KOKAI HOKAN!
(HAKKAI MARU, prewar)
IJN HAKKAI MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2021 Gilbert Casse, Berend van der Wal and Peter Cundall
17 April 1939:
Uraga. Laid down by Uraga Senkyo K.K. shipyard as a 2,921-tons passenger/cargo ship for Kita Nihon Kisen K.K.
25 August 1939:
Launched and named HAKKAI MARU.[1]
26 January 1940:
Completed and registered at Tokyo. Her gross registered (GRT) tonnage and net registered tonnage (NRT) respectively are 2,921-tons and 1,538-tons. Her call sign is JWIN. [2]
26 January 1940 ~ 9 August 1941:
In service on the Karafuto (now Sakhalin, Russia) route: Otaru, Maoka (now Kholmsk, Russia), Esutoru (now Oeglegorsk, Russia).
9 August 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
15 August 1941:
Koyakijima (Koyaki Island), Nagasaki. Registered as an auxiliary gunboat attached to the Sasebo Naval District, under instruction No. 936. Designated as an auxiliary gunboat engaged in ice breaking under Instruction No. 937. Navy Capt Miniwa Toshitomi (36) is appointed CO. Conversion for military duty begins that same day at Kawaminami Kogyo K.K. shipyard.
11 September 1941:
Conversion is completed.
6 October 1941:
Arrives at Yujin, Chosen (now North Korea).
20 November 1941:
Attached to the Chinkai, Chosen (now Jinhae, South Korea) Guard District in Vice Admiral Sukigara Tamazo’s (37) (former CO of BB KONGO) Rajin, Chosen (now Najin, also known as Rason, North Korea) Base Force also consisting of auxiliary gunboat SEIKYO MARU.
7 December 1941:
Remains attached to Rajin Base Force Unit under Chinkai Guard District Order No. 12.
19 December 1941:
Rated as a Rajin Base Force Unit under Chinkai Guard District Order No. 22.
31 December 1941:
Completes installation of signal light equipment. Rated as a Rajin Base Force Unit under Chinkai Guard District Order No. 28.
15 January 1942:
Rated as a Rajin Base Force Unit under Chinkai Guard District Order No. 32.
10 February 1942:
Rated as a Rajin Base Force Unit under Chinkai Guard District Order No. 41.
23 March 1942:
Departs Yujin.
19 May 1942:
Arrives at Yujin.
20 May 1942:
Attached to the Chinkai Guard District, Rajin Base Force Unit.
11 June 1942:
Departs Yujin.
17 June 1942:
Arrives at Yujin.
1 October 1942:
Rated as a Maritime Security Unit under Chinkai Guard District Letter No. 57. That same day, Navy Capt Yokoyama Tokujiro (36) is appointed CO.
12 January 1943:
Departs Yujin.
15 January 1943:
Arrives at Chinkai, having stopped at Genzan en route.
25 January 1943:
Assists run aground cargo ship (C-AK) TAI MARU at 33-29N, 126-58E.
10 February 1943:
Enters Chinkai Navy Engineering Department Ryojun (Port-Arthur, Lushun), Manchuria (now Lushunkou, northern China) shipyard No. 1 drydock for maintenance and repairs.
19 February 1943:
Repairs are completed. Undocked.
17 March 1943:
Arrives at Yujin.
25 March 1943:
Departs Yujin.
27 March 1943:
Departs Rajin.
29 March 1943:
Arrives at Tsuruga.
1 April 1943:
Departs Tsuruga.
13 April 1943:
Receives Town Area Order No. 31:
1 - Chintao Island, Chosen (now Daechongdo, South Korea) Maritime Defense Force is conducting an anti-submarine sweep near 38-36N, 124-48E.
2 - Minelayers NASAMI, KYOSAI and SAISHU form a sweeping squadron under command of the garrison mine CO. Under command of HAKKAI MARU, sweeping squadron should search and destroy enemy submarines.
3 - Garrison mine CO dispatches as many ships as possible and these will be commanded by HAKKAI MARU CO during assigned sweep.
E 14 April 1943:
Departs Ryojun on an anti-submarine sweep.
E 15 April 1943:
At 1259, ends anti-submarine sweep and arrives at Dairen, Manchuria (now Dalian, northern China) later this day.
24 April 1943:
Placed under command of Yokosuka Naval Guard Force CinC from 25 Apr ‘43 until further notice. From 1 May ‘43n assigned to transport the Nankai 2nd Garrison (Ujina) to NMK [Minami Torishima] as soon as possible, under Okai Instruction No. 227.
26 April 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
2 May 1943:
Departs Kure and arrives at Ujina later this day.
4 May 1943:
Departs Ujina for Yokosuka likely escorted by subchaser CH-15 and torpedo boat MANAZURU.
5 May 1943:
About 32 nautical miles S Lake Hamana, LtCdr Eugene T. Sands' (USNA ’30) USS SAWFISH (SS-276) sights HAKKAI MARU escorted by a CHIDORI or OTORI class torpedo boat.
At 1838, Sands fires 4 torpedoes at her of which two hit.
At 1848, subchaser CH-15 drops 9 depth charges.
At 1850, HAKKAI MARU sinks at 34-10N, 137-35E. 121 members of the Nankai Detachment and three crewmen perish.
At 1854, subchaser CH-15 drops 8 depth charges.
At 1956, subchaser CH-15 makes 5 menacing drop charges.
At 2100, torpedo boat MANAZURU begins rescuing survivors.
At 2200, torpedo boat MANAZURU stops rescuing survivors, accommodates 121 survivors and heads towards Yokosuka. Subchaser CH-15 continues hunting for the enemy submarine. Torpedo boat MANAZURU arrives at Yokosuka later this evening .
15 July 1943:
Removed from the Navy’ list under instruction No. 1455.
Authors' Notes:
[1] Not to be confused with auxiliary repair ship (5110 GRT, ’39).
[2] NRT is a ship's cargo volume capacity expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3). It is calculated by subtracting non-revenue-earning spaces i.e. spaces not available for carrying cargo, for example engine rooms, fuel tanks and crew quarters, from the ship's gross register tonnage (GRT). Net register tonnage (NRT) is not a measure of the weight of the ship or its cargo, and should not be confused with terms such as deadweight tonnage or displacement.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
- Gilbert Casse, Berend van der Wal and Peter Cundall.
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