Japanese Transports

ZATSUYOSEN!

(KASAGISAN MARU prewar)

IJN KASAGISAN MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2012 Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

15 July 1924:
Tama. Laid down by Mitsui Bussan K.K. Zosensho shipyard for Mitsui Bussan K.K. as a 2,420-tons cargo ship.
28 January 1925:
Launched and named KASAGISAN MARU.
26 March 1925:
Completed and registered in Kobe. Her Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) is 2,420-tons and her Net Registered Tonnage (NRT) 1,428-tons. [1]
12 April 1925:
Her GRT and NRT are respectively changed to 2,427-tons and 1,425-tons. [1]
1928:
Her port of registry is changed to Tokyo.
January 1932:
Requisitioned by the IJA as an Army transport. [2]
1933:
Her port of registry is changed to Kobe. Make calls at Hokkaido ~ Hankow, China and Shanghai.
21 February 1935:
Departs Daye, China.
E February 1935:
Arrives off Wakamatsu harbor and collides head-on with KURETAKE MARU (5,175 GRT).
1936:
On Japan tramp coastal duties.
September 1937:
On Tianjin, China route.
May 1938:
Calls at Tianjin.
25 March 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN as a general transport (Ippan Choyosen).
10 July 1941:
Assigned to a supply convoy mission.
16 July 1941:
Arrives at Samah, Hainan Island.
26 July 1941:
Departs Samah.
29 July 1941:
Arrives off Ti Ouan (Indochina). Unloads cargo of supplies.
15 October 1941:
Registered in the IJN as an auxiliary transport, (Otsu) category and attached to the Sasebo Naval District with Sasebo as homeport under internal order No. 1256. [3]
5 December 1941:
Comes alongside and coals auxiliary gunboat TOSHO MARU.
29 December 1941:
Comes alongside and coals auxiliary gunboat TOSHO MARU.
30 January 1942:
Departs Hong Kong in convoy also consisting of Hong Kong’s seized Norwegian HALLDOR (later auxiliary salvage ship HARUTA MARU) and British ARGUS (later SHINNAN MARU). The convoy is later escorted by destroyer KURI up the Central China Coast.
1 February 1942:
Off Higashi-oshima, Saga Prefecture. Under dense fog, loses contact with HALLDOR and ARGUS.
15 February 1942:
Attached to Navy Department, Sasebo Naval District Guard Force. Her conversion starts at Sasebo Navy Yard.
4 March 1942:
The conversion is completed.
5 March 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
6 March 1942:
Arrives at Saitozaki, S Nagasaki.
8 March 1942:
Departs Saitozaki.
9 March 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
12 March 1942:
Departs Kure.
13 March 1942:
Arrives at Saitozaki.
17 March 1942:
Departs Saitozaki.
18 March 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
21 March 1942:
Departs Kure.
22 March 1942:
Arrives at Saitozaki.
24 March 1942:
Departs Saitozaki.
25 March 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
28 March 1942:
Departs Kure.
29 March 1942:
Arrives at Saitozaki.
1 April 1942:
Departs Saitozaki.
4 April 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama.
8 April 1942:
Departs Yokohama.
10 April 1942:
Arrives at Kobe.
13 April 1942:
Departs Kobe.
15 April 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
16 April 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
24 April 1942:
Arrives at Davao, Mindanao.
25 April 1942:
Departs Davao.
28 April 1942:
Arrives at Tarakan, Borneo.
29 April 1942:
Departs Tarakan.
1 May 1942:
Arrives at Balikpapan, Borneo.
4 May 1942:
Departs Balikpapan.
5 May 1942:
Arrives at Zamboanga, Mindanao.
13 May 1942:
Departs Zamboanga.
15 May 1942:
Scheduled to be fitted with one Type 92 7.7mm MG and five Type 38 Arisaka rifles under Navy secret instruction No. 5990. Assigned that same day to 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet (also known as Philippine Area Fleet).
17 May 1942:
Arrives at Cebu.
23 May 1942:
Departs Cebu.
25 May 1942:
Arrives at Manila, Luzon. Departs later.
15 June 1942:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores.
25 August 1942:
Attached directly to the Southwest Area Fleet.
6 September 1942:
Arrives at Mako. Departs later.
26 September 1942:
Departs Kure.
18 November 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
20 November 1942:
Departs Mako.
26 November 1942:
Arrives at Yawata, Fukuoka Prefecture.
3 December 1942:
Departs Yawata.
4 December 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
14 December 1942:
Departs Kure.
24 December 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
26 December 1942:
Departs Mako.
28 December 1942:
Her owners are restyled to Mitsui Senpaku K.K. and her registry port to Tokyo.
20 February 1943:
Arrives at Kirun, Formosa (now Keelung, Taiwan).
5 March 1943:
Departs Kirun.
6 March 1943:
Arrives at Takao, Formosa (now Kaohsiung, Taiwan).
9 March 1943:
Departs Takao.
22 March 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
25 March 1943:
Departs Takao.
26 March 1943:
Arrives at Kirun.
30 March 1943:
Departs Kirun.
31 March 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
2 April 1943:
Departs Takao.
21 May 1943:
Departs Balikpapan.
3 June 1943
At 1500, departs Cebu with auxiliary transport SUITEN (ex-Dutch SCHOUTEN) MARU.
13 July 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
6 August 1943:
At 0800, departs Balikpapan in convoy also consisting of one unidentified merchant ship escorted by auxiliary subchaser CHa-15.
8 August 1943:
At 0800 due to arrive at Davao.
28 August 1943:
Arrives at Kirun.
31 August 1943:
Departs Kirun.
10 September 1943:
At 1000, departs Manila escorted by auxiliary picket boat BANSHU MARU No. 57. Steams at 8 knots.
12 September 1943:
At 1930 due to arrive at Cebu.
19 September 1943:
At 1200 due to arrive at Manila.
21 October 1943:
Due to depart Manila with IJA transport REIYO MARU en route to Zamboanga.
1 November 1943:
At 1600 due to arrive at Cebu.
6 November 1943:
At 0800 due to depart Cebu for Zamboanga with auxiliary transport NICHIEI MARU and one unidentified merchant ship probably escorted by auxiliary subchaser KYO MARU No. 10 and auxiliary minesweeper FUMI MARU No. 2.
8 November 1943:
At 0130 due to arrive at Zamboanga.
6 December 1943:
Arrives at Zamboanga with unknown escort.
5 May 1944:
Arrives at Manila from Halmahera in M-13 convoy also consisting of IJA transports FUYO, SEATTLE, MOJI and KUROGANE MARUs.
29 June 1944:
At 1550, departs Zamboanga in convoy M-25 also consisting of IJA transports MAKASSAR, JUNPO (ex-Chinese SHUN FOONG), FRANCE and TAIYU MARUs escorted by kaibokan CD-10 and patrol boat PB-105 (ex-Philippine Islands' customs cruiser ARAYAT.
1 July 1944:
Cebu Sea. FRANCE and TAIYU MARUs are detached.
3 July 1944:
The remainder of convoy M-25 arrives at Manila.
11 November 1944:
Runs aground off San Fernando, Luzon coast during a storm.
25 November 1944:
Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Gerald F. Bogan (USNA ’16) TG 38.2 and Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Frederick C. Sherman (USNA ’10) TG 38.3 aircraft bomb Japanese shipping off central Luzon. The stranded KASAGISAN MARU is bombed by USN TF-38 carriers USS ESSEX (CV-9) and USS LANGLEY CVL-27) aircraft that kill 34 of her crew and cause damage beyond repair. KASAGISAN MARU is abandoned in situ at 16-37N, 120-19E.
10 January 1945:
Removed from the Navy’s list under internal order No. 35.

Authors Notes:
[1] NRT is a ship's cargo volume capacity expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3). It is calculated by reducing non-revenue-earning spaces i.e. spaces not available for carrying cargo, for example engine rooms, fuel tanks and crew quarters, from the ship's gross register tonnage (GRT). Net register tonnage (NRT) is not a measure of the weight of the ship or its cargo, and should not be confused with terms such as deadweight tonnage or displacement.
[2] Released to her owners at unknown date.
[3] There were two categories of Zatsuyosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.

Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.

Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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