RIKUGUN YUSOSEN

(KAISHO MARU, prewar)

KAISHO MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2014-2016 Bob Hackett

E 1917:
Sakurashima. Laid down at Osaka Iron Works Co., Ltd as a 6,070-ton passenger-cargo ship for Katsuta Kisen, K. K. of Mitsuzuhama.

1 April 1918:
Launched and named KAISHO MARU.

1918:
Completed.

1931:
Sold to Ishikawa Kisen, K. K. of Hashidate.

1931:
Sold to Hachiuma Kisen, K. K. of Hashidate.

1937: Second Sino – Japanese War.
Chartered to the Imperial Army (IJA).

3 November 1937:
KAISHO MARU departs Goto Islands in a convoy also consisting of ALASKA, BUZEN, ENGLAND, GYOKO, HAKODATE, INDUS, KOSHIN, MINAMOTO, SANDAI. SHINTAN, SHOKYU, SHUNSEI, SUEZ, TOKUSHIMA and ZENOAH MARUs escorted by destroyer YUZUKI.

5 November 1937:
Arrives at Hangzhou Bay, China and lands troops.

1938:
Name officially changed to KAISYO MARU.

E 1938:
Released by the IJA back to her owners.

21 July1941:
Requisitioned by the IJA. Allotted Army No. 159

E 4 June 1942:
KAISHO MARU departs Hesaki in a convoy also consisting cargo ships KYUSHU MARU and tankers NISSHIN and TATEKAWA MARUs.

5 June 1942:
Passes through the Bungo Suido (Straits).

19 July 1942:
At 1900 KAISHO MARU departs Mako in convoy No. 236 also consisting of ARABIA, CHICAGO, GENOA, HIBARI, IKOMA, IKUSHIMA, ISUZU, KENZAN, KIYO, MADRAS, MANKO, MANSHU, and NISHIYAMA (SEIZAN) and UMEKAWA MARUs, BANEI MARU No. 7, DAIGEN MARU No. 3 and tanker TAKASAGO MARU escorted by the auxiliary gunboat DELHI MARU.

26 July 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama.

August 1942:
Released back to her owners.

9 March 1943:
Re-requisitioned by the IJA.

3 August 1943:
KAISHO MARU departs Surabaya, Java to assist an unknown ship in distress.

4 August 1943:
Java Sea. S coast of Borneo, off Cape Atein. At 0032, in a night surface attack, LtCdr (later Vice Admiral) John A. Tyree's (USNA '33) USS FINBACK (SS-230) fires five torpedoes by radar bearings and gets two hits that sink KAISHO MARU at 05-18S, 111-50E. 196 passengers including many Javanese and 47 crewmen are KIA.

Authors Notes:
[1] Not to be confused with IJN Transport (4,164-GRT, 1938).

[2] Also known as KAISYO MARU.

Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany

- Bob Hackett

Back to IJA Transports