Japanese Transports

ZATSUYOSEN!
(HINO MARU No. 5, prewar)

HINO MARU No. 5:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2013-2017 Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 4
21 January 1940:
Kobe. Laid down by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries K.K shipyard for Hinomaru Kisen K.K. as a 2,725-ton cargo ship.
24 July 1940:
Launched and named HINO MARU No.5.
30 October 1940:
Completed and registered in Kobe.
16 November 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN. Starts conversion to her military duty at Osaka Zosensho K. K. shipyard, Osaka.
1 December 1941:
Registered in the IJN as an auxiliary transport (Ko) category and attached to the Maizuru Naval District, with Maizuru as home port, under instruction No. 1573. [1].
December 1941:
Tactically assigned to Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Tsukahara Nishizo’s (36) (former CO of carrier AKAGI) 11th Air Fleet, Supply Unit also consisting of auxiliary aircraft transports KAMOGAWA, KEIYO and LYONS MARUs, ammunition ship TATSUGAMI MARU and auxiliary transports AMAGISAN, NANA and NIKKOKU MARUs.
16 December 1941:
The conversion is completed.
17 December 1941:
Departs Osaka.
21 December 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
23 December 1941:
Departs Kure and later this day arrives at Tokuyama.
26 December 1941:
Departs Tokuyama.
27 December 1941:
Arrives at Sasebo.
29 December 1941:
Departs Sasebo.
10 January 1942:
Departs Takao, Formosa (now Kaohsiung, Taiwan).
16 January 1942:
Arrives at Menado.
25 January 1942:
Provisioned with treatment goods by auxiliary hospital ship ASAHI MARU for the forthcoming invasion of Ambon Island, Moluccas, Netherlands East Indies.
27 January 1942:
At 1600 departs Davao in the second echelon of the Ito Shitai Ambon invasion force. The echelon consists of KIRISHIMA, YAMAGIRI, YAMAFUKU, KATSURAGI and LYONS MARUs and HINO MARU No. 5 escorted by destroyers AMATSUKAZE, TOKITSUKAZE, YUKIKAZE and HATSUKAZE and minesweepers W-9 and W-11.
29 January 1942:
At 0000 arrives at Bangka, Celebes. Preparation is made for the invasion of Ambon.
29-31 January 1942: The Invasion of Ambon Island, Ceram Island. Moluccas, Netherlands East Indies:
HINO MARU No. 5 departs Bangka anchorage, Celebes (now Pulau Bangka, Sulawesi), with the Ambon invasion convoy also consisting of auxiliary transports KIRISHIMA, YAMAGIRI and YAMAFUKU MARUs, auxiliary aircraft transport KATSURAGI MARU, IJA transports AFRICA, YAMAURA, RYOYO and MIIKE MARUs and IJA Air Defense ship ZENYO MARU carrying Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hatakeyama Koichiro's (39) (former CO of KINUGASA) Kure No. 1 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF), elements of the Sasebo SNLF and the 228th Infantry Regiment.
Escort is provided by Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Tanaka (41)'s DesRon 2’s light cruiser JINTSU, DesDiv 8’s ASASHIO, MICHISHIO, ARASHIO and OSHIO, DesDiv 15’s HAYASHIO, KUROSHIO, OYASHIO and NATSUSHIO, DesDiv 16’s TOKITSUKAZE, HATSUKAZE, AMATSUKAZE and YUKIKAZE, MineSweepDiv 11’s W-7, W-8, W-9, W-11 and W-12, SubChasDiv 1’s CH-1 and CH-2, and Patrol Boat Squadron 1’s PB-34. Seaplane tenders CHITOSE and MIZUHO arrive at Ceram and provide air cover for the invasion convoy.
Landings by Kure No. 1 SNLF proceed during the night of Jan 30/31 at Hitu-Iama on the North coast and by IJA’s 228th Infantry Regiment on the southern coast of Laitamor. The defenders are at a disadvantage to contest the landings as only a few Dutch detachments are in the area. At Hitu-Iama on the north coast, the defending infantry and machine-gun crews are quickly overwhelmed and bridges on the road leading to Paso are left intact allowing the Japanese to speedily advance south across the Hitu Peninsula.
Other landings occur around Hutumori, where the Japanese split westward to the town, and northward to Paso. The Japanese compel captured Ambonese to act as guides. The Japanese pass through a gap in the south at Batugong that falls on Jan 31st.
3 February 1942:
Ambon is secured.
1 March 1942:
Tactically assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet, Supply unit. Departs Ambon that same day.
2 March 1942:
Arrives off Dili, Timor.
4 March 1942:
Departs Dili.
5 March 1942:
Arrives at Kupang, Timor.
11 March 1942:
Departs Kupang.
17 March 1942:
Arrives at Davao, Mindanao.
28 March 1942:
Departs Davao.
10 April 1942:
Assigned to supply air bases.
13 April 1942:
Departs Kendari, Celebes.
15 April 1942:
Arrives at Kupang.
21 April 1942:
Departs Kupang.
24 April 1942:
Arrives at Macassar, Celebes.
28 April 1942:
Departs Macassar.
2 May 1942:
Arrives at Menado (now Manado), Celebes. That same day, scheduled to be fitted with additional equipment and supplies and a stereoscopic rangefinder under Navy’s secret instruction No. 5289.
6 May 1942:
Departs Menado.
9 May 1942:
Arrives at Macassar.
17 May 1942:
Departs Macassar.
19 May 1942:
Arrives at Surabaya, Java.
23 May 1942:
Departs Surabaya and returns later that day.
28 May 1942:
Departs Surabaya.
8 July 1942:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores.
9 July 1942:
At 1600 departs Mako in convoy No. 232 also consisting of TATSUWA (dubious as also shown in convoy No. 231), TEIYO, TEISHUN, GYOYO and SHONAN MARUs and one unidentified merchant ship escorted by destroyer WAKATAKE.
13 July 1942:
At 2300 arrives at Mutsure.
20 July 1942:
Kobe. Enters drydock for maintenance and repairs.
12 August 1942:
Departs Kobe.
13 August 1942:
Arrives at Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.
15 August 1942:
Departs Yokkaichi.
16 August 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
28 August 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
2 September 1942:
Arrives at Saipan, Marianas.
3 September 1942:
Departs Saipan.
9 September 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul, New Britain.
11 September 1942:
Departs Rabaul.
13 September 1942:
Arrives at Shortlands, Bougainville, Solomons.
16 September 1942:
Departs Shortlands.
17 September 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul.
29 September 1942:
Departs Rabaul.
1 October 1942:
Tactically assigned to the Southeast Area, Supply Unit.
5 October 1942:
Arrives at Saipan.
7 October 1942:
Departs Saipan.
14 October 1942:
Arrives at Tokuyama, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
19 October 1942:
Departs Tokuyama.
23 October 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
29 October 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
4 November 1942:
Arrives at Tinian, Marianas. Departs and arrives at Saipan later in the day.
7 November 1942:
Departs Saipan.
13 November 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul. Departs later.
29 November 1942:
Departs Yokosuka. (NB: Dubious)
5 December 1942:
Departs Rabaul.
15 December 1942:
Arrives at Balikpapan.
23 December 1942:
Departs Balikpapan.
24 December 1942:
Arrives at Macassar.
26 December 1942:
Departs Macassar.
5 January 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul.
19 January 1943:
Departs Rabaul.
20 January 1943:
Arrives at Kavieng.
25 January 1943:
Departs Kavieng.
27 January 1943:
Arrives at Buka.
9 February 1943:
Departs Buka.
10 February 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul.
19 February 1943:
Departs Rabaul.
21 February 1943:
Arrives at Buin.
22 February 1943:
Departs Buin and later that day arrives at Ballale.
24 February 1943:
Departs Ballale, Shortlands.
1 March 1943:
At 0557 met at sea by auxiliary netlayer UJI MARU.
2 March 1943:
Arrives at Taroa, Marshalls.
5 March 1943:
Departs Taroa. From 05-50N, 167-15E auxiliary subchaser KYO MARU No. 6 provides escort.
6 March 1943:
Arrives at Roi.
9 March 1943:
Transfers from Roi to Kwajalein.
11 March 1943:
Departs Kwajalein, Marshalls in an unnumbered convoy also consisting of auxiliary transport (ex-ammunition) HIDE MARU escorted by patrol boat SHONAN MARU No. 11.
E 13 March 1943:
Auxiliary patrol boat SHONAN MARU No. 11 is detached and meets up with inbound auxiliary transport KAISHO MARU.
E 15 March 1943:
HINO MARU No. 5 is detached for Saipan. HIDE MARU proceeds alone.
17 March 1943:
Arrives at Saipan.
21 March 1943:
Departs Saipan for Guam. Subsequently in April, steams to Rabaul.
16 May 1943:
Departs Palau, Western Carolines in convoy P-516 also consisting of auxiliary transports RAKUTO, KEISHO and SANSEI (3266 gt) MARUs and IJA transport TAIFUKU MARU escorted by minesweeper W 17.
25 May 1943:
Two small auxiliaries join the convoy as additional escorts at 30-30N, 133-10E.
26 May 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
June 1943:
Her current CO is IJN Captain Takeda Tetsuo (37).
5 June 1943:
Departs Tokuyama.
6 June 1943:
Arrives at Kobe.
24 June 1943:
At 1700, departs Kobe.
26 June 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
1 July 1943:
Departs Tokuyama and arrives at Kure later that day.
6 July 1943:
Departs Kure and arrives at Saeki, Kyushu later in the day.
8 July 1943:
Departs Saeki for Palau in convoy O-806 also consisting of fleet stores ship ARASAKI, IJA transports ASO, EHIME, KAZAN and ZUISHO MARUs escorted by patrol boat PB-46 and minesweeper W-18.
E 9 July 1943:
W-18 is detached at 29N.
16 July 1943:
At 1945, arrives at Palau. Departs after taking on bunkering fuel.
7 August 1943:
At 1100, departs Rabaul in an unnumbered convoy also consisting of fleet stores ship ARASAKI, IJA shared (A/C-AK) NICHIYO MARU and IJA transport SUMIYOSHI MARU escorted by subchasers CH-10 and CH-24.
9 August 1943:
Arrives at Shortlands. Departs later.
29 August 1943:
At 1600, joined by minesweeper W-26 and escorted to Buka, Bougainville.
30 August 1943:
At 1300, arrives at Buka. Departs at 1600 still escorted by W-26.
31 August 1943:
At 1100, arrives at Rabaul.
7 September 1943:
At 1225, departs Rabaul in a convoy also consisting of IJA transport BUNZAN MARU escorted by minesweeper W-28.
9 September 1943:
At 0716, arrives at Buin, Bougainville. Departs later.
23 September 1943:
Departs Ballale.
E 25 September 1943:
Arrives at Kavieng, New Ireland. Loads 60 500-kg bombs and 1,500-tons of ammunition. Departs later.
9 October 1943:
Departs Rabaul for Buin, Bougainville in an unnumbered convoy also consisting of IJN shared (B/C-AK) TETSUYO MARU and IJA transport YOSHINO MARU escorted by subchaser CH-38.
10 October 1943:
About 24 nautical miles W of Buka. HINO MARU No. 5 is bombed by USAAF Consolidated B-24 “Liberator” heavy bombers. The transport takes three direct hits that set her deck cargo of bombs and ammunition afire. The crew abandons ship and HINO MARU No. 5 sinks at 05-25S, 154-17E. Casualties are unknown.
11 October 1943:
The remainder of the convoy arrives at Buin.
1 December 1943:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 2564.

Authors Notes:
[1] There were two categories of Zatsuyosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.

-Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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