Japanese Auxiliary Gunboats

KOKAI HOKAN!

(KEIJO MARU sistership of HEIJO MARU, prewar)

IJN HEIJO MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2020 Gilbert Casse, Berend van der Wal and Peter Cundall

29 August 1939:
Uraga, Kanagawa. Laid down by Uraga Senkyo K.K. shipyard as a 2,627-tons Peacetime Standard (C) Type cargo ship for Chosen Yusen K.K.
19 July 1940:
Launched and named HEIJO MARU.

27 May 1941:
Completed and registered at Jinsen, Chosen. (Now Incheon, South Korea)
E 28 May ~ 27 November 1941:
Departs Tokyo for deployment on the Sinuiju, Chosen (now North Korea), route.
28 November 1941:
Tsurumi. Requisitioned by the IJN. Conversion to an auxiliary gunboat is scheduled at Nippon Kokan K.K. shipyard.
10 December 1941:
Registered as an auxiliary gunboat attached to the Yokosuka Naval District under Instruction No. 1624. That same day, LtCdr Fukuda Koji (48) is appointed CO.
11 December 1941:
Conversion operations are started at Nippon Kokan K.K. shipyard.
27 December 1941:
Conversion is completed. Departs Tsurumi on trials and returns there later that day. [1]
28 December 1941:
Departs Tsurumi and arrives at Yokosuka later this day.
29 December 1941:
Conversion provisional office is removed from ship.
31 December1941:
Attached to Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Inoue Shigeyoshi’s (37) Fourth Fleet, 4th Base Force and 6th Gunboat Division under instruction No. 1773.
2 January 1942:
Loads ammunition, replenishes boiler water and is provisioned with drinking goods and supplies.
3 January 1942:
Replenishes boiler water.
4 January 1942:
Loads consignment goods.
5 January 1942:
Departs Yokosuka. During a gale, damaged after LtCdr Stanley P. Moseley’s (USNA '25) USS POLLACK (SS-180) torpedoes her at position bearing 70° 38 nautical miles off Miyakojima. Carries out anti-submarine action. 12cm guns fire 5 rounds.
6 January 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka. Enters the Yokosuka Naval yard Yard drydock No. 2 for permanent repairs. Unloads cargo.
7 ~8 January 1942:
Unloads ammunition.
8 January 1942:
12cm gun No. 1 is removed and unloaded.
9 ~27 January 1942:
Under repairs.
28 January 1942:
Repairs are completed. Undocked and transfers to buoy No. 4.
29 January 1942:
Rated as gunboat No. 63. No. 1 gun with ammunition is loaded and re-installed.
30 January 1942:
Loads fuel and deposit goods and replenishes fresh water.
31 January 1942:
Provisioned with food.
2 February 1942:
Departs Yokosuka alone. Reverses course because of stormy weather and arrives at Tateyama Bay later that same day.
3 February 1942:
Departs Tateyama Bay.
10 February 1942:
Arrives at Truk, Central Carolines.
12 ~ 13 February 1942:
Unloads deposit goods.
14 February 1942:
Loads fuel and replenishes fresh water.
15 February 1942:
Loads fuel and consignment goods.
16 February 1942:
Departs Truk on patrol in NE Waterway.
22 February 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
23 ~ 24 February 1942:
Loads fuel.
24 February 1942:
Departs Truk on anti-submarine sweep.
25 February 1942:
Patrols S Waterway.
26 February 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
27 February 1942:
Loads boiler water.
28 February 1942:
Departs Truk to patrol N Waterway.
6 March 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
7 March 1942:
Loads boiler water.
9 March 1942:
Depart Truk to patrol N Waterway.
12 March 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
13 ~ 16 March 1942:
Loads fuel.
14 ~ 17 March 1942:
Loads boiler water.
16 March 1942:
Provisions food.
18 March 1942:
Departs Truk to patrol S Waterway.
23 March 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
24 March 1942:
Loads fuel.
27 March 1942:
Replenishes fresh water and provisions fresh food.
29 ~ 31 March 1942:
Loads boiler water.
2 April 1942:
Loads boiler water.
5 April 1942:
Provisions food.
7 April 1942:
Departs Truk to patrol N Waterway.
10 April 1942:
Released from 6th Gunboat Division under instruction No. 652. Remains attached to Fourth Fleet, 4th Base Force. Tactically assigned to Truk Maritime Force under Truk Area Defense Command Order No. 10.
12 April 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
14 April 1942:
Departs Truk to patrol TA area.
16 April 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
17 April 1942:
Departs Truk to patrol KA area.
21 April 1942: BR> Searches for a floating mine.
22 April 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
29 April 1942:
Departs Truk on an anti-submarine sweep in TA patrol area.
2 May 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
7 May 1942:
Departs Truk to patrol TA area.
12 May 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
16 May 1942:
S of Truk. LtCdr (later Cdr) Joseph H. Willingham’s (USNA ’26) USS TAUTOG (SS-199) torpedoes auxiliary transport GOYO MARU. She is heavily damaged and her captain beaches her on Royalist Reef off Truk to prevent sinking.
17 May 1942:
Departs Truk to assist GOYO MARU.
18 May 1942:
Auxiliary gunboat CHOAN MARU No. 2 GO departs Truk to assist GOYO MARU too. Later that day auxiliary netlayer KOEI MARU also arrives.
19 May 1942:
Arrives at Truk. Thereafter, returns to the beached GOYO MARU disaster site. Departs there towing the damaged transport later that day.
23 May 1942:
Arrives at Truk with GOYO MARU under tow.
29 May 1942:
Departs Truk escorting auxiliary coaler/oiler SHINSEI MARU No. 6.
31 May 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
14 June 1942:
Departs Truk.
15 June 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
16 June 1942:
Departs Truk escorting auxiliary oiler KYOKUYO MARU and Navy transport KANO MARU.
17 June 1942:
Ends escort and reverses course to Truk.
18 June 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
29 June 1942:
Departs Truk on escort mission.
E July 1942:
Heads towards Palau, Western Carolines.
14 August 1942:
At 23-10N, 139-39E torpedoed but sustains no damage. Carries out an anti-submarine sweep without result.
15 August 1942:
LtCdr Fukuda is relieved by Lt Kawada Yoshio (48) as CO.
18 August 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
27 August 1942:
Scheduled to loads ammunition and personnel at Yokosuka Naval Yard under Navy Secretariat instruction No. 10667.
E 1 ~ 7 September 1942:
Loads ammunition and embarks personnel.
8 September 1942:
Departs Yokosuka for Palau.
October 1942:
Based at Palau. Escorts military convoys from and to Manila, Hong Kong, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Surabaya and Rabaul.
20 November 1942:
Arrives at Truk from Palau.
15 December 1942:
Arrives at Truk from Palau.
E16 ~ 31 December 1942:
Departs Ponape.
5 January 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
8 January 1943:
Departs Truk on escort mission.
11 January 1943:
At 1200, in 08-30N, 143-00E meets up with S Convoy consisting of ASAKA, NISHIYAMA, HOKO, IWATE, IKOMA MARUs and KOSHU MARU No. 2 escorted by auxiliary gunboat SHOTOKU MARU. Soon after rendezvous SHOTOKU MARU is detached and returns to Saipan.
17 January 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
20 January 1943:
Departs Truk on escort mission. (Possibly Convoy D though not shown as part of escort).
24 January 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
27 January 1943:
Departs Truk escorting Fleet oiler TSURUMI.
29 January 1943:
At 0000, detaches. Heads towards inbound auxiliary oiler KENYO MARU at 08-20N, 149-30E and begins escorting her.
30 January 1943:
Allied codebreakers pick up a signal indicating TSURUMI is near Truk escorted by auxiliary gunboat HEIJO MARU.
31 January 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
20 February 1943:
Departs Truk escorting a convoy.
22 February 1944:
Arrives at Truk.
2 March 1943:
Departs Truk with auxiliary gunboat CHOUN MARU escorting auxiliary water tanker NIPPO MARU towing submarine I-33.
9 March 1943:
Destroyer YUNAGI joins the escort.
16 March 1943:
Arrives at Bungo Waterway with patrol boat PB-46 and torpedo boat HATO joining as additional escorts.
17 March 1943:
Escorts are detached off Fukajima. Arrives at Saeki later this day.
18 March 1943:
Departs Saeki.
20 March 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
13 April ~ 19 May 1943:
Hull, weapons and engine are under repairs at Uraga Senkyo K.K.
19 May 1943:
Repairs are completed.
E1 ~24 June 1943:
Hull, weapons and engine undergo additional repairs at Yokosuka Naval yard.
25 June 1943:
Departs Yokosuka and arrives at Shibaura later that day. Thereafter, departs escorting convoy No. 3625 consisting of auxiliary water tanker KOAN MARU, auxiliary passenger-cargo ship SHOZAN MARU and auxiliary transport TOYO MARU. The convoy sails at 10 knots.
26 June 1943:
About 20 nautical miles W of Hachijo Jima, Izu Shoto (Izu Islands). LtCdr (later RearAdmiral-Ret) Thomas M. Dykers’ (USNA ’27) USS JACK (SS-259) sights the convoy. About 0427, Dykers torpedoes and hits TOYO MARU aft, at 33-13N, 139-30E. She sinks 30 minutes later sustaining only one casualty. KOAN MARU rescues survivors.
Later, Dykers torpedoes and sinks IJN requisitioned passenger-cargo (5,859 GRT) SHOZAN MARU about the same position. 60 crewmen are KIA. In attempting to torpedo KOAN MARU, USS JACK is shaken by a torpedo dropped by a Japanese aircraft and makes a crash-dive. Her crew manages to correct her dangerous diving angle and effect emergency repairs.
6 July 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
10 July 1943:
Departs Truk and returns there later this day.
15 July 1943:
Departs Truk escorting a convoy.
20 July 1943:
Arrives at Nauru.
28 July 1943:
Departs Nauru escorting a convoy.
2 August 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
5 August 1943:
Lt Kawada is relieved by Resv Lt Fujimoto Eizo as CO.
8 August 1943:
At 1530, departs Truk for Nauru, with auxiliary minesweeper HAGOROMO MARU to 51-00N, 157-05E where auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 8 is to relieve HAGOROMO MARU, escorting auxiliary transport NANKAI MARU No. 2.
14 August 1943:
Scheduled to arrive at Nauru at 0500.
15 August 1943:
Arrives at Nauru.
16 August 1943:
At 2000, departs Nauru escorting auxiliary transport NANKAI MARU No. 2. Between them the ships are carrying 601 Nauruan refugees being forcibly removed from the island.
23 August 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
26 August 1943:
Departs Truk and returns there later that day.
1 September 1943:
Departs Truk for Nauru.
3 September 1943:
At 1000, departs Kwajalein for Nauru Island with torpedo boat HIYODORI escorting auxiliary transport KENRYU MARU. Not long after leaving the harbor LtCdr Oscar E. Hagberg's (USNA '31) USS ALBACORE (SS-218) torpedoes and sinks HEIJO MARU at 05-25N, 156-37E. Three crewmen are KIA.
15 October 1943:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 2168.

Authors' Notes:
[1] HEIJO MARU armament and equipment include 4 12cm/45 three-year deck guns, 1 Type 93 13mm MG, 1 Type 92 7.7mm MG, 14 Type 38 ‘Arisaka’ rifles, 6 handguns, 1 150cm rangefinder, 1 DC launcher with DC loading platform, 2 DC racks and 1 75cm searchlight.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.

- Gilbert Casse, Berend van der Wal and Peter Cundall.

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