ZATSUYOSEN!
(CUBA MARU prewar)
IJN CUBA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2011 Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
22 April 1925:
Kobe. Laid down by Kawasaki K.K. Zosensho shipyard as a
5,950-ton passenger/cargo ship for Kawasaki Kisen K.K., Kobe.
29 April 1926:
Launched and named CUBA MARU.
25 August 1926:
Completed and registered at Kobe. Placed on
Kawasaki’s round the world westbound route.
22 July 1929:
Arrives at San Francisco.
E 1937:
Placed on Kawasaki’s Latin America and North America west
coast route.
E 1938:
Used as a liner on Kawasaki’s Latin America and North America
west coast route.
3 September 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN as a transport (Ippan
Choyosen). [1]
20 September 1941:
Registered in the IJN under internal order No.
1391 and attached to the Yokosuka Naval District as an auxiliary transport,
(Otsu) category. Her home port is Yokosuka. [2]
7 October 1941:
Conversion to her military role is completed.
1 December 1941:
Anchored at Kwajalein Atoll, Marshalls.
19 December 1941:
Departs Kwajalein for Taroa Island, Marshalls.
21 December 1941:
Arrives at Taroa.
9 January 1942:
Departs Taroa for Wake (renamed Otori Island after
its capture).
12 January 1942:
Arrives at Wake.
16 January 1942:
Departs Wake
for Yokosuka.
24 January 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
28 January 1942:
Departs Yokosuka for Kobe.
30 January 1942:
Arrives at Kobe.
7 February 1942:
Departs Kobe for Yokosuka.
9 February 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
10 February 1942:
Departs Yokosuka and arrives that same day at
Tokyo.
18 February 1942:
Departs Tokyo for Truk, Carolines.
2 March 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
17 March 1942:
Departs Truk for Angaur, Palaus.
20 March 1942:
Arrives at Angaur.
1 April 1942:
Depart Palaus for Yokosuka.
9 April 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
10 April 1942:
Departs Yokosuka and transfers to Yokohama.
14 April 1942:
Departs Yokohama for Miike.
17 April 1942:
Arrives at Miike.
19 April 1942:
Departs Miike for Sasebo.
20 April 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
28 April 1942:
Departs Sasebo for Saigon, Indochina (now Ho Chi Minh
City, Vietnam).
14 May 1942:
Arrives at Saigon.
29 May 1942:
Departs Saigon. Calls at Osaka and later departs for
Yokohama.
9 June 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama.
15 June 1942:
Departs Yokohama for Kobe in an apparently unnumbered
convoy also consisting of YAMASHIRO MARU and escorted initially by destroyer
SAWAKAZE. At some point, probably near Ise Wan (Bay), SAWAKAZE is detached and
the escort is taken over by smaller auxiliary vessels.
17 June 1942:
Arrives at Kobe.
24 June 1942:
Departs Kobe for Dairen, Manchuria (now Dalian, China).
28 June 1942:
Arrives at Dairen.
3 July 1942:
Departs Dairen for Moji.
7 July 1942:
Arrives at Moji.
8 July 1942:
Departs Moji for Kobe.
9 July 1942:
Arrives at Kobe.
11 July 1942:
Departs Kobe arriving that same day at Osaka.
14 July 1942:
Departs Osaka for Dairen.
18 July 1942:
Arrives at Dairen.
23 July 1942:
Departs Dairen for Tokyo.
29 July 1942:
Arrives at Tokyo.
2 August 1942:
Departs Tokyo for Muroran, Hokkaido.
5 August 1942:
Arrives at Muroran.
12 August 1942:
Departs Muroran for Chirikoro, Karafuto (now
Nerpichye, Sakhaline).
15 August 1942:
Arrives at Chirikoro.
24 August 1942:
Departs Chirikoro for Yokohama.
25 August 1942:
About 13.5 nms E Kita-Shiretoko-Misaki, Karafuto (now
Mys Terpeniya, Sakhalin). CUBA MARU, probably due to fog, runs aground a reef in
position 46-23N, 143-37E. All efforts to refloat the transport fail. Later, CUBA
MARU is abandoned by her crew.
28 August 1942:
A typhoon sweeps through the area causing severe
damage to the already damaged CUBA MARU. The ship breaks in two.
29 August 1942:
CUBA MARU sinks.
20 April 1943:
Removed from the
Navy List under internal order No. 765.
Authors Notes:
[1] See Zatsuyosen home page for full explanation.
[2] 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, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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