© 2006-2019 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
Revision 6
15 October 1943:
Kobe. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard.
15 January 1944:
Launched and numbered CD-9.
10 March 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN.
25 March 1944:
Assigned to the General Escort Command’s First Surface Escort Division.
1 April 1944:
CD-9 departs Moji with escort carrier KAIYO, kaibokan IKI, ETOFORU, CD-8 and torpedo boat SAGI escorting convoy HI-57 consisting of oilers ITSUKUSHIMA, OTOWASAN, RYOEI and OMUROSAN MARUs, IJA landing craft depot ships SHINSHU and MAYASAN MARUsm transports SEIA, KINUGASA MARUs and probably one of tankers ZUIHO and SHINCHO MARUs.
2 April 1944:
The convoy encounters extremely severe weather and returns to Moji.
3 April 1944:
At 0600, the unchanged convoy departs Moji.
7 April 1944:
At 1450, arrives at Takao. HOKKAI MARU joins the convoy.
8 April 1944:
At 1000, departs Takao.
12 April 1944:
At 1930 arrives at Camranh Bay.
13 April 1944:
At 1200, departs Camranh Bay.
16 April 1944:
At 1240, arrives at Singapore.
21 April 1944:
At 0700, CD-9 departs Singapore with escort carrier KAIYO, kaibokan IKI, ETOFORU and CD-8 escorting convoy HI-58 consisting of oilers ITSUKUSHIMA, RYOEI, OMUROSAN and OTOWASAN MARUs, IJA landing craft depot ship SHINSHU MARU, and probably tanker ZUIHO MARU and IJA landing craft depot ship MAYASAN MARU.
3 May 1944:
HI-58 arrives at Moji.
13 May 1944:
At 0400, CD-9 departs Moji for Singapore with Rear Admiral, the Baron, Ijuin Matsuji’s (43)(former CO of KONGO) 1st Escort Convoy Command’s kaibokan IKI (F), MATSUWA and CD-15 escorting convoy HI-63 consisting of cargo liners/transports SANUKI, SANYO, AWA, TEIA (ex French ARAMIS), USSURI and NISSHO MARUs, IJA landing craft depot ships TAMATSU and KIBITSU MARUs, tankers KYOKUHO, RYOEI and OTOWASAN MARUs. SANUKI MARU and the other transports, except TAMATSU, KIBITSU and NISSHO MARUs, carry
troops bound for Burma.
18 May 1944:
At 1800, arrives at Manila. SANUKI, SANYO, AWA, TEIA (ex French ARAMIS), USSURI and NISSHO MARUs are detached. TAMATSU, KIBITSU and NISSHO MARUs are detached for Cagayan, Philippines.
20 May 1944:
At 2000, the remaining eight ships in HI-63 depart Manila with the same escort.
24 May 1944:
150 miles W of Sarawak, Borneo. At about 0220 (JST), LtCdr (later Cdr) James W. Davis' (USNA ’30) USS RATON (SS-270) torpedoes and sinks IKI. 160 sailors, including Rear Admiral Ijuin Matsuji (43) and IKI’s skipper Cdr Nakao Kusuo are KIA. 18 are rescued by ETOROFU. Ijuin is promoted Vice Admiral, posthumously. LtCdr Davis also torpedoes and lightly damages MATSUWA at 01-17N 107-53E. The rest of HI-63 escapes unscathed.
25 May 1944:
At 1130 IJN oilers RYOEI and KYOKUHO MARUs arrive at Singapore escorted by kaibokan MATSUWA.
27 May 1944:
At 2000 the remainder of the convoy arrives at Singapore escorted by CD-9 and CD-15
6 June 1944:
At 0730, CD-9 and kaibokan MATSUWA depart Singapore escorting convoy HI-64 consisting tankers OTOWASAN MARU and probably NIYO and EIYO MARUs and passenger ship TEIA MARU (ex-French liner ARAMIS).
15 June 1944:
At 0600, arrives at Moji.
23 June 1944:
CD-9 departs Moji for Miri Borneo with torpedo boats TOMOZURU and HATO, minelayer NUWAJIMA and auxiliary gunboats PEKING and KAZAN (HUASHAN) MARUs escorting convoy MI-09 consisting of SAIHO, SAINEI, CHILE, SHIOMOTSU, CHIYODA, SHUNTEN, SHIROUMA (HAKUBA), NORFOLK, KINRYO, KENSEI, UGA, KYOKUZAN, TATSUHARU, TEIKA (ex French CAP VARELLA), AMAHI, NATSUKAWA, EIYO, MISAKI, NIKKO, HIROTA, YOKO and KYOKUZAN MARUs, KYOEI MARU No.3, KYOEI MARU No.10 and two other unidentified merchant ships.
E 27 June 1944:
MISAKI, AMAHI and TEIKA (Ex French CAP VARELLA) MARUs with NUWAJIMA are detached and later that day arrive at Kirun.
29 June 1944:
At 1300, arrives at Takao. YOKO MARU is detached.
30 June 1944:
At 1300, departs Takao.
3 July 1944:
At 2000, arrives at Manila. CD-9 is detached.
15 July 1944:
CD-9 and torpedo boat HATO depart Miri escorting convoy MISHI-05 consisting of NORFOLK, UGA, KENSEI (Ex British HIN SANG) and KINRYO MARUs and one unidentified merchant ship.
19 July 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
24 July 1944:
At 0730, CD-9 departs Singapore for Moji via Manila with torpedo boat HATO escorting convoy SHIMA-02 consisting of TENSHIN, HINAGA, SHINEI, KENEI and SIBERIA MARUs, SHINSEI MARU No.17 and five unidentified merchant ships.
31 July 1944:
At 2103, LtCdr (later Cdr) Lowell T. Stone's (USNA ’29) USS LAPON (SS-269) torpedoes and sinks TENSHIN MARU loaded with avgas, five men are blown overboard (two crewmen, two IJN troops, one IJA troop) and all other 44 crewmen are KIA, at 08-51N, 116-46E and also torpedoes and damages HINAGA MARU.
3 August 1944:
At 1442, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message that reads:“HIJUN MARU while proceeding north in SIMA-02 received a torpedo attack (amidships) at ---- on 31st in position 08-51N, 116-45E and was subsequently lost touch with. CD-9 searched for her until noon on the 2nd but was not (seen?)
5 August 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
8 August 1944:
CD-9 departs Manila with kaibokan CD-5, CD-6 and CD-16, MATSUWA and YASHIRO and subchaser CH-58 escorting convoy MATA-26 consisting of TAKETSU (BUTSU), IKOMASAN, KENEI, SHINEI, HINAGA, KACHOSAN, AKISHIMA, RASHIN, ASAKA MARUs and twelve other unidentified merchant ships.
14 August 1944:
In the eye of a major typhoon, war built tanker TAKETSU (BUTSU) MARU breaks up, though whether a result of the weather or a drifting mine is unclear. Ikomasan IKOMASAN and ASAKA MARUs are both stranded on islands in the Bashi Island Group, North of Luzon. Both are later refloated.
17 August 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
20 August 1944:
CD-9 departs Keelung with kaibokan CD-5, CD-6, CD-18, subchaser CH-58 and auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU escorting convoy TAMO-23 consisting of KIYOKAWA, TETSUYO, SHINFUKU, NIKKO, MATSUMOTO MARUs and TONAN MARU No. 2 and eight unidentified merchant ships.
22 August 1944:
LtCdr (later Admiral/CINCPACFLT) Bernard A. Clarey’s (USNA ’35) USS PINTADO (SS-387) torpedoes and sinks tanker TONAN MARU No. 2 at 29-53N, 125-9E. Four crewmen are KIA.
26 August 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
11 September 1944:
At 1500, CD-9 departs Moji for Takao with destroyer HARUKAZE, kaibokan CD-26 and subchaser CH-56 escorting convoy MOTA-26 consisting of GASSAN, SEIZAN, HAKUSAN, HOTEN, MURORAN, MANILA, MACASSAR, DAIKU, DAIKYO, NANKING, FUYUKAWA, PEKING, DAIZEN, HIDA, ROKKOSAN and JUNHO MARUs and NICHIYU MARU No.2, and tanker DAISHO MARU.
16 September 1944:
GASSAN, SEIZAN and HAKUSAN MARUs split from the convoy and later that day arrive at Keelung.
17 September 1944:
At 1300, arrives at Takao.
25 September 1944:
At 1400, departs Takao with destroyer HARUKAZE, kaibokan CD-6, CD-9, CD-16 subchaser CH-56 and stores ship KURASAKI escorting convoy TAMA-27 consisting of DAIBIN, MANILA, DAIKYO, SAN DIEGO MARUs, very likely DAIIKU, SHUNSHO MARUs and NICHIYU MARU No. 2 and four unidentified merchant ships.
30 September 1944:
An enemy submarine contact is made.
3 October 1944:
Arrives at Masinloc.
4 October 1944:
At 0630, departs Masinloc. At 0855, Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Rueben T. Whitaker's (USNA ’34) USS FLASHER (SS-249) torpedoes and sinks DAIBIN MARU, which had detached with KURASAKI, at 15-15N, 119-50E. The ship is carrying 3 large corps of 612 base construction men of whom 68, as well as 8 out of 33 passengers and 34 of the crew are KIA. Late that day, the remaining ships arrive at Manila.
12 October 1944:
At 1600 CD-9 and kaibokan TSUSHIMA departs Singapore in convoy HI-76A consisting of TEIRITSU MARU (ex French LECONTE DE LISLE) and three unidentified merchant ships.
15 October 1944:
At 2000 arrives at St Jacques. TEIRITSU MARU and TSUSHIMA are both detached and sail upriver to Saigon. CD-9 is detached, possibly also to go to Saigon, but later rejoins the convoy together with TSUSHIMA.
22 October 1944:
The convoy now strengthened by additional kaibokan escorts DAITO, CD-16 and CD-28 departs St Jacques.
26 October 1944:
At 2016 an enemy submarine is sighted at 20.19N 114.26E.
27 October 1944:
At 1345 an enemy submarine is sighted at 20.42N 114.34E. Soon after DAITO is likely detached.
2 November 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
10 November 1944:
At 1530, CD-9 departs Miike for Manila with kaibokan CD-8, CD-28, CD-54, auxiliary subchasers CHa-24 and an unidentified warship escorting convoy MOMA-07 consisting of KENJO, NARUO, GYOKUKO, JINYO, FUKUYO, TATSUAKI (TATSUSHO), MINO, SHIROUMA (HAKUBA), MIHO and SHINFUKU MARUs and KONAN MARU No. 1.
11 November 1944:
Near Cape Ose Sea, Goto Archipelago. At 0906, Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Charles E. Loughlin’s (USNA ’33) USS QUEENFISH (SS-393) fires four torpedoes and hits MIHO MARU in the bow. Unable to keep up with the convoy, she heads for Sasebo. The escorts drop 55 depth-charges on USS QUEENFISH, but she remains undamaged.
12 November 1944:
400 kilometers SW of Nagasaki. At 0420, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral/MOH) Eugene B. Fluckey’s (USNA ’35) USS BARB (SS-220) torpedoes NARUO and GYOKUYO MARUs at 31-30N 125-57E. NARUO MARU, hit by one or more torpedoes, blows up and sinks instantly. She was carrying 20,000 shells and army troops. 72 crewmen, 131 gunners & 490 troops are KIA.
GYOKUYO MARU is hit by a torpedo in the engine spaces. She goes dead in the water and begins to drift. Later, JINYO MARU attempts to tow the cripple, but the towline parts. The passengers are to transfered to other ships. The escorts drop seven depth-charges on BARB and she suffers slight damage.
At about 0620, LtCdr Robert H. Caldwell’s (USNA ’36) USS PETO (SS-265) torpedoes TATSUAKI MARU at 31-46N, 125-40E. One strikes No. 2 hold, a huge explosion occurs and she lists over, then explodes. The IJA transport was carrying passengers (naval recruits). 65 crewmen, 20 gunners and 125 soldiers of the 18th Sea Raiding Battalion, the 19th Division, and Southern Army headquarters are KIA. JINYO MARU rushes to the area where the attack came from and drops depth-charges.
13 November 1944:
At 0950, arrives at the Shushan Islands, E of Shanghai.
14 November 1944:
155 miles E of Shanghai. About midnight, LtCdr Gordon W. Underwood’s (USNA ‘32) USS SPADEFISH (SS-411) fires five torpedoes by radar bearings at GYOKUYO MARU being towed by kaibokan CD-8 towards Shanghai. Hit by several torpedoes, GYOKUYO MARU sinks at 31-04N, 125-58E. Casualties are unknown, but most passengers and crew had been taken off before the sinking.
19 November 1944:
At 1200, the convoy arrives at Takao, Formosa and is dissolved.
24 November 1944:
Mako, Pescadores. CD-9 arrives at Mako.
27 November 1944:
CD-9 departs Mako for Singapore with kaibokan CD-61, KUME, ETOROFU and escort destroyer KASHI escorting convoy HI-81 now consisting of ARITA, HASHIDATE, OTOWASAN and TAIHO MARUs.
4 December 1944:
HI-81 arrives at Singapore.
10 December 1944:
Reassigned to the First Escort Fleet. That same day departs Singapore with torpedo boat KARI escorting NICHIEI MARU to Camranh Bay. At some point CD-9 is detached.
12 December 1944:
At 1600, CD-9 departs Singapore with kaibokan ETOROFU, SHONAN and KUME escorting convoy HI-82 consisting of tankers OTOWASAN, OMUROSAN, ARITA, PALEMBANG and HASHIDATE MARUs.
17 December 1944:
Arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.
19 December 1944:
Departs Camranh Bay.
22 December 1944:
At 0550, OTOWASAN MARU (62 crewmen, 56 soldiers and one passenger KIA), OMUROSAN MARU (two crewmen KIA) and ARITA MARU (57 crewmen KIA) are all torpedoed by LtCdr (later Captain) George W. Grider's USS FLASHER (SS-249). All three burst into flames and sink at 15-02N, 109-08E.
24 December 1944:
At 0900, the surviving ships arrive at Takao. CD-9 and CD-19 are detached.
9 January 1945:
Aircraft of Vice Admiral (Admiral posthumously) John S. McCain’s Sr. (USNA '06) Task Force 38 support the landings at Lingayen Gulf, Philippines with attacks on Formosa. Off Saei (Tsoying), they damage CD-9, CD-13, and CD-60.
3 February 1945:
CD-9 and kaibokan AGUNI and CD-18 depart Hong Kong escorting convoy HOMO-01 consisting of five unidentified merchant ships.
7 February 1945:
On that day, FRUMEL provides the following information:
"Coast Defence Ship No. 9 left (sic) Takao on 9th and will proceed as follows:
10 February, 2200 – 21.58N, 120.20E;
11th February a.m. – arrive at Takao."
14 February 1945:
Yellow Sea. W of Cheju (Quelpart) Island, Korea. At about 2100, LtCdr (later Cdr) Richard M. Farrell’s (USNA ’35) USS GATO (SS-212) makes a night surface attack. Farrell fires four torpedoes by radar bearings and gets two hits that sink CD-9 at 32-43N, 125-37E.
4 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro and Mr. Motoyuki Iwashige of Japan and Mr. Gilbert Casse of France. Thanks also go to John Whitman for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages and to Hans Mcilveen of the Netherlands for info on FRUMEL intercepts.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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