YUSOSEN!
(HOZAN MARU in wartime)
IJN HOZAN MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2019 Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall
March 1943:
Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Laid down by Kasado Docks K.K. shipyard as a Standard Peacetime (C) Type 2,984-tons cargo ship for Miyachi Kisen K.K.
30 June 1943:
Completed and named HOZAN MARU and registered at Kobe. The ship is apparently fitted out as a case oiler, possibly also with neoprene sheeting added to the holds. It appears likely the ship never carried oil in bulk but rather in drums, in which case additional ventilators were probably fitted.
27 September 1943:
HOZAN MARU is at anchor off Miri, Sarawak. [1]
1943:
Requisitioned by the IJA at an unknown date. Used as Army transport No. 1081.
6 November 1943:
Departs Saiki escorting convoy O-607 also consisting of HOKKO, RYUKO, KANKYO, KANTO, SORACHI and TASMANIA MARUs escorted by minesweeper. W-17 and auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 8. Soon after departure the convoy is reinforced by auxiliary minesweepers YACHIYO MARU, TOKUHO MARU No. 10 and AOI MARU who remain until latitude 27N. RYUKO MARU is towing non propelled submergible barge transport No. 6.
7 November 1943:
An aircraft reports five submarines ahead. At 1253, the convoy reverses course. At 1605, the convoy resumes course again.
17 November 1943:
Arrives at Palau, Western Carolines.
24 November 1943:
Departs Palau in Wewak No. 14 convoy also consisting of KANKYO, KANTO, FUKKAI, and UMEKAWA MARUs escorted by SHIRATAKA and CH-35.
27 November 1943:
KANKYO MARU is detached from the convoy for Hollandia (Now Jayapura, New Guinea), arriving there later that day.
28 November 1943:
Arrives at Wewak, New Guinea.
30 November 1943:
KANTO and KANKYO MARUs (the latter having arrived from Hollandia earlier) depart for Hollandia probably escorted by CH-35. The remaining ships depart from Wewak back to Palau.
4 December 1943:
The remaining ships arrive at Palau.
5 December 1943:
At 1100, departs Palau in convoy FU-507 also consisting of YAMAGATA, FUKOKU, KIBI, KANJO, KANTO and KANKYO MARUs escorted by torpedo boat SAGI and auxiliary minesweepers TAMA MARU No. 6 and TAMA MARU No. 7.
10 December 1943:
The convoy encounters a large storm about 54 nautical miles SSW Okinotori Jima that scatters the ships. SAGI and an aircraft spend time searching for the ships but most return to Palau. HOZAN, KANKYO and YAMAGATA MARUs continue northwards.
17 December 1943:
At 1000, the three ships arrive safely in the Bungo Suido.
4 February 1944:
Departs Moji in convoy MOTA-01 also consisting of TEIYU, MALTA, SHINKOKU, ZUIYO and TENSHIN MARUs and one unidentified merchant ship escorted by destroyer MINEKAZE and auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU.
10 February 1944:
At 0415, in position 23-12N, 121-30E MINEKAZE and MALTA MARU, the latter carrying 800 passengers, are torpedoed and sunk by LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Ralph M. Metcalf's (USNA 35) USS POGY (SS-266). 99 sailors including her CO, LtCdr Imaizumi Masajiro (62) on MINEKAZE are KIA. 33 crewmen and an unknown number of passengers on MALTA MARU are lost. SHINKOKU MARU is also damaged in the same attack and runs aground.
11 February 1944:
At 1300, SHINKOKU MARU is refloated and later arrives at Takao, Formosa (now Kaohsiung, Taiwan).
22 February 1944:
Departs Takao in convoy TAMA-05 also consisting of TEIYU, TAIKOKU, FUYO, CHINKAI, ZUIYO, FUJIKAWA, KACHOSAN MARUs, NISSHO MARU No. 16 escorted by minesweeper W-17, auxiliary netlayers AGATA and TOKACHI MARUs, auxiliary TERUKUNI MARU and one other small escort.
26 February 1944:
At 1800, arrives at Manila, Luzon.
3 March 1944:
Departs Manila in H-20 convoy also consisting of CHINKAI, FUYO and FUJIKAWA MARUs and possibly others escorted by subchaser CH-45.
5 March 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga, Mindanao.
6 March 1944:
Departs Zamboanga.
10 March 1944:
Arrives at Kau, Halmahera Is., Moluccas.
9 April 1943:
At 1630, departs Cebu, Philippines for Manila.
19 April 1944:
At 1200, departs Manila in convoy MASA-04 also consisting of NORWAY MARU escorted by subchaser CH-19 and CH-21.
23 April 1944:
CH-21 detaches.
24 April 1944:
At 1700, arrives at St Jacques, French Indochina (now Vung Tau, Vietnam) with the convoy.
28 April 1944:
At 1300, departs Saigon, French Indochina (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) for Singapore.
14 June 1944:
While in Manila port a gunnery permit is issued to HOZAN MARU.
8 July 1944:
At 1300, departs Cebu in a convoy also consisting of MYOGI, FRANCE and KEIAN MARUs.
10 July 1944:
At 1740, arrives in Manila. Over the next few days the ship loads 8,000 drums of petrol and 20,000 drums of aviation gasoline bound for Halmahera.
16 July 1944:
At 0650, there is a sudden violent explosion in hold No. 3 and then fire breaks out in hold No. 4. The fire spreads across the whole ship and the ship sinks in Manila harbor with the loss of five crewmen. Although some reports blame an overheated funnel casing it seems highly probable the explosion was caused by sabotage. At the time underground resistance in Manila is increasing. No group claims success but given the likely Japanese response this is not surprising.
Authors notes:
[1] It is possible this was another HOZAN MARU as the information comes from an allied decrypt with the kanji not shown. Many ships were named HOZAN MARU: Standard Wartime (2E) Type (873 GRT, 43), Cargo vessels (1,176 GRT, 14), (2,260 GRT, 18) and (482 GRT, 18), Passenger/cargo ship (2,552 GRT, 07) and Ferryboat (410 GRT, 20).
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
- Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.
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