ZATSUYOSEN!
(KIRI MARU No. 8 drawing – Peter Cundall Collection)
IJN KIRI MARU No. 8:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2015 Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall
April 1937:
Osaka. Laid down by Sanoyasu Zosensho K.K. shipyard for Sanyo Nenryo Kisen K.K. as a 945-tons cargo ship.
22 August 1937:
Launched and named KIRI MARU No. 8.
23 October 1937:
Completed and registered at Shikama, Hyogo Prefecture.
22 October 1938:
Requisitioned by the IJN as a general requisitioned transport.
18 November 1938:
Registered in the IJN as an auxiliary gunboat attached to the Kure Naval District under Navy’s instruction No. 962-3. Assigned to 4th Gunboat Division under Navy’s instruction No. 964. Reserve Lt(jg) Yoshioka Shigematsu assumes command.
28 November 1938:
Departs Kure.
April 1939:
Rated as gunboat No. 43.
23 April 1939:
Departs Nanking (now Nanjing), China.
15 May 1939:
Reserve Lt(jg) Naito Shigeru assumes command.
29 May 1939:
Between Jiujiang and Hagi port, China. At 1101, transfers 11 passengers to auxiliary minesweeper tender NIPPONKAI MARU.
20 October 1939:
Departs Anqing, Yangtze River, China.
23 October 1939:
Departs Anqing vicinity.
15 November 1939:
Assigned to 14th Gunboat Division under Navy’s instruction No. 850.
20 November 1940:
Scheduled to start on 23 Nov preparatory work for return to mainland.
24 November 1940:
Departs Shanghai.
26 November 1940:
Arrives at Sasebo.
27 November 1940:
Starts conversion to civilian duty.
28 November 1940:
Departs Sasebo.
30 November 1940:
Arrives at Kure.
1 December 1940:
Resumes conversion to civilian duty.
5 December 1940:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 930.
6 December 1940:
Departs Kure.
7 December 1940:
Arrives at Kobe.
9 December 1940:
Conversion is completed.
December 1940:
Released to her owners.
19 October 1941:
Requisitioned again by the IJN as a general requisitioned transport attached to the Kure Naval District.
21 October 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
15 December 1941:
Departs Kure.
1942:
Assigned to ammunition transport mission under secret instruction No. 166.
5 February 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
February 1942:
Calls at Osaka.
21 February 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
14 March 1942:
Departs Kure.
12 April 1942:
At 1000, departs Sasebo.
13 April 1942:
Due to arrive at Yawata, Fukuoka Prefecture.
24 May 1942:
Arrives at Osaka.
1 June 1942:
Departs Osaka ~ Calls at Tokyo and arrives later at Yokosuka.
10 June 1942:
Departs Yokosuka for Kure.
June ~ November 1942:
Calls at Yawata ~ Unoshima, Fukuoka Prefecture ~ Yoshiura near Kure ~ Kure ~ Yokohama ~ Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture ~ Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture ~ Aga-Machi, Hiroshima Prefecture ~ Kure ~ Moji ~ Chinnampo, Chosen (now North Korea ~ Kaishu (Haizhou), Chosen (now Haeju, North Korea) ~ Nagoya and Hirohata, Hyogo Prefecture.
29 November 1942:
Arrives at Kure. Departs later.
5 December 1942:
Arrives at Chinnampo.
15 December 1942:
Departs Chinnampo.
December 1942 ~ May 1943:
Calls at Kobe ~ Kure ~ Miike, Fukuoka Prefecture ~ Tsukumi, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu ~ Yawata ~ Nagasaki ~ Sasebo ~ Wakamatsu, Fukuoka Prefecture ~ Osaka ~ Saitozaki, S of Nagasaki ~ Tokuyama, Yamaguchi Prefecture ~ Tokyo ~ Suzaki, Kanagawa Prefecture ~ Hiroshima ~ Yoshiura and Yokkaichi.
3 May 1943:
Arrives at Nagoya.
1943:
Her owners are restyled to Sanyo Kisen K.K. and port of registry to Tokyo.
1 June 1943:
Departs Nagoya.
June 1943:
Calls at Yokosuka ~ Kurihama near Yokosuka, and Saeki, Kyushu.
28 June 1943:
Arrives at Suminoe, near Osaka, Hyogo Prefecture.
29 June 1943:
Departs Suminoe.
July ~ August 1943:
Calls at Sasebo ~ Osaka ~ Wakamatsu ~ Yoshiura ~ Tokuyama ~ Chinkai, Chosen (now Jinhae, South Korea) ~ Unoshima ~ Kure ~ Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture and Hirohata.
30 August 1943:
Arrives at Yoshiura.
31 August 1943:
Departs Yoshiura.
September ~ October 1943:
Calls at Yawata ~ Osaka ~ Moji ~ Tsukumi ~ Tokyo ~ Yokosuka ~ Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, and Hirohata.
28 October 1943:
Arrives at Sakai, Tottori Prefecture.
31 October 1943:
Departs Sakai and arrives at Maizuru later that day.
2 November 1943:
Unloads 470-tons of cement.
11 November 1943:
Unloads 1,105-tons of steel.
23 November 1943:
Unloads 1,200-tons of steel.
November 1943:
Departs Maizuru and arrives later at Yawata.
29 November 1943:
Arrives at Osaka.
5 December 1943:
Departs Osaka.
December 1943:
Calls at Sakai ~ Masan, Chosen (now Changwon City, South Korea) ~ Yoshiura and Chinkai.
1 January 1944:
Registered in the Navy’s list as an auxiliary transport (Otsu) category attached to the Kure Naval District with Kure as home port under instruction No. 16. Assigned to Vice Admiral (Admiral posthumously) Endo Yoshizaku’s (39) Ninth Fleet. [1]
January 1944:
Assigned to New Guinea troops transport mission No. 6. Calls at Nagoya and Yokosuka.
8 January 1944:
Undergoes hull repairs.
20 January 1944:
Repairs are completed.
7 February 1944:
Departs Yokosuka and arrives at Yokohama later that same day.
28 February 1944:
Departs Yokohama.
1 March 1944:
Arrives at Kanazawa, Hachijo-Jima, Izu Shoto (Islands). Departs there later that day and engages in search and rescue mission of a distressed flying boat.
2 March 1944:
Ends rescue mission and arrives at Nakanogo, Hachijo-Jima. Departs later.
3 March 1944:
Arrives at Hachijo-Jima base.
7 March 1944:
Departs Hachijo-Jima base and arrives at Kanazawa later in the day.
18 March 1944:
Departs Kanazawa.
20 March 1944:
Arrives at Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture.
21 March 1944:
Departs Ito and arrives at Yokosuka later in the day.
9 April 1944:
Departs Yokosuka.
10 April 1944:
Arrives at Yokkaichi.
12 April 1944:
Departs Yokkaichi.
15 April 1944:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
16 April 1944:
Departs Tokuyama and arrives at Kasado-Ura (Kasadoura), Yamaguchi Prefecture.
20 April 1944:
Departs Kasado-Ura.
21 April 1944:
Arrives at Yawata.
22 April 1944:
Departs Yawata and arrives at Kobe later.
25 April 1944:
Departs Kobe alone at 7 knots.
27 April 1944:
Arrives at Matoya, Mie Prefecture.
29 April 1944:
Departs Matoya.
1 May 1944:
Arrives at Shibaura, Tokyo.
3 May 1944:
Departs Shibaura and arrives at Yokohama later that day.
5 May 1944:
Departs Yokohama.
9 May 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
12 May 1944:
Departs Osaka.
13 May 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
14 May 1944:
Departs Moji.
15 May 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
20 May 1944:
Departs Masan.
22 May 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
24 May 1944:
Departs Osaka.
27 May 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
28 May 1944:
Departs Masan.
30 May 1944:
Arrives at Kobe.
1 June 1944:
Departs Kobe.
2 June 1944:
Arrives at Yawata.
7 June 1944:
Departs Yawata.
8 June 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
9 June 1944:
Departs Osaka.
12 June 1944:
Arrives at Nagoya.
14 June 1944:
Departs Nagoya alone at 7 knots.
16 June 1944:
Arrives at Hesaki, Kyushu.
17 June 1944:
Departs Hesaki.
18 June 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
19 June 1944:
Departs Masan.
22 June 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
24 June 1944:
Departs Osaka.
26 June 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
28 June 1944:
Departs Masan.
1 July 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
2 July 1944:
Departs Osaka.
5 July 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
7 July 1944:
Departs Masan.
9 July 1944:
Arrives at Kobe.
12 July 1944:
Departs Kobe.
13 July 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
14 July 1944:
Departs Kure.
15 July 1944:
Arrives at Izuhara, Nagasaki Prefecture.
16 July 1944:
Departs Izuhara and arrives at Masan later that day.
18 July 1944:
Departs Masan and arrives at Izuhara later that same day.
19 July 1944:
Departs Izuhara.
20 July 1944:
Arrives at Yoshiura.
26 July 1944:
Departs Yoshiura.
28 July 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
30 July 1944:
Departs Masan and arrives at Izuhara later in the day.
1 August 1944:
Departs Izuhara and arrives at Nishiyama, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture later that same day.
2 August 1944:
Departs Nishiyama.
3 August 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
5 August 1944:
Departs Osaka.
8 August 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
13 August 1944:
Departs Masan.
16 August 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
19 August 1944:
Departs Osaka.
24 August 1944:
Arrives at Mutsure-Jima.
26 August 1944:
Departs Mutsure-Jima.
27 August 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
28 August 1944:
Departs Masan.
31 August 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
1 September 1944:
Departs Kure.
4 September 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
6 September 1944:
Departs Masan.
9 September 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
10 September 1944:
Departs Kure.
11 September 1944:
Arrives at Hanshiro-Ura, Nagasaki Prefecture.
13 September 1944:
Departs Hanshiro-Ura.
14 September 1944:
Arrives at Masan.
17 September 1944:
Departs Masan.
21 September 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
21 September 1944:
Enters drydock for repairs and maintenance.
10 October 1944:
Repairs are completed. Undocked.
11 October 1944:
Departs Osaka.
October 1944:
Calls at Tokuyama and in Shinanogawa river.
25 October 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
E 25 ~ 28October 1944:
Loads sugar, anchors, buoys and ammunition.
29 October 1944:
Departs Osaka and arrives at Kobe later that day.
4 November 1944:
Embarks 48 passengers. Departs Kobe for Yokosuka.
November 1944:
Joined at some point by civilian tanker (C-AO) KOTAI MARU that departed Shimotsu for Tokyo on ballast 3rd Nov.
7 November 1944:
About 50 nautical miles S of Shizuoka. LtCdr John D. Gerwick’s (USNA ‘35) USS GREENLING (SS-213) running submerged, sights the two ships on periscope. At about 1700, Gerwick fires a spread of four Mark XXIII torpedoes. Two hits KOTAI MARU and one KIRI MARU No. 8. Both ships rapidly sink at 34-34N, 138-35E with the loss respectively of all hands (26 crewmen) and 46 passengers and three crewmen.
10 January 1945:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 35.
________________________________________
Authors notes :
[1] 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 and Peter Cundall.
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