© 2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
3 December 1944:
Osaka. Laid down at Hitachi Zosen K. K.'s Sakurajima shipyard.
8 January 1945:
Named HABUTO.
28 February 1945:
Launched.
7 April 1945:
Completed. LtCdr Ichinose Shiro is the CO. Assigned to the Kure Guard Unit.
6 May 1945:
Reassigned to the Maizuru Naval District in the newly formed 51st Division.
6 June 1945:
Nanao Bay. While on a training mission, HABUTO strikes a
mine, probably laid by a 20th Air Force B-29 heavy bomber, about a mile north of
Kannonzaki light.
10 June 1945:
HABUTO strikes another mine 1.6 miles north of
Kannonzaki and is damaged.
June 1945:
Undergoes repairs at Maizuru.
20 July 1945:
Sea of Japan. Escorts convoys between western Japan and
South Korea.
15 August 1945:
While escorting a convoy, HABUTO’s crew is notified of
the termination of war.
23 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
25 October 1945:
Departs Uraga on her first repatriation voyage.
1 November 1945:
Arrives at Palau. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that day.
3 November 1945:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
6 November 1945:
Arrives at Truk. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
7 November 1945:
Departs Truk.
14 November 1945:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
17 November 1945:
Enters dockyard at Uraga for repairs.
30 November 1945:
Repairs are completed.
1 December 1945:
Formally assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service as a special cargo ship. [1]
11 December 1945:
Departs Uraga.
16 December 1945:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
18 December 1945:
Arrives at Saipan. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
24 December 1945:
Arrives at Uraga. Disembarks troops and passengers.
26 December 1945:
Enters Uraga dockyard for repairs.
25 January 1946:
Repairs are completed.
26 January 1946:
Departs Uraga.
2 February 1946:
Arrives at Guam. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
18 February 1946:
Departs Guam.
20 February 1946:
Arrives at Saipan. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later the same day.
23 February 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
25 February 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
27 February 1946:
Arrives at Kagoshima. Disembarks troops and passengers.
1 March 1946:
Enters dockyard at Tamano for repairs.
27 March 1946:
Repairs are completed.
6 April 1946:
Departs Hakata.
10 April 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
11 April 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
13 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
22 April 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
25 April 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
27 April 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
29 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
11 May 1946:
Enters Sasebo Dockyard for repairs.
15 May 1946:
Repairs are completed.
19 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
20 May 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
22 May 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
24 May 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
29 May 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
1 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
2 June 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
3 June 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo. Disembarks troops and passengers.
10 June 1946:
Departs Sasebo.
12 June 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
13 June 1946:
Departs Shanghai.
15 June 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo.
27 June 1946:
Enters dockyard at Kure for repairs.
16 July 1946:
Repairs are completed.
17 August 1946:
Departs Saiki.
20 August 1946:
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
26 August 1946:
Departs Korojima.
30 August 1946 :
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
6 September 1946:
Departs Hakata.
10 September 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
13 September 1946:
Departs Korojima.
16 September 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
26 September 1946:
Departs Hakata.
30 September 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
1 October 1946:
Departs Korojima.
2 October 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
16 October 1946:
Departs Hakata.
19 October 1946:
Arrives at Korojima. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated and departs later that same day.
22 October 1946:
Arrives at Hakata. Disembarks troops and passengers.
5 November 1946:
Departs Ujina.
7 November 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
8 November 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
10 November 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
9 December 1946:
Departs Kure.
21 December 1946:
Arrives at Okinawa. Embarks troops and passengers to be repatriated.
22 December 1946:
Departs Okinawa.
26 December 1946:
Arrives at Kure. Disembarks troops and passengers.
16 July 1947:
Singapore. Ceded to the United Kingdom as a war reparation.
1947:
Scrapped in Japan.
Authors' Note:
[1] Allied occupation forces were responsible for the return of six million Japanese military personnel and civilians from Japan's defunct far-flung Empire. In addition, there were over a million Korean and about 40,000 Chinese prisoners and conscript laborers and approximately 7,000 Formosans and 15,000 Ryukyu Islanders to be repatriated.
Some Allied and many former IJN warships, from aircraft carriers to kaibokan, were used to facilitate the enormous repatriation effort. Japanese vessels and crews were used to the fullest extent possible to conserve Allied manpower and accelerate demobilization. Each ex-IJN ship first had to be demilitarized; guns removed or, in the case of large warships, barrels severed, ammunition landed, and radar and catapults removed, if fitted. Repatriation of the Chinese on Japanese ships began early in October from Hakata, but U.S. guard detachments had to be placed on many ships to prevent disorder because the Japanese crews could not control the returnees.
Japanese-run repatriation centers were established at Kagoshima, Hario near Sasebo, and Hakata near Fukuoka. Other reception centers were established and operated at Maizuru, Shimonoseki, Sasebo, Senzaki, Kure, Uraga, Yokohama, Moji and Hakodate. Allied line and medical personnel supervised the centers. Incoming Japanese were sprayed with DDT, examined and inoculated for typhus and smallpox, provided with food, and transported to his final destination in Japan.
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. Thanks also go to Jeff Donahoo of Iowa for help in identifying the CO.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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