KOSEKI UMPANSEN
(HIDA MARU)
HIDA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2011 Bob Hackett
Kobe. Laid down at Mitsubishi Jukogyo K. K. as a 5,321-ton Type 1K Standard Merchant ore carrier for Nippon Yusen K. K. (NYK), Tokyo.
25 May 1943:
Launched and named HIDA MARU.
7 July 1943:
Completed.
11 November 1943:
At 1600, HIDA MARU departs Moji for Takao in convoy No. 113-MA-07 also consisting of ARABIA, NANEI, TAMAHOKO, RYUYO, DAKAR, CHIYO, TOSEI, ANYO, SYDNEY, NITTETSU and NACHISAN MARUs escorted by destroyer KURETAKE.
13 November 1943:
At 0556, LtCdr Robert E. Dornin's (USNA '35) USS TRIGGER (SS-237) torpedoes and sinks NACHISAN MARU at 32-55N, 125-09E. KURETAKE drops five depth charges that damage TRIGGER slightly.
21 November 1943:
At 1140, arrives at Mako, Pescadores.
11 December 1943:
At 0900, HIDA MARU departs Takao for Moji in convoy No. 226 also consisting of ENJU, OYO, ATLAS, AMERICA, HANAGAWA and NEIKAI MARUs escorted by parol boat PB-36.
17 December 1943:
Convoy No. 226 arrives at Moji, less ENJU MARU detached at Okinawa due to engine trouble.
26 December 1943:
At 0920, HIDA MARU departs Sasebo for Takao in convoy No. 124 also consisting of HAVRE, NICHIYO, HAKUSHIKA, MOJI and FUJI MARUs
escorted by parol boat PB-36.
31 December 1943:
The convoy arrives at Takao less FUJI and HAKUSHIKA MARUs detached earlier.
20 April 1944:
HIDA MARU departs Kirun in convoy TAMO-17 also consisting of SUGIYAMA, KYOKUZAN and HIDA MARUs and 21 unidentified merchant ships. escorted by destroyers ASAGAO and HASU subchaser CH-8, and auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 3
27 April 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
20 May 1944:
HIDA MARU departs Moji in convoy MOTA-20 also consisting of TATEBE (KEMBU), and HAKUSHIKA MARUs and 13 unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer KURETAKE. Convoy MOTA-20 is also accompanied by convoy TE-07 consisting of seven unidentified merchant ships escorted by kaibokan SHIMUSHU and FUKUE.
25 May 1944:
Convoy TE-07 is detached for Kirun (Keelung), arriving later that day.
26 May 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
18 June 1944:
HIDA MARU departs Manila in convoy MI-05 now consisting of cargo/transports ARIMASAN, HINAGA, NIPPO (ex-Chinese NINGPO), TATSUJU, URAKARUTA, TEIFU, ROKKO, DAIZEN, MIIKESAN, NICHIYO and SEIWA MARUs, fleet oiler
NOTORO and tankers TACHIBANA, JINEI, SAN DIEGO, BAIEI, KENZUI, ATAGO, AYANAMI, CERAM, OEI and TOKUWA MARUs, YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2, and KYOEI MARU No. 8 (with the same escorts. ???)
23 June 1944:
At 1257, arrives at Miri.
25 June 1944:
At 1915, HIDA MARU departs Miri for Singapore in convoy MISHI-03 consisting of fleet oiler NOTORO and SAN DIEGO, NICHIYO, JINEI, FUYUKAWA, AYANAMI, KYOEI No. 8, BAIEI, and cargo/transports TEIFU (ex-BOUGAINVILLE), SEIWA, NIPPO, DAIZEN, SURAKARTA, HINAGA, MANILA, ARIMASAN, ROKKO, TATSUTAMA (ex-American SS Admiral Y. S. WILLIAMS), TOA and KENZUI MARUs escorted by kaibokan CD-18, torpedo boat SAGI, minesweeper W-17, subchaser CH-21 and auxiliary minesweepers CHOUN MARU No. 6 and TOSHI MARU No. 2.
28 June 1944:
South China Sea, off Singapore. At 2100, Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Rueben T. Whitaker’s (USNA '34) USS FLASHER’s (SS-249) radar picks up the convoy. Whitaker, operating in relatively shallow water (150 feet), decides to wait until after the moon sets to make a surface attack on the convoy’s two largest ships.
29 June 1944:
At 0111, Whitaker torpedoes freighter NIPPO MARU. Then he torpedoes oiler NOTORO. At 0117, two or three torpedoes hit NIPPO MARU and two or three torpedoes hit NOTORO. NIPPO MARU breaks in two and sinks by the bow. NOTORO remains afloat, but goes dead in the water. The escorts begin blindly dropping depth charges. Whitaker, still on the surface, leaves the area
on four engines.
30 June 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
4 August 1944:
HIDA MARU departs Moji for Takao with kaibokan HIBURI, CD-25, CD-32 escorting convoy MOTA-22 consisting of KENJO, GETSUZAN, HAKUSAN, TEIKO, TERUKUNI, TACHIBANA, NANREI, GENKAI, TEIHOKU, MANSHU, SHIRANESAN, SHONAN
and KOSHIN MARUs and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2, DAIBOSHI MARU No. 6 and six other unidentified ships.
6 August 1944:
Off SW Kyushu. At 0411, LtCdr (later Admiral/CINCPACFLT) Bernard A. Clarey’s (USNA '34) USS PINTADO (SS-387) torpedoes and sinks SHONAN MARU at 30-53N, 129-45E.
22 August 1944:
At 1410, HIDA MARU departs Takao for Manila in convoy TAMA-24 also consisting of KOTOKU, TEIHOKU, RAKUTO, BATOPAHAT, GENKAI and MANSHU MARUs and tankers TACHIBANA and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2 and an unidentified ship,
probably YUKIKAWA MARU escorted by kaibokan YASHIRO CD-8, CD-25, CD-32, torpedo boat HATO and minesweepers W-39 and W-38.
25 August 1944:
CD-25 and GENKAI MARU are detached. Destroyer YUNAGI joins TAMA-24. At 1024, Cdr (later Vice Admiral) Glynn R. Donaho's (USNA '27) USS PICUDA (SS-382) torpedoes and sinks KOTOKU MARU at 18-42N, 120-49E. At 1026, in the
same position, Donaho torpedoes and sinks YUNAGI as the destroyer attempts a counter-attack. At 1325, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Louis D. McGregor's (USNA '30) USS REDFISH (SS-395) torpedoes and sinks BATOPAHAT MARU at 18-31N, 120-32E.
11 September 1944:
At 1500, HIDA MARU departs Moji for Takao in convoy MOTA-26 also consisting of GASSAN, SEIZAN, HAKUSAN, HOTEN, MURORAN, MANILA, MACASSAR, DAIIKU, DAIKYO, NANKING, FUYUKAWA, PEKING, DAIZEN and JUNHO MARUs and NICHIYU MARU No. 2 and tanker DAISHO MARU. with destroyer HARUKAZE, kaibokan CD-9, CD-26 and subchaser CH-56.
16 September 1944:
GASSAN, SEIZAN and HAKUSAN MARUs split from the convoy and later that day arrive at Keelung, Formosa.
17 September 1944:
At 1300, arrives at Takao.
8 October 1944:
At 0700, HIDA MARU departs Manila for Miri, Borneo in convoy MI-19 also consisting of NITTETSU, SAN LUIS, DAIZEN, HIDA, SAN DIEGO, EIKYO, TOKUWA, SHUNTEN, TATSUBATO, DAISHU and YOSHU MARUs escorted by kaikoban
CD-18 and CD-26, patrol PB-105, subchaser CH-19 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-56.
9 October 1944:
About 1700, LtCdr Henry D. Sturr’s (USNA '33) BECUNA (SS-319) torpedoes and damages SAN LUIS MARU, but she is able to continue. LtCdr Francis W. Scanland’s (USNA '34) HAWKBILL (SS-366) also torpedoes SAN LUIS MARU about the same time. At 1804, BECUNA torpedoes and sinks TOKUWA MARU.
10 October 1944:
SHUNTEN MARU and two escorts are detached with damaged SAN LUIS MARU and head for Sandakan, Borneo.
12 October 1944:
Palawan Passage. LtCdr (later Captain) David H. McClintock’s (USNA '35) DARTER (SS-227) fires four torpedoes at two ships in the convoy,
but inflicts no damage.
14 October 1944:
At 0208, LtCdr (later Captain) Bladen D. Claggett’s (USNA '35) DACE (SS-247) torpedoes and sinks NITTETSU MARU and damages DAIZEN and EIKYO MARUs.
17 October 1944:
Arrives at Miri.
12 November 1944:
HIDA MARU departs Singapore in convoy SHISA-29 also consisting of seven unidentified merchant ships escorted bysubchaser CH-56.
16 November 1944:
Arrives at St Jacques, Indochina.
20 November 1944:
At 1205, HIDA MARU departs St Jacques for Takao as the sole ship of convoy SATA-02 escorted by minesweepers W-18, W-17, W-20 and subchaser CH-41.
21 November 1944:
At 2030, arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.
22 November 1944:
At 0725, departs Camranh Bay. At 1820, arrives Van Phong Bay.
23 November 1944:
At 0720, departs Van Phong Bay. At 1345, CH-41 is detached from the convoy. At 1945, arrives at Baia de Xuan Bay.
24 November 1944:
At 0746, departs Baia de Xuan Bay.
25 November 1944:
At 0800, W-20 is detached.
26 November 1944:
South China Sea, S of Hainan Island, China. At 0037, 14th Air Force B-24 "Liberator" heavy bombers, on a night reconnaissance flight, bomb and strafe HIDA MARU and damage minesweepers W-18 and W-17 at 16-44N, 108-24E. HIDA MARU takes crippled W-18 in tow.
27 November 1944:
W-18 sinks at 16-52N, 108-38E. That same day, at 1000, the remainder of the convoy arrives at Yulin, Hainan Island.
19 December 1944:
Hong Kong. Four 14th Air Force P-51 "Mustang"fighter-bombers attack shipping. HIDA MARU is hit and damaged. She is beached in sinking condition at 22-17N, 114-10E.
16 January 1945:
Carrier aircraft of Vice Admiral John S. McCain's Sr's (USNA '06) Task Force 38 bomb shipping in the harbor area. HIDA MARU is hit again.
4 May 1945:
The wreck is abandoned as a comprehensive total loss.
-Bob Hackett
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