FUSETSUKAN!

© 2010-2018 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 3

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1944:
Shanghai, China. Laid down at Kiangnan shipyard as a 2274-gross ton Type 2D Standard Merchant.

11 August 1944:
Launched and named EIJO.[1]

2 September 1944:
Completed.

29 January 1945:
Requisitioned by the IJN.

10 March 1945:
Registered in the Kure Naval District. Assigned to the 1st Escort Fleet, 7th Fleet.

10 April 1945:
Reassigned to the 18th Escort Squadron, 7th Fleet, Combined Fleet.

11 April 1945:
EIJO's CO, Lt Saimu Ishizue arrives aboard as Commanding Officer.

12 April 1945:
At Kure Navy Yard. Begins conversion to a minelayer.

13 April 1945:
Completes conversion. The Rising Sun naval ensign is raised on the flagstaff signifying she is now a warship. Departs Kure.

14 April 1945:
Arrives at Yashima and departs later that day.

15 April 1945:
At 0700 EIJO MARU arrives at Saeki escorted by kaibokan CD-22 and CD-29.

16-21 April 1945:
Loads mines and fresh water.

22 April 1945:
At 0800 departs Saeki. Later that day, she suffers a machinery breakdown.

23 April 1945:
Arrives at Iwaishima.

24 April 1945:
Loads mines to minelayers SAISHU, NIIZAKI, NUWAJIMA and KYOSAI.

28 April 1945:
Temporary repairs are completed. Later that day arrives at Kure.

14 May 1944:
CHOHAKUSAN MARU, EIJO MARU and TOKIWA arrive at Sasebo.

25 May 1945:
At Saiki KYOSAI, SAISHU and EIJO MARU load mines.

26 May 1945:
At 1520 EIJO MARU, KYOSAI and SAISHU depart Saiki. Later that day arrives at Kanda anchorage.

28 May 1945:
Transfers from Kanda anchorage and arrives off Hesaki.

31 May 1945:
Leaves Hesaki anchorage. At Yobuko harbor. Embarks a cargo of mines from auxiliary minelayer KOEI MARU. KYOSAI also loads mines.

1 June 1945:
Departs Hesaki anchorage escorted by kaibokan CD-22 that joins during voyage.

3 June 1945:
Arrives at Maizuru.

5 June 1945:
Attached to the Seventh fleet, Combined Fleet. At 0900 departs Maizuru.

8 June 1945:
At 0800 arrives at Ominato.

June 1945:
Tsushima Straits. EIJO lays mines.

17 June 1945:
Off Motsutanozaki, Hokkaido. LtCdr William J. Germershausen's (USNA ’35) USS SPADEFISH (SS-411) makes a night surface radar attack on a convoy hugging the coastline consisting of two cargo ships and one escort. At 0141 (I), Germershausen fires two Mark-14-3A torpedoes and gets one hit aft on EIJO. Four minutes later she sinks without casualties at 42-43N, 139-57E.

10 August 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Authors' Notes:
[1] Although commissioned as a warship many texts refer to the ship as EIJO MARU.

Thanks to Mr. Matthew Jones of USA for help in identifying CO and to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France for general assistance.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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