Japanese Subchasers

KUSENTEI!

IJN Subchaser CH-14: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2005-2016 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

Revision 6

6 June 1940:
Okajima. Laid down at Tama Shipbuilding's yard.
29 November 1940:
Launched and numbered CH-14.
31 March 1941:
Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District.
7 December 1941: Operation "M" - The Invasion of the Northern Philippines:
CH-14 is in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kubo Kyuji’s (38) (former CO of KAGA) 1st Base Force of Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo’s (35)(former CO of YAMASHIRO) Third Fleet. CH-14 is attached to Takahashi's Philippines Seizure Force in Cdr Nakamura's SubChasDiv 2 with CH-13 and CH-15. At 1630, departs Mako, Pescadores.
10 December 1941:
Beginning at 0550, participates in the landings at Aparri, Philippines. Led by Rear Admiral Hara Kezaburo (37) in Light Cruiser NATORI with destroyers ASAKAZE, HARUKAZE, HATAKAZE, MATSUKAZE (Desdiv 5), FUMITSUKI, MINATSUKI, NAGATSUKI and SATSUKI (DesDIv 22), minesweepers W-15, W-16 and W-19 (MineSweepDiv 11), auxiliary gunboats MANYO, TOMITSU and TAIKO MARUs (GunboatDiv 2) and subchasers CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15 (SubChaseDiv 2). CH-1 is in SubChaseDiv 1 consisting of CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3. The aircraft transport KEIYO MARU and five transports make up the landing force.
12 December 1941:
At 1800 departs Aparri with CH-13 and CH-15.
14 December 1941:
At 1130 arrives at Takao.
18 December 1941:
At 1400 departs Takao with CH-13 and CH-15.
24 December 1941:
With the Lamon Bay, Philippines invasion force. Arrives there at 0330.
28 December 1941:
At 1310 departs Lamon Bay with CH-15.
1 January 1942:
At 1130 CH-14 and CH-15 arrive at Davao.
6 January 1942:
At 1400 departs Davao with CH-15. Later at 1500 arrives Malalag Bay
7 January 1942:
At 1600 departs with CH-15 and at 1700 arrives at Malalag Bay.
9 January 1942:
At 0400 departs Malalag Bay with CH-13 and CH-15 on an anti submarine sweep.
13 January 1942:
At 1300 CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15 arrive at Davao. At 1700 CH-14 departs port.
16 January 1942:
CH-14 alone arrives at Banka.
22 January 1942:
At 1600 CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15 depart Banka.
24 January 1942:
At 0200 all arrive at Kendari.
27 January 1942:
At 1330 CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15 depart Kendari.
29 January 1942:
At 1530 all arrive back at Banka.
3 February 1942:
At 1000 CH-14 departs Banka and meets up with with survey ship TSUKUSHI, minelayer AOTAKA, submarine chaser CH-3, patrol boat PB-2, IKUSHIMA, MATSUE, MONTEVIDEO, SAN CLEMENTE and YAMASHIMO MARUs that have departed the previous day. IKUSHIMA MARU carries 5th and 6th construction units.
4 February 1942:
At 0637, the main convoy arrives at Kendari.
5 February 1942:
At 2000 CH-14 arrives at Kendari.
6 February 1942: The Invasion of Makassar, Celebes:
At 2100 SubChasDiv 2’s CH-14 and CH-15 depart Staring Bay with the Makassar Occupation Force consisting of six troop transports carrying Captain (later Vice Admiral) Mori Kunizo’s (40) Sasebo Combined Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) escorted by light cruiser NAGARA, DesDiv 8’s ASASHIO, MICHISHIO, ARASHIO and OSHIO, DesDiv 15’s HAYASHIO, KUROSHIO, OYASHIO and NATSUSHIO, DesDiv 21’s WAKABA, HATSUSHIMO and NENOHI and MineSweepDiv 21’s W-7 and W-8.
9 February 1942:
At 0400 CH-14 and CH-15 arrive at Makassar.
16 February 1942:
At 0730 CH-14 and CH-15 depart Makassar.
18 February 1942:
At 1010 CH-14 and CH-15 arrive at Balikpapan.
20 February 1942:
At 1700 CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15 depart Balikpapan.
22 February 1942:
At 1140 arrives at Makassar.
23 February 1942:
At 1700 all depart Makassar.
25 February 1942:
At 0800 all arrive at Bali Island.
10 March 1942:
Assigned to Vice Admiral Takahashi's Southwest Area Fleet's newly formed Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet in Special Base Force 21. CH-14 escorts convoys to Batavia, Java.
15 May 1942:
Reassigned to the Yokosuka Guard Unit. Escorts convoys to Shimoda and Nagaura.
28 May 1942:
At 1310 CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15 arrives at Nagaura.
30 May 1942:
At 0800 CH-13 and CH-14 depart Nagaura.
28 June 1942:
SE of Tateyama, Honshu. At 1521 LtCdr William H. Brockman, Jr.'s USS NAUTILUS (SS-168) likely attacks seaplane tender CHIYODA, escorted by CH-13, CH-14 and minelayer UKISHIMA, but misses with three torpedoes (two wakes were sighted at 1525). UKISHIMA counterattacks with depth charges in position 34-34N, 140-13E.
W-17 and destroyer KAGERO arrive next and join the hunt. As a result of the damage received during these attacks USS NAUTILUS is forced to terminate her patrol and return to Pearl Harbor for repairs. [1]
20 July 1942:
Reassigned to SubChasDiv 5 in Vice Admiral Hosagaya Boshiro's (36) (former CO of MUTSU) Fifth Fleet based at Ominato, Northern Honshu.
27 July 1942:
At 0800 CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15 depart Yokosuka for Tokyo Bay and depart there at 1500.
29 July 1942:
At 1300 CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15 arrive back at Yokosuka.
August 1942:
Arrives at Kiska, Aleutians.
11 September 1942:
CH-13, CH-14 and CH-15 depart Kiska.
15 September 1942:
At 0900 the escorts arrive at Paramushiro.
23 September 1942:
At 0800 CH-14 departs Paramushiro.
27 September 1942:
At 0830 arrives at Kushiro.
28 September 1942:
At 1000 departs Kushiro.
29 September 1942:
Arrives at Nagaura.
10 October 1942:
Trout Lagoon, Kiska. CH-14 is damaged in a raid by USAAF Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" and Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" heavy bombers accompanied by Lockheed P-38 "Lightning" fighters.
20 November 1942:
Reassigned to the Yokosuka Guard Unit for the second time. Based at Toba. Escorts convoys.
13 January 1943:
CH-14 departs Yokosuka escorting convoy No. 7113B consisting of HINKO, SEINAN, KANSEISHI, KOGEN, CHOYO, TAMAHIME, CEYLON and SEIWA MARUs. The convoy heads down the Honshu coast towards the Inland Sea.
1 March 1943:
At 1200 the transport KENSHO MARU runs aground off Omaezaki. CH-14 and auxiliary netlayer KASHI MARU are detailed to assist.
10 May 1943:
Reassigned to the Fifth Fleet for the second time. Escorts convoys to the Kuriles.
15 June 1943:
Reassigned with CH-15, CH-35 and CH-35 to the Osaka Naval Guard District. Proior to departure undertakes patrols in the Paramushiro Island area.
19 June 1943:
Ceases patrols off Paramushiro.
Late June 1943:
Returns to the Yokosuka Guard Unit. Escorts convoys to Chichi Jima and Saipan.

23 September 1943:
At 1650 departs Chichi Juma with auxiliary submarune chaser SEKI MARU No. 2 to assist convoy No. 3721 that has been attacked by USS TROUT with YASAMSHIRO and RYOTOKU MARUs torpedoed and sunk.
3 March 1944:
At 1007 CH-14 and CH-51 depart Chichi Jima.
6 March 1944:
At 1130, convoy No. 4304 consisting of URAKAMI, SHIRANE, JUZAN and AWAJI MARUs also escorted by kaibokan AMAKUSA and MIKURA, minesweeper W-21 and subchaser CH-33 departs Truk.
E 7 March 1944:
Submarine Chasers CH-14 and CH-51 join as additional escorts.
10 March 1944:
At 1222, arrives at Saipan. Late March 1944:
Owase. Escorts convoys in the Kumano Nada and Mie prefecture area.
20 May 1944:
Reassigned to the 3rd Surface Escort Division at Yokosuka.
13 June 1944:
Patrol boat PB-46 and CH-14 depart Tateyama escorting auxiliary cruiser GOKOKU MARU. Later that day arrives at Owase.
14 June 1944:
CH-14 and destroyer SAWAKAZE departs Owase escorting auxiliary cruiser GOKOKU MARU.
17 July 1944:
Escorts the auxiliary cruiser NOSHIRO MARU from Yokosuka to Tateyama.
29 October 1944:
Together with auxiliary subchaser CHa-57 escorts convoy 7027 off Honshu Coast consisting of tanker NANKO MARU No. 12 and possibly others.
5 April 1945:
Reassigned to the 4th Special Attack Squadron at Yokosuka.
28 July 1945:
Owase. Attacked by aircraft from Vice Admiral (Admiral posthumously) John S. McCain's (USNA ’06) (former CO of USS RANGER, CV-4) Task Force 38 and beached in shallow water at 34-05E, 136-15E. Stranded there until war's end.
30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
1945:
Scrapped.
Author's Note:
[1] Kimata identifies target as the tanker CHIYODA MARU but this ship was only completed in March 1943. LtCdr Brockman (USS NAUTILUS) claimed an attack on a 3 funnelled cruiser which is consistent with a misidentification of seaplane tender CHIYODA, the extra two funnels being the pillars supporting the vessel's crane machinery.

Special thanks to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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