FUSETSUKAN!

© 2009-2020 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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20 February 1945:
Laid down at Sasebo Navy Yard as Minelayer No. 1081, the lead ship of the planned KAMISHIMA class.

5 April 1945:
Named KAMISHIMA and provisionally attached to Yokosuka Naval District.

12 June 1945:
Launched.

30 June 1945:
Lt (reserve) Takeuchi Keikichi (former XO of HARIO) is appointed the Chief Equipping Officer (CEO).

18 July 1945:
On that day, the USN Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne, Australia (FRUMEL) provides the translation of a message transmitted by the CEO of KAMISHIMA on 13 July at 1706:
"Expect to commence trials on 14th and take delivery of the ship on 25th."
Comment: Routing of message indicate ships (sic) was built at Sasebo. Probably a new coast defense ship.

30 July 1945:
Completed and registered in the IJN. Attached to Yokosuka Naval District. Assigned to Yokosuka Guard Unit. Lt (reserve) Takeuchi Keikichi is the CO.

8 August 1945:
Transferred to Yokosuka to join the 1st Special Attack Squadron.

15 August 1945:
Japan accepts the "Potsdam Declaration" (of unconditional surrender).

15 September 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

3 October 1945:
Departs Yokosuka.

5 October 1945:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

7 October 1945:
Arrives at Moji.

10 October 1945:
Departs Moji.

11 October 1945:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

13 October 1945:
Arrives at Hakata.

17 October 1945:
Ex-Lt (later Vice Admiral, JMSDF) Ishino Jikyo (69)(former CO of Ourazaki Special Attack Unit) is appointed the CO.

27 October 1945:
Departs Hakata.

28 October 1945:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

30 October 1945:
Arrives at Hakata.

9 November 1945:
Departs Hakata.

10 November 1945:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

11 November 1945:
Arrives at Masan and departs later the same day.

12 November 1945:
Arrives at Hakata.

16 November 1945:
Departs Hakata.

17 November 1945:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

18 November 1945:
Arrives at Senzaki.

21 November 1945:
Departs Hakata.

22 November 1945:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

23 November 1945:
Arrives at Senzaki.

26 November 1945:
Departs Hakata.

27 November 1945:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

28 November 1945:
Arrives at Senzaki.

30 November 1945:
Departs Hakata.

1 December 1945:
Officially assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service. [1]

1 December 1945:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

2 December 1945:
Arrives at Senzaki.

3 January 1946:
Dry-docked at Sasebo for hull and machinery repairs.

12 January 1946:
Repairs are completed.

16 January 1946:
Departs Hakata.

17 January 1946:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

18 January 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

19 January 1946:
Departs Hakata.

20 January 1946:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

21 January 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai and departs later the same day.

24 January 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

26 January 1946:
Departs Hakata.

27 January 1946:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

29 January 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai.

31 January 1946:
Departs Shanghai.

3 February 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

6 February 1946:
Departs Hakata.

7 February 1946:
Arrives at Pusan and departs later the same day.

11 February 1946:
Arrives at Shanghai.

13 February 1946:
Departs Shanghai.

15 February 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

19 February 1946:
Departs Hakata.

20 February 1946:
Arrives at Pusan.

23 February 1946:
Departs Pusan.

26 February 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

28 February 1946:
Enters dockyard at Tamano.

22 March 1946:
Repairs are completed.

24 April 1946:
Departs Kure.

26 April 1946:
Arrives at Sasebo and departs later the same day.

29 April 1946:
Arrives at Hakata and departs later the same day.

4 May 1946:
Arrives at Korojima near Tsientsin.

13 May 1946:
Departs Korojima.

16 May 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

22 May 1946:
Departs Hakata.

26 May 1946:
Arrives at Korojima and departs later that day.

30 May 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

2 June 1946:
Departs Hakata.

7 June 1946:
Arrives at Korojima and departs later that day.

10 June 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

13 June 1946:
Departs Hakata.

18 June 1946:
Arrives at Korojima and departs later that day.

22 June 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

27 June 1946:
Departs Hakata.

30 June 1946:
Arrives at Korojima.

1 July 1946:
Departs Korojima.

4 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

12 July 1946:
Enters dockyard at Tsurumi.

August 1946:
Repairs are completed.

21 November 1946:
At 0900 departs Kure. At 1000 arrives at Ujina.

22 November 1946:
At 1220 departs Ujina.

24 November 1946:
At 1700 arrives at Naha.

25 November 1946:
At 1200 departs Naha.

27 November 1946:
At 1400 arrives at Kure.

18 June 1947:
Dai-Ichi Building, Tokyo. Japanese warships are to be divided into four roughly equal lots among the "Big Four" victorious nations (i.e. U.S., U.K., USSR, China). Vice Admiral Robert M. Griffin, commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Far East, conducts the first drawing of lots.

5 September 1947:
Ex-Lt Hoshide Takaomi (67)(former CO of Special Transport KAI No. 37 (ex-CD-37) is appointed the acting CO.

15 September 1947:
Provisionally assigned to the Soviet 7th Fleet.

30 October 1947:
Nakhodka Bay, Siberia, Maritime Province. KAMISHIMA is ceded to the Soviet Navy as a war reparation and later transferred to Vladivostok.

5 July 1948:
Redesignated as military transport vessel.

20 September 1950:
Redesignated as hydrographic vessel.

21 December 1954:
Redesignated as stationary support vessel OT-15.

9 November 1956:
Decommissioned and later scrapped.

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Authors' Notes:
[1] Allied occupation forces were responsible for the return of six million Japanese military personnel and civilians from Japan's defunct far-flung Empire. In addition, there were over a million Korean and about 40,000 Chinese prisoners and conscript laborers and approximately 7,000 Formosans and 15,000 Ryukyu Islanders to be repatriated.

Some Allied and many former IJN warships, from aircraft carriers to kaibokan, were used to facilitate the enormous repatriation effort. Japanese vessels and crews were used to the fullest extent possible to conserve Allied manpower and accelerate demobilization. Each ex-IJN ship first had to be demilitarized; guns removed or, in the case of large warships, barrels severed, ammunition landed, and radar and catapults removed, if fitted. Repatriation of the Chinese on Japanese ships began early in October from Hakata, but U.S. guard detachments had to be placed on many ships to prevent disorder because the Japanese crews could not control the returnees.

Japanese-run repatriation centers were established at Kagoshima, Hario near Sasebo, and Hakata near Fukuoka. Other reception centers were established and operated at Maizuru, Shimonoseki, Sasebo, Senzaki, Kure, Uraga, Yokohama, Moji and Hakodate. Allied line and medical personnel supervised the centers. Incoming Japanese were sprayed with DDT, examined and inoculated for typhus and smallpox, provided with food, and transported to his final destination in Japan.

Thanks go to Hans Mcilveen of the Netherlands for research based on wartime FRUMEL intercepts.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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