KOSEKI UMPANSEN

(HONAN MARU)

HIYORI MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement


© 2011 Bob Hackett

9 July 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.

17 September 1943:
Launched and named HIYORI MARU. [1]

26 October 1943:
Completed.

21 December 1943: At 0200, HIYORI MARU departs Kau, Halmahera for Manokwari, New Guinea escorting convoy No. 2 also consisting of KENWA and TONEGAWA MARUs escorted by destroyer WAKATAKA. The convoy is carrying the second echelon of the IJA's 36th Division.

23 December 1943:
Arrives at Manokwari. Unloads troops and cargo.

24 December 1943:
The convoy departs Manokwari.

26 December 1943:
Arrives at Sarmi, New Guinea.

29 December 1943:
The convoy departs Sarmi.

2 January 1944:
Arrives at Kau.

4 May 1944:
At 1400, HIYORI MARU departs Tateyama in convoy 3503 also consisting of KEIYO, HAKOZAKI, ENOSHIMA, MINO, OSAKA, TAIKOKU, FUKKO, TATSUTAGAWA, SHINFUKU, FUKOKU, KOHO, KOJUN and SHUNSEN MARUs escorted by destroyers ASANAGI and MINATSUKI, torpedo boat OTORI, kaibokan OKI, CD-24 CH-52, CH-31 and CH-32 and auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 8.

E 9 May 1944:
CH-52 is detached from the convoy near Chichi-Jima.

10 May 1944: 420 miles NW of Saipan. At 1743, LtCdr Russell Kefauver’s USS TAMBOR (SS-198) torpedoes and damages KEIYO MARU at 19-27N 140-00E.

14 May 1944:
At 14-57N, 144-58E, KOHO SHUNSEN and OTORI MARUs and SHONAN MARU No. 8 are detached for Guam. At 1200, the rest of the convoy arrives at Saipan.

26 July 1944:
At 0600, HIYORI MARU departs Imari Bay in convoy MI-13 also consisting of cargo ships HIGANE, DURBAN, KIZAN, KUNIYAMA, URAL, SHIROTAE, KOKUSEI, CHINA, MATSUURA, RISSHUN and ATLAS MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 1 and tankers SHINCHO, TEIKON, TOKUWA, KYOEI and ATAGO MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 2 escorted by kaibokan MATSUWA, CD-14, patrol boat P-38. minesweeper W-18, auxiliary minesweeper TAKUNAN MARU No. 3, auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU and auxiliary patrol boats EIFU, FUYO, KASUGA and NUNOBIKI MARUs.

31 July 1944:
The convoy arrives at Takao. SHIROTAE, CHINA and MATSUURA MARUs are detached and tankers SHIMPO and ZUIYO MARUs and cargo ship SHINKO MARU join the convoy. TAKUNAN MARU No. 3 and CHOHAKUSAN MARU are detached from the escort and replaced by kaibokan KUSAGAKI and YASHIRO and destroyer ASAKAZE. Naval Transport T. 3 also joins.

4 August 1944:
At 0830, the reconstituted convoy departs Takao.

7 August 1944:
At 2205, LtCdr (later Captain) Enrique D. Haskin's USS GUITARRO (SS-363) torpedoes and sinks kaibokan KUSAGAKI at 14-50N, 119-57E.

8 August 1944:
At 0900, the convoy arrives at Manila. DURBAN, KIZAN, RISSHUN, KUNIYAMA, SHINKO and ATLAS MARUs are detached. SHOEI MARU joins the convoy. All of the escorts are detached except CD-14, patrol boat PB-38 and subchasers CH-30 and CH-33.

11 August 1944:
At 2100, the convoy departs Manila for Miri.

12 August 1944:
At 0730, LtCdr Frank G. Selby’s USS PUFFER (SS-268) torpedoes and damages SHINPO MARU. She is taken under tow by SHOEI and KYOEI MARUs and beached, then abandoned. Selby also torpedoes and sinks TEIKON MARU. CD-14 and patrol boat PB-38 drop 37 depth charges, but PUFFER slips away unscathed.

18 August 1944:
At 1700, the convoy arrives at Miri.

19 August 1944:
HIYORI MARU departs Miri for Kuching, Borneo in convoy MISHI-07 also consisting of SHINCHO, URAL, KOKUSEI, HIGANE, SHOEI and KYOEI MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 1 escorted by kaibokan CD-14 and patrol boat PB-38.

21 August 1944:
Arrives at Kuching, Borneo to shelter after a torpedo attack on MISHI-07.

24 August 1944:
Departs Kuching.

25 August 1944:
Arrives at Miri, Borneo.

22 September 1944:
At 0800, HIYORI MARU departs Singapore for Miri, Borneo in convoy MI-18 consisting of KOKUSEI, KIKUSUI, RYOFU, HIGANE, KAISOKU MARUs and UNKAI MARU No. 5 and NANSHIN MARU NO. 18 escorted by destroyers SHIOKAZE and KURETAKE.

26 September 1944:
Arrives at Miri. The convoy loads cargo then departs for Manila via Brunei. HIYORI MARU is carrying 122 passengers, crew and gunners, 7,700-tons of bauxite (aluminum) ore and 10-tons of munitions. [2]

1 October 1944:
The convoy departs Brunei Bay hugging the coast escorted by SHIOKAZE and KURETAKE and an unidentified smaller escort.

NW Borneo. SW of Kudat, off Gaya Bay, At 2255, LtCdr John C. Martin's USS HAMMERHEAD (SS-364) picks up a convoy on SJ radar at 12,000 yards that they make out as five large ships with three escorts. Martin commences tracking.

At 2326, HAMMERHEAD fires her six bow torpedoes at the convoy and begins to swing around to bring her stern tubes to bear. At 2330, Martin fires his aft torpedoes.

2 October 1944:
At 0034, HAMMERHEAD torpedoes and sinks HIYORI MARU at 06-28N 116-14E. Seven troops and 27 crewmen are KIA.

At 0041, HAMMERHEAD torpedoes and sinks ore-carrier HIGANE MARU by the bow at 06-30N, 116-15E. Six troops and nine crewmen are KIA. HAMMERHEAD also torpedoes and sinks ore-carrier KOKUSEI MARU at 06-30N 116-18E. 32 troops and 47 crewmen are KIA.

The destroyers do not counter-attack.

Author’s Notes:
[1] Also known as NICHIWA MARU.

[2] In mid-September ‘44, KOKUSEI MARU loaded a cargo of bauxite just S of Singapore at Bintan Island, NEI. It is probable that HIGANE and HIYORI MARUs also loaded bauxite at Bintan.

- Bob Hackett

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