 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
24 June 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
21 July 1946:
Departs Kagoshima.
24 July 1946 :
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
31 July 1946:
Departs Korojima.
3 August 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 September 1946:
Departs Hakata.
8 September 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. 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:
Drydocked at Kure for repairs.
8 October 1946:
Undocked. Repairs are completed.
10 October 1946:
Departs Ujina.
13 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
16 October 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
22 October 1946:
Departs Ujina.
23 October 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
26 October 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 November 1946:
Departs Ujina.
8 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
11 November 1946:
Arrives at Kure.
15 November 1946:
Departs Ujina.
18 November 1946 :
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
19 November 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
22 November 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
4 July 1947:
Tsingtao, China. Ceded to the USA 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.
-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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