YUSOSEN!

(Standard 2AT Tanker KENJO MARU by Ueda Kihachiro)

ENGEN MARU
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2012 Bob Hackett

August 1944:
Kobe. Laid down at the Mitsubishi Jukogyo K. K. shipyard as a 6,892-ton Type 2A Standard Cargo Ship for Nippon Yusen K.K. (NYK), Tokyo.

1944:
Converted to a Standard 2AT Tanker while on the ways.

1944:
Launched and named ENGEN MARU

3 November 1944:
Completed.

30 November 1944:
At 0900, ENGEN MARU departs Moji for Singapore in convoy MI-29 consisting of CLYDE, BRAZIL, AKISHIMA, MEIRYU, HAWAII, ENOURA, DAII, SHINYU, and KAZUURA MARUs, HOSHI MARU No. 11 and KONAN MARU No. 1 and tankers AKIKAWA, ENCHO and ENKEI MARUs escorted by destroyer ASAGAO, kaibokan KANJU, IKUNA, SHINNAN and CD-41, CD-66, subchaser CH-28 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-223.

2 December 1944:
LtCdr Ralph C. Style's USS SEA DEVIL (SS-400) torpedoes and sinks HAWAII and AKIKAWA MARUs at 30-24N 128-17E. KONAN MARU No. 1 rescues survivors from AKIKAWA MARU. The convoy formation breaks up.

ENGEN and DAII MARUs and two others go to Koniya. BRAZIL MARU goes to Keelung, Amami-Oshima and CLYDE MARU, HOSHI MARU No. 11 escorted by IKUNA go to Takao.

Later, ENGEN and DAII MARUs and the two other ships from Koniya rejoin at Takao, but at this point the convoy is officially dissolved.

27 December 1944:
ENGEN MARU departs Takao for Singapore in convoy HI-85 also consisting of TEIHOKU (ex-French PERSEE), DAINAN, ENKEI, DAIGYO, ENCHO, YAMAZAWA, OESAN, FUEI, OEI, SHINGI, SERIA MARUs and cargo ship SHINYU MARU escorted by light cruiser KASHII and kaibokan DAITO, UKURU, TSUSHIMA, CD-23, CD-51 and CD-27.

28 December 1944: TSUSHIMA and TEIHOKU are detached from the convoy and make for Yulin, Hainan Island. At some point, ENGEN and OTSUSAN MARUs are probably detached and head directly for Singapore.

29 December 1944:
OTSUSAN and ENGEN MARUs probably arrive at Singapore.

4 February 1945:
ENGEN MARU departs Singapore for Moji in convoy HI-88-D also consisting of DAIGYO, and HARUYASU MARUs (ex Dutch VAN DER HAGEN) escorted by kaibokan CD-13, CD-31 and YAKU.

ENGEN MARU is carrying a cargo of 7,100 tons of crude oil, 1,195 tons rubber, 217 tons of copper and an unknown amount of tungsten, antimony and zircon.

5 February 1945:
A surfaced enemy submarine is sighted at 04-55N, 103-40E. At 0830, the convoy changes course.

6 February 1945:
South China Sea. 260 miles S of Saigon. At 0230, kaibokan YAKU's lookouts sight a surfaced submarine and the convoy successfully evades. At 2157, Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Frank W. Fenno's USS PAMPANITO (SS-383) fires six torpedoes at ENGEN MARU. He gets at least one hit in the engine room. She explodes in a huge ball of flames and sinks by the stern at 06-31N, 106-12E. 44 passengers and crew are KIA.

-Bob Hackett

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