Japanese Type 1K Ore Carriers

KOSEKI UMPANSEN

(HIOKI MARU)

HIOKI MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2011-2012 Bob Hackett

1943:

28 May 1943:
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.
5 August 1943:
Launched and named HIOKI MARU.
20 September 1943:
Completed.
13 April 1944 :
HIOKI MARU departs Kirun, Formosa (Keelung, Taiwan) in convoy TAMO-16 also consisting of TOYO MARU No. 3, HAKUSHIKA, NORFOLK, HAWAII and YASUKUNI MARUs and eight unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer KARUKAYA and auxiliary gunboat PEKING MARU.
20 April 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
1 May 1944:
HIOKI MARU departs Moji in convoy MI-03 also consisting of cargo ships DAIJUN, ETAJIMA, HIYORI, NIKKO, KANKYO, RYUKA, SHOHEI, SHINNO, TOUN and TAISEI MARUs, tankers CHIYODA, KOTOKU, SHUNTEN MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 2 and UNKAI MARU No. 5 and seven unidentified ships escorted by destroyers SHIOKAZE and KARUKAYA, kaibokan KURAHASHI, CD-1, CD-13 and CH 37, torpedo boat HATO, auxiliary gunboat PEKING MARU and other unidentified warships.
E 7 May 1944:
Arrives at Takao. HIOKI and HIYORI MARUs are detached.
3 June 1944:
At 1000, HIOKI MARU departs Singapore for Moji in bauxite convoy HO-02 also consisting of HONAN, NASUSAN, TAMAHOKO, TAINAN, TEIHOKU (ex-Vichy French PERSEE), KENNICHI, SHONAN and NICHIWA MARUs and KONAN MARU No. 1 and ten unidentified ships escorted by kaibokan CD-1, CD-8, CD-15, CD-20 and minelayer AOTAKA.
6 June 1944:
S of Nishino-Torishima Island. 160 miles off Cape St. Jacques, Indochina. LtCdr James W. Davis' (USNA ’30) USS RATON (SS-270) attacks the convoy. At 2225, Davis torpedoes and sinks CD-15 at 08-57N, 109-17E. CD-8 and CD-20 rescue 34 survivors. CD-1, CD-8 and CD-20 counterattack, dropping a total of 57 depth-charges. RATON is damaged, but remains on patrol.
11 June 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
4 August 1944:
HIOKI MARU departs Moji for Takao in convoy MOTA-22 also consisting of GASSAN, HAKUSAN, TEIKO (ex-French D’ARTAGNAN), TEIHOKU MARU (ex-Vichy French PERSEE), TERUKUNI, TACHIBANA, NANREI, GENKAI, KENJO, MANSHU, RAKUTO, SHIRANESAN, SHONAN and KOSHIN MARUs and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2, DAIBOSHI MARU No. 6 and five unidentified ships escorted by kaibokan HIBURI, FUKUE, ETOROFU, CD-8, CD-25, CD-32 and CH-49, minelayer TAKASHIMA and gunboat UJI.
Among other cargo, the convoy carries the IJA's 25th Tank Regiment redeploying from Baotau, North China to Formosa. At an unknown point, kaibokan CD-10 joins the escort.
6 August 1944:
Off SW Kyushu. At 0411, LtCdr (later Admiral/CinCPacFlt) Bernard A. Clarey’s (USNA ’34) USS PINTADO (SS-387) hits SHONAN MARU with three torpedoes. She sinks at 30-55N, 129-45E.
9 August 1944:
At 1310, KOSHIN MARU's cargo suddenly explodes and the ship sinks at 26-10N, 124-15E.
10 August 1944:
At 1600, arrives at Kirun.
22 August 1944:
At 1410, HIOKI 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 escorted by kaibokan YASHIRO, CD-8, CD-25, CD-32, torpedo boat HATO and minesweepers W-38 and W-39.
25 August 1944:
CD-25 and GENKAI MARU are detached from the convoy and go to Pasaleng Bay to offload five motor torpedo boats from the deck of damaged HAKKO MARU No. 2 sheltering with destroyer YUNAGI in the bay. YUNAGI is detached and 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, as Donaho torpedoes and sinks YUNAGI as she 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.
28 August 1944:
At 2100, arrives at Manila.
21 September 1944:
Manila Bay. At about 0900, about 200 aircraft of Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Marc A. Mitscher's (USNA ’10) Task Force 38’s Task Groups 38.1, 38.2, and 38.3 begin strikes that continue throughout the day. HIOKI MARU is bombed and sunk at 14-35N, 120-55E.

-Bob Hackett

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