ZATSUYOSEN!
(CHOI MARU drawing – Peter Cundall collection)
IJN CHOI MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2015-2018 Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
E 1942:
Kobe. Laid down by Kawakami Zosen K.K. shipyard for Taiko Kisen K.K. as a 1,074-tons cargo ship.
December 1942:
Launched and named CHOI MARU.
20 February 1943:
Completed and registered at Kobe.
25 March 1943:
Departs Kobe.
26 March 1943:
Arrives at Hesaki, Kyushu.
30 March 1943:
Departs Hesaki.
4 April 1943:
Arrives at Tianjin, northern China.
7 April 1943:
Departs Tianjin.
8 April 1943:
Arrives at Tanggu (Tangku), northern China.
10 April 1943:
Departs Tanggu.
11 April 1943:
Arrives at Dairen, Manchuria (now Dalian, northern China).
13 April 1943:
Departs Dairen.
18 April 1943:
Arrives at Osaka.
1 May 1943:
Departs Osaka.
8 May 1943:
Arrives at Tianjin.
15 May 1943:
Departs Tianjin.
22 May 1943:
Arrives at Osaka.
26 May 1943:
Departs Osaka.
31 May 1943:
Arrives at Dairen.
2 June 1943:
Departs Dairen and arrives at Furanten, Manchuria later in the day.
5 June 1943:
Departs Furanten.
10 June 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
13 June 1943:
Departs Tokuyama.
16 June 1943:
Arrives at Kyobun To, Chosen (also known as Port Hamilton and British territory although occupied by Japan, also called Komun Do now Geomun-do, South Korea).
19 June 1943:
Departs Kyobun To.
22 June 1943:
Arrives at Dairen.
24 June 1943:
Departs Dairen and arrives at Furanten later that day.
28 June 1943:
Departs Furanten and arrives back at Dairen later that same day.
30 June 1943:
Departs Dairen.
4 July 1943:
Arrives at Miike, Fukuoka Prefecture.
8 July 1943:
Departs Miike.
9 July 1943:
Arrives at Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture.
12 July 1943:
Departs Hakata.
16 July 1943:
Arrives at Jinsen, Chosen (now Incheon, South Korea).
19 July 1943:
Departs Jinsen.
21 July 1943:
Arrives at Kenjiho, Chosen (now Songnim, North Korea).
23 July 1943:
Departs Kenjiho.
27 July 1943:
Arrives at Kobe.
1 August 1943:
Departs Kobe.
8 August 1943:
Arrives at Tianjin.
10 August 1943:
Departs Tianjin.
17 August 1943:
Arrives at Yawata, Fukuoka Prefecture.
20 August 1943:
Departs Yawata.
22 August 1943:
Arrives at Nagasaki.
26 August 1943:
Departs Nagasaki.
29 August 1943:
Arrives at Ichinose, Higashiwase, Toyama Prefecture.
3 September 1943:
Departs Ichinose.
5 September 1943:
Arrives at Sakai, Tottori Prefecture.
7 September 1943:
Departs Sakai.
15 September 1943:
Arrives at Tanggu.
17 September 1943:
Departs Tanggu.
24 September 1943:
Arrives at Wakamatsu, Fukuoka Prefecture.
26 September 1943:
Departs Wakamatsu.
27 September 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
29 September 1943:
Departs Moji.
4 October 1943:
Arrives at Seito (Tsingtao), now Qingdao, China.
8 October 1943:
Departs Seito.
13 October 1943:
Arrives at Osaka.
26 October 1943:
Departs Osaka.
31 October 1943:
Arrives at Seito.
5 November 1943:
Departs Seito.
13 November 1943:
Arrives at Kobe.
17 November 1943:
Departs Kobe and arrives at Kure later in the day.
18 November 1943:
Requisitioned by the IJN as a general requisitioned transport and attached to the Kure Naval District.
November 1943:
Assigned directly to the Navy’s Department.
3 December 1943:
Departs Kure.
22 December 1943:
At 0900, departs Ambon, Moluccas in a convoy also consisting of IJN requisitioned cargo ship (B-AK) OAKITA MARU and IJA transports YAMABUKI, TSUSHIMA, KOSHU and CHUKA MARUs escorted by torpedo boat KARI.
24 December 1943:
At 1100, arrives at Kau, Halmahera Island, Moluccas.
25 December 1943:
At 1600, departs Kau.
26 December 1943:
At 0100, arrives at Wasile, NE Kau Bay.
27 December 1943:
At 0700, departs Wasile. Torpedo boat KIJI takes over escort.
29 December 1943:
At 1700, arrives at Ambon.
31 December 1943:
Departs Ambon in a convoy also consisting of IJA transports CELEBES, ASAKA, CHUKA, YAMABUKI and TAIYU MARUs escorted by auxiliary minesweeper Wa-9 and auxiliary subchasers SHONAN MARU No. 17 and CHa-113.
1 January 1944:
Registered in the Navy’s list as an auxiliary transport (Otsu) category attached to the Kure Naval District with Kure as home port under instruction No. 16. Assigned to Vice Admiral Kusaka Jinichi’s (37) Southeast Area Fleet. [1]
2 January 1944:
Arrives at Kendari, Celebes (now Sulawesi).
4 January 1944:
Departs Kendari.
6 January 1944:
Arrives at Ambon. Departs later.
10 January 1944:
Arrives at unidentified location, probably Ambon.
17 January 1944:
Departs unidentified location with auxiliary netlayer SEIKO MARU.
24 January 1944:
At 0700, arrives at Waingapu, Sumba (now Pulau Sumba, Indonesia).
13 February 1944:
Departs Kendari with auxiliary netlayer SEIKO MARU escorted by auxiliary submarine chaser SHONAN MARU No. 17.
15 February 1944:
At 1600 arrives at Ambon.
17 February 1944:
At 2400 departs Ambon with auxiliary netlayer SEIKO MARU escorted by auxiliary minesweeper Wa-10.
20 February 1944:
At entrance to Tioro Straits, Wa-10 is detached.
22 February 1944:
Arrives at Macassar, Celebes. Departs later.
29 April 1944:
Departs Balikpapan, Borneo.
5 May 1944:
At 0700, departs Macassar in a convoy also consisting of auxiliary transport SUITEN (ex-Dutch SCHOUTEN) MARU with a cargo of aviation gasoline escorted by auxiliary minesweeper WA-3 and auxiliary NITTO MARU No. 18.
8 May 1944:
At 1700, arrives at Kendari where IJA transport UWAJIMA MARU No. 18 joins the convoy.
9 May 1944:
Departs Kendari.
11 May 1944:
Arrives at Biak, New Guinea. Departs for Ambon later in the day in a convoy also consisting of auxiliary transport SUITEN (ex-Dutch SCHOUTEN) MARU with a cargo of aviation gasoline, and UWAJIMA MARU No. 18 escorted by auxiliary minesweeper WA-3 and auxiliary NITTO MARU No. 18.
Banda Sea. About 1400, LtCdr Willard R. Laughon’s (USNA ’33) USS RASHER (SS-269) running submerged, spots the convoy and fires a spread of four Mark XXIII torpedoes that miss the target. Soon after, Laughon attacks again firing two Mark XXIII torpedoes but still obtains no hits. USS RASHER continues to shadow the convoy during the afternoon. About 2000, USS RASHER surfaces and Laughon detects the convoy on radar. He fires a spread of three Mark XIV Type 3A torpedoes but no hits are scored. About 2300, Laughon fires another four Mark XIV Type 3A torpedoes and finally scores one hit on CHOI MARU setting her afire.
12 May 1944:
About 0005, the transport sinks SW coast of Buru Island at 03-28S, 126-03E with the loss of 22 of her crew.
10 September 1944:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 1067.
Authors notes :
[1] There were two categories of Zatsuyosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.
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