KUSENTEI!

IJN Subchaser CH-58: Tabular Record of Movement

© 2008-2018 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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5 June 1943:
Niigata Laid down at the Niigata Iron Works shipyard as subchaser No. 458.

30 August 1943:
Numbered CH-58. Tentatively attached to Kure Naval District.

30 October 1943:
Launched.

26 January 1944:
Completed and registered in the IJN in the Kure Naval District. Attached to the Kure Guard Force.

February 1944:
Transferred in the 18th squadron of destroyers and mine-laying areas of Amami Oshima, engaged in escort.

9 February 1944:
At 0420 departs Sasebo.

10 February 1944:
At 1605 arrives at Yamakawa.

11 February 1944:
At 1207 departs Yamakawa.

12 February 1944:
At 1110 arrives at Sasebo with minelayer TAKASHIMA.

13 February 1944:
At 0910 depart Sasebo and at 1740 arrives at Ebisu Wan.

17 February 1944:
At 1202 departs Ebisu Wan.

20 February 1944:
At 1030 arrives at Sasebo.

25 February 1944:
At 0855 departs Sasebo and at 1705 arrives at Karatsu.

26 February 1944:
At 0825 departs Karatsau and at 1450 arrives at Mutsure.

27 February 1944:
At 0405 departs Mutsure and at 1640 arrives at Sasebo.

3 March 1944:
At 1355 departs Sasebo and at 1445 arrives at Ebisu Wan.

4 March 1943:
Departs Ebisu Wan briefly at 0610, returning at 0835.

6 March 1944:
At 0600 departs Ebisu Wan and at 1903 arrives in the Terajima Straits.

7 March 1944:
At 0700 departs the Terajima Straits and at 0828 arrives at Sasebo. At 1553 departs Sasebo, and arrives at 1620 at Ebisu Wan.

12 March 1944:
At 0610 departs Ebisu Wan.

14 March 1944:
At 2013 arrives back at Ebisu Wan.

15 March 1944:
At 0800 departs Ebisu Wan and at 0855 arrives at Sasebo.

17 March 1944:
At 1007 departs Sasebo briefly, before returning at 1429.

22 March 1944:
At 1642 departs Sasebo and at 1715 arrives at Ebisu Wan.

23 March 1944:
At 0657 departs Ebisu Wan.

25 March 1944:
At 1750 arrives at Sasebo.

26 March 1944:
At 1652 departs Sasebo.

27 March 1944:
At 1135 arrives at Kagoshima.

28 March 1944:
At 0545 departs Kagoshima.

29 March 1944:
At 1607 arrives at Seso.

31 March 1944:
At 0900 departs Seso and at 0930 arrives at Koniya.

9 April 1944:
At 0000 departs Koniya escorting a convoy consisting of NICHIRIN (ex British MATA HARI), TOYOSAKA MARUs and HIYOSHI MARU No. 2 GO. The convoy sails at 9 knots.

10 April 1944:
CH-58 is reassigned to the Fourth Surface Escort Division, Sasebo Naval District. That same day arrives at Sasebo, TOYOSAKA MARU having being detached for Miike.

17 April 1944:
TOKIWA, SAIGON MARU, SHINKO MARU and KOEI MARU depart Ebisu Wan escorted by torpedo boat TOMOZURU, minelayer TAKASHIMA, minesweeper W-15, patrol boat KAII and submarine chaser CH-58 and later that day arrive at Terajima Retto.

20 April 1944:
The ships all depart Terajima Retto.

24 April 1944:
Arrives at Kirun (Keelung), Formosa (Taiwan).

7 May 1944:
At 1352 minesweeper W-15 meets up with MAMIYA that has been damaged by USS SPEARFISH in 33-18N 127-11E while part of convoy TAMO-18. At 1530 submarine chaser KAII commences towing MAMIYA and kaibokan FUKUE, CD-2, minelayer TAKASHIMA, submarine chaser CH-58 and auxiliary submarine chaser CHOUN MARU No. 16 all escort the ship.

8 May 1944:
At 1225 arrives at Sasebo.

11 May 1944:
The 18th Squadron consisting of TAKASHIMA, TOKIWA (F), armed merchant cruiser SAIGON MARU and auxiliary minelayers KOEI and SHINKO MARUs and torpedo boat TOMOZURU, subchaser CH-58 and patrol boat KAII as escorts, depart Sasebo.

16 May 1944:
Arrive at Kirun.

19 May 1944:
Departs Kirun with minelayers TOKIWA, SAIGON MARU KOEI MARU and SHINKO MARU also escorted by minelayer TAKASHIMA.

22 May 1944:
Arrives at Shimonoseki. TOKIWA and SAIGON MARU and the escorts are detached.

26 May 1944:
Departs Kobe. KOEI MARU and escort submarine chaser CH-58 join en route.

27 May 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo.

Early June 1944:
Escorts oil supply convoys between Tawi Tawi, Philippines and Tarakan, Borneo.

11 June 1944:
CH-58 departs Takao with kaibokan KASADO, auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU and auxiliary subchaser CHa-90 escorting convoy TAMO-20A consisting of 10 unidentified merchant ships.

17 June 1944:
Arrives at Moji.

19-20 June 1944:
CH-58, torpedo boat TOMOZURU and patrol boat KAII provide escort for the 18th Escort Squadron consisting of minelayer TOKIWA (F), armed merchant cruiser SAIGON MARU, small minelayer TAKASHIMA, auxiliary minelayers KOEI and SHINKO MARUs that lay 1,650 mines off Okinawa.

26 June 1944:
Departs Guimaras Bay in convoy with tanker YUHO MARU escorted by destroyer TSUGA, kaibokan KANJU and MIYAKE and submarine chasers CH-38, CH-49 and CH-58.

27 June 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga, Philippines. CH-38 is apparently detached.

28 June 1944:
Departs Zamboanga still in convoy.

30 June 1944:
Arrives at Tawi Tawi.

1 July 1944:
Departs Tawi Tawi still in convoy with tankers EIHO MARU and TSURUMI joining at this point. Later that day, anchors in Ligitan Channel.

2 July 1944:
Departs Ligitan Channel. Later that day, anchors off Tarakan. TSUGA is detached. TETSUYO MARU joins.

3 July 1944:
Arrives at Berouw River mouth. TETSUYO MARU runs aground and is detached. The ship later refloat herself and returns to Tarakan.

4 July 1944:
Departs the Berouw River mouth.

5 July 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.

10 July 1944:
CH-58 departs Balikpapan in convoy with tankers YUHO, MANEI and EIHO MARUs, and TSURUMI also escorted by kaibokan KANJU and MIYAKE and submarine chasers CH-38 and CH-49.

11 July 1944:
Arrives at the Berouw River mouth. ANKO and TATSUMATSU MARUs and tanker HISHI MARU No. 2 join the convoy.

12 July 1944:
Departs the Berouw River mouth. Later that day, anchors off Tarakan.

13 July 1944:
Departs Tarakan. Arrives at the Ligitan Channel.

14 July 1944:
Departs the Ligitan Channel. Later that day, arrives at Tawi Tawi.

15 July 1944:
Departs Tawi Tawi. Later that day, arrives at Jolo, Philippines. TSURUMI, TATSUMATSU and ANKO MARUs and HISHI MARU No. 2 are detached.

16 July 1944:
Departs Jolo. Later that day, arrives at Zamboanga, Philippines.

18 July 1944:
At 0541 departs Zamboanga escorting tankers TSURUMI and HISHI MARU No. 2 also escorted by minesweeper W-30, submarine chaser CH-49 and auxiliary netlayer TOKO MARU No 1 GO. At 1925 arrives at Malusu Bay, Basilan Island.

19 July 1944:
At 0600 departs Malusu Bay and at 1832 arrives at Lebak Bay.

20 July 1944:
At 0552 departs Lebak Bay and at 1653 arrives at Glan.

21 July 1944:
At 0457 departs Glan and at 1905 arrives at Malalag.

22 July 1944:
At 0624 departs Malalag and at 1048 arrives at Davao.

25 July 1944:
At 0155, CH-58 departs Davao for Zamboanga, Philippines with kaibokan CD-6 and CD-16, minesweeper W-30, subchaser CH-49, auxiliary subchaser KYO MARU No. 12, auxiliary netlayer TOKACHI MARU, auxiliaries TOKO MARU and HIYODORI MARU No. 2 escorting convoy Z-258 consisting of AZUCHISAN, OYO, TATSUHARU, RYUKA and KITAGAMI MARUs and HISHI MARU No. 2, KYOEI MARU No. 2 and LST No. 127. The convoy is provided air cover.

At 1452 a patrol plane drops bombs 140 degrees to starboard and CH-49 is despatched to the attack site.

27 July 1944:
At about 0100, LtCdr (later Captain) Bladen D. Claggett's (USNA ’35) USS DACE (SS-247) attacks the convoy and sinks tanker KYOEI MARU No. 2. Five crewmen are KIA. At about 1400, the convoy is attacked by aircraft in the Pilas Channel, but suffers no damage. At 1830, the convoy arrives at Zamboanga.

28 July 1944:
CH-58 and CH-49 depart Zamboanga with kaibokan CD-6 and CD-16 escorting convoy C-294 consisting of four unidentified merchant ships.

31 July 11944:
Arrives at Cebu.

8 August 1944:
At 0200 CH-58 departs Manila with kaibokan MATSUWA, YASHIRO, CD-5, CD-6, CD-9 and CD-16 escorting convoy MATA-26 consisting of TAKETSU (BUTSU), IKOMASAN, SHINEI, HINAGA, ASAKA, KACHOSAN, KENEI, AKISHIMA, RASHIN and ASAKA MARUs and twelve other unidentified merchant ships.

10 August 1944:
At 1029 SHINEI MARU is torpedoed and sunk off Cape Bolinao in 16-15N 119-45E by USS GUITARRO. Soon after Minesweepers W-38 and W-39 arrived to bolster the escort.

12 August 1944:
YASHIRO assists KACHOSAN MARU from the convoy.

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. Eight crewmen are KIA and the cargo of crude oil is lost. 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:
At 0515 CH-58 departs Keelung with kaibokan CD-5, CD-6, CD-9, CD-16, and Auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU escorting convoy TAMO-23 consisting of KIYOKAWA, NIKKO, MATSUMOTO, SHINFUKU, TETSUYO and SHINFUKU MARUs and TONAN MARU No. 2 and seven unidentified merchant ships.

22 August 1944:
At 1955 LtCdr (later Admiral/CINCPACFLT) Bernard A. Clarey’s (USNA ’34) USS PINTADO (SS-387) torpedoes and sinks TONAN MARU No. 2 at 29-53N, 125-9E. Four crewmen are KIA.

26 August 1944:
Arrives at Moji.

18 September 1944:
CH-58 departs Sasebo for Naha, Okinawa escorting sub tender JINGEI towing a Type C midget submarine. JINGEI is also and carrying the midget submarine's crew, Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) troops (rikusentai) and supply materials.The midget submarine is probably slated to be based at Unten Bay, N Okinawa.

19 September 1944:
81 nautical miles NW of Okinawa. Alerted by a code-breakers ULTRA message from COMSUBPAC, LtCdr Frederick A. Gunn’s (USNA '34) USS SCABBARDFISH (SS-397) intercepts JINGEI. Gunn sets up and fires four torpedoes. At 0915, two torpedoes hit JINGEI starboardside in her bow at 27-35N, 127-07E. JINGEI engine room, No. 2 and No. 3 boiler rooms and generator room flood. She goes dead in the water, unnavigable, with her bow almost under water.

LtCdr Gunn fires a spread of torpedoes "down the throat" at counterattacking CH-58, that he misidentifies as a “CHIDORI-class” escort, but misses. For the next three hours, SCABBARDFISH undergoes a depth charge attack, but suffers no damage.

That same day, sister sub tender CHOGEI escorted by KAII (ex-IJN DD KASHI/ex-Manchukuo coast defense HAI WEI) arrive at Seso anchorage, Kakeroma-Jima, W of Koniya village, Amami-O-Shima. After safe arrival, KAII departs Seso and heads toward the location of JINGEI.

KAII tows JINGEI, damaged severely forward of the bridge by the torpedoes, to nearby Sesoko-jima anchorage, an island NE of Naha, at 27-28N, 127-00E. Auxiliary minesweeper TAKUNAN MARU No.1 provides escort. They arrive that same day and JINGEI anchors in shallow water off the east coast of Sesoko-jima.

October 1944:
Escorts convoys between Sasebo and Okinawa.

10 October 1944:
Off Naha, Okinawa. Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Marc A. Mitscher’s (USNA ’10) Task Force 38 planes damage CH-58. Later at 0935 CH-58 is supplied with 300 twenty-five millimeter rounds by LST T-158.

October–November 1944:
Undergoes battle damage repairs at Sasebo and Jinhae.

December 1944:
Attached to the Sasebo Naval District. Continues repairs.

January 1945:
Escorts convoys between Sasebo and Amami-Oshima, Ryukyus.

18 January 1945:
CH-58 departs Sasebo with kaibokan CD-22 escorting auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU en route to Ishigaki-Jima to deliver "Shinyo" type explosive motorboats of the 38th Attack Unit.

24 January 1945:
SW of Kyushu. At 0740, CD-22 detects LtCdr James D. Grant's (USNA ’31) USS GREENLING (SS-213) with her sonar and attacks the submarine with depth charges until 1030, when contact is lost. Later that night, CD-22 picks up submarine radio traffic at 4235 kilocycles, probably originating from USS GREENLING.

28 January 1945:
Arrives at Ishigaki.

9 March 1945:
At 2100 CH-58 departs Naha escorting fast Naval transport T-17.

12 March 1945:
At 1230 arrives at Sasebo.

21 March 1945:
CH-58 departs Kagoshima with kaibokan CD-29 and auxiliary minesweeper TAIAN MARU escorting convoy KANA-101 consisting of cargo ship KACHOSAN MARU.

22 March 1945:
At 2200, arrives at Kuji Wan, Amami Oshima.

23 March 1945:
At 0530, departs Kuji Wan. At 1030, CD-29 orders the convoy away from its intended destination of Okinawa and directs it to head to the China coast. At 1615, American carrier aircraft attack the convoy. KACHOSAN MARU is bombed and sinks at 1628 in a large explosion after on board depth charges detonate . The ship is carrying 1300 soldiers including 30 from the 50th Maritime transport Battalion, 82 Kempei Tai Okinawan Military Police, 62 Ship’s Gunners and 60 crewmen who are all killed. CH-58 is also slightly damaged.

10 May 1945:
CH-58 is reassigned to the 5th Special Attack Squadron, Sasebo Naval District.

21 May 1945:
USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message that reads: "CH-37, CH-58 and Transport T. 173 are scheduled to depart Sasebo at 1800." The message also gives the scheduled positions for 1800, 22 May as 30-40N, 129-45E and 1800, 23 May as 29-25 N, 129-15 E.

22 May 1945:
Near Amami Oshima. Aircraft from carriers USS BENNINGTON (CV-20) and USS HORNET (CV-12) sink CH-58, CH-37 and landing ship T. 173 at 29-45N, 129-10E.

10 August 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Authors' Notes:
Thanks also go to John Whitman of the USA for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages and to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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