KYURYOSEN!
(HARUNA MARU, sistership of MANKO MARU, prewar)
IJN CHICHIBU MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2018 Gilbert Casse, Berend van der Wal and Peter Cundall
12 February 1923:
Yokohama. Laid down by Yokohama Dock K.K. as a 1,462-tons refrigerated cargo ship for Himu Ro-gumi G.K.
23 May 1923:
Launched and named CHICHIBU MARU. [1]
20 August 1923:
Completed and registered at Yokohama with GRT and NRT respectively of 1,462-tons and 833-tons. [2]
16 February 1926:
Her ownership is changed to Himuro Food K.K.
30 April 1926:
Her ownership is changed to Yokohama Dock K.K.
May 1926:
Chartered by Nichiro Gyogyo K.K.
6 August 1927:
Her ownership is changed to Nichiro Gyogyo K.K.
Mid-May ~ Mid-June 1928:
Undergoes her first fishing campaign.
18 June 1928:
Begins her second fishing campaign. Departs Hakodate, Hokkaido.
21 June 1928:
Reaches crab fishing area.
2 July 1928:
Departs crab fishing waters.
17 July 1928:
Begins her third fishing campaign. Departs Hakodate.
22 July 1928:
Reaches crab fishing area.
1 August 1928:
Departs crab fishing zone.
Mid-August ~ Mid-September 1928:
Undergoes her fourth fishing (salmon) campaign.
Mid-October ~ Mid-November 1928:
Undergoes her fifth fishing (salmon) campaign. Frozen salmon is sent to Tokyo.
22 April 1936:
Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K. obtains a ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate T No. 194. Operation areas include: Eastern coasts high seas excluding sea level S of Cronokie Cape.
6 May ~ 31 July 1936:
Chartered by Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K.
4 July 1936:
The ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate expires (Abolition of use of mother ship).
23 April 1937:
Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K. obtains a ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate T No. 197. Operation areas include: Bering Sea N of 51N, E of 160E, within the line from Midnoy Island to Cape Nawalin excluding sea level N of Cronokie Cape.
20 May ~ 11 July 1937:
Chartered by Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K.
2 July 1937:
The ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate expires (Abolition of use of mother ship).
3 July ~ 31 December 1937:
Her GRT and NRT are respectively changed to 1,520-tons and 830-tons. Requisitioned by the IJN. Attached to the Sasebo Naval District. [2]
January 1938:
Her NRT is changed to 824-tons. [2]
23 January 1938:
At 1810, at Seito, (Tsingtao, now Tsingdao) China, provisions auxiliary gunboat CHOHEI MARU with fresh food.
26 January 1938:
Departs Formosa (now Taiwan).
28 February 1938:
Arrives at Chefoo, (now Zhifu), China.
1 March 1938:
Departs Chefoo.
23 March 1938:
Departs Chefoo.
1938:
Released to her owners.
7 April 1938:
Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K. obtains a ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate T No. 197. Operation areas include: Bering Sea N of 51N, E of 160E, within the line from Midnoy Island to Cape Nawalin excluding sea level N of Cronokie Cape.
13 May ~ 21 July 1938:
Chartered by Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K.
9 July 1938:
The ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate expires (Abolition of use of mother ship).
E July 1938:
Requisitioned again by the IJN.
28 September 1938:
Captain Hiraoka Matsutaro is appointed CO until 2 Apr ‘39.
E November 1938:
Arrives at Tuanfeng channel.
5 November 1938:
01715 ~ 0735: Comes alongside minesweeper tender NIPPONKAI MARU and provisions her with food.
18 February 1939:
Arrives at Haikou (Haikow), Hainan Island, China.
20 February 1939:
0820 ~ 0945: Comes alongside auxiliary gunboat DELHI MARU and provisions her with fresh food.
E 21 February 1939:
Departs Haikou.
23 February 1939:
Arrived at Samah, (now Sanya) Hainan Island, China.
25 February 1939:
Departs Samah.
1939:
Released to her owners.
8 May 1939:
Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K. obtains a ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate T No. 1512. Operation areas include: Bering Sea N of 51N, E of 160E, within the line from Midnoy Island to Cape Nawalin.
19 May ~ 25 July 1939:
Chartered by Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K.
20 July 1939:
The ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate expires (Abolition of use of mother ship).
1939:
Requisitioned again by the IJN.
3 October 1939:
Captain Horibe Tadataka is appointed Co until 16 Apr ‘40.
21 October 1939:
Arrives at Humen, Boca Tigris, Pearl River delta, China.
22 October 1939:
Arrives at Yingge Zui Point.
24 January 1940:
Provisions auxiliary survey ship KYODO MARU No. 36 with fresh food.
19 February 1940:
Provisions auxiliary survey ship KYODO MARU No. 36 with fresh food.
16 March 1940:
Provisions auxiliary survey ship KYODO MARU No. 36 with fresh food.
1940:
Her GRT and NRT are respectively changed to 1,525-tons and 825-tons. Released to her owners. [2]
3 May 1940:
Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K. obtains a ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate T No. 9. Operation areas include: Bering Sea N of 51N, E of 160E, within the line from Midnoy Island to Cape Nawalin.
24 May ~ 25 July 1940:
Chartered by Taiheiyo Gyogyo K.K.
8 July 1940:
The ‘Mother ship type salmon’ fishery approval certificate expires (Abolition of use of mother ship).
18 September 1940:
Requisitioned again by the IJN.
15 October 1941:
Registered as an auxiliary storeship attached to the Yokosuka Naval District under instruction No. 1256.
October ~ December 1941:
Attached to Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Inoue Shigeyoshi’s (37) Fourth Fleet as an auxiliary storeship, (Otsu category). [3]
6 December 1941:
Attached to invasion forces supply forces under Yokosuka Naval District instruction No. 14.
30 December 1941:
Provisions auxiliary gunboat NAGATA MARU with fresh food.
1942:
Departs Wake for Tokyo.
January 1942:
Scheduled for a food supply mission.
20 January 1942:
Departs Yokosuka with auxiliary storeship CHIYO MARU for the South Seas. Auxiliary gunboat HIYOSHI MARU No. 2 GO departs Uraga, meets up with the two storeships and starts escorting them. At an unknown point HIYOSHI MARU No. 2 GO detaches and returns to Uraga.
28 January 1942:
Attached to invasion forces supply forces under Yokosuka Naval District instruction No. 45.
13 March 1942:
En route from Wake to Tokyo. At 0620, about five miles SW Mikura Jima, LtCdr (later Cdr) Donald McGregor’s (USNA ’26) USS GAR (SS-206) makes a submerged attack and fires a spread of four Mark XIV Type 1 torpedoes. Two hits are scored on the targeted storeship that stops and is set afire. Four crewmen and 22 passengers are KIA.
14 March 1942:
The drifting hulk sinks at 33-50N, 139-32E.
1 April 1942:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 562.
Authors' Notes:
[1] Not to be confused with passenger liner CHICHIBU MARU (renamed KAMAKURA MARU in ’39) (17,497 GRT, ‘29) or War Standard E Type cargo ship (884 GRT, ’44).
[2] NRT is a ship's cargo volume capacity expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3). It is calculated by subtracting non-revenue-earning spaces i.e. spaces not available for carrying cargo, for example engine rooms, fuel tanks and crew quarters, from the ship's gross register tonnage (GRT). Net register tonnage (NRT) is not a measure of the weight of the ship or its cargo, and should not be confused with terms such as deadweight tonnage or displacement.
[3] There were two categories of Kyuryosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
- Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.
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