YUSOSEN!
(Wartime Standard Merchant Tanker 1TL)
IJN HAKKO MARU No. 2: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2008-2010 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
12 February 1944:
Kobe. Laid down at Kawasaki Shipbuilding as a 10,023-ton Standard Merchant 1TL tanker for Kyodo Kigyo K.K., Tokyo.
7 June 1944:
Launched and named HAKKO MARU No. 2.
13 June 1944:
Sold to Nippon Yusosen K.K., Tokyo.
30 June 1944:
Completed.
3 August 1944:
Departs Kobe.
4 August 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
5 August 1944:
Departs Kure.
6 August 1944:
Arrives Moji.
8 August 1944:
Departs Moji.
10 August 1944:
HAKKO MARU No. 2 departs Imari Bay (Moji) for Singapore in convoy HI-71 comprised of oilers AZUSA, TEIYO, EIYO, ZUIHO, KYOKUTO and NIYO MARUs, fleet oiler HAYASUI, food-supply ship IRAKO, transports TEIA, AWA, ORYOKU, NOTO, HOKKAI and NOSHIRO, landing ship carriers KIBITSU, TAMATSU and MAYASAN MARUs and cargo ships KASHII, NISSHO MARUs escorted by destroyers FUJINAMI and YUNAGI, kaibokan HIRATO, KURAHASHI, MIKURA, SHONAN and CD-11 and escort carrier TAIYO. The 631st Naval Air Group provides air cover with 12 BN5 Kate torpedo-bombers.
15 August 1944:
HI-71 arrives at Mako, Pescadores. HAKKO MARU No. 2, NIYO and ORYOKU MARUs and IRAKO are detached.
21 August 1944:
At 0900, HAKKO MARU No. 2 departs Takao, Formosa for Manila in convoy TAMA-24A with oiler NIYO MARU escorted by old destroyers ASAKAZE and YUNAGI.
22 August 1944:
Luzon Strait. At 1415, Cdr (later Captain) Gordon W. Underwood’s USS SPADEFISH (SS-411) torpedoes HAKKO MARU No. 2 at 18-48N, 120-46E. Hit amidships and under the bow, she begins to flood. The escorts counterattack dropping 11 depth charges, but fail to damage SPADEFISH. Still able to make four knots, HAKKO MARU No. 2 is beached at PasaquinBay, N Luzon.
Destroyer YUNAGI patrols the bay. Underwood’s USS SPADEFISH makes several attempts to penetrate the bay and finsh off HAKKO MARU No. 2, but is foiled by YUNAGI. Meanwhile, the Japanese manage to refloat HAKKO MARU No. 2, move off to deeper water and drop anchor. After many hours of stalking the destroyer,
SPADEFISH fires four wakeless Mark-18 electric torpedoes from her stern tubes at YUNAGI, but the destroyer
jinks at the last moment and they all miss. After surviving a counter attack, Underwood withdraws.
25 August 1944:
GENKAI MARU and CD-25 are detached from passing convoy TAMA-24 and arrive at Pasaquin Bay. They offload five motor torpedo boats from HAKKO MARU No. 2 to GENKAI MARU. About 300 passengers are also transferred to several small motor-sail boats and taken to Manila. Later, YUNAGI is detached and joins convoy TAMA-24.
18 September 1944:
Pasaquin Bay. Efforts to salvage HAKKO MARU No. 2 fail. She breaks up in heavy swells and is later deemed a constructive total loss.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
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