KYUSUISEN!
(KISOGAWA MARU prewar)
IJN KISOGAWA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2015-2016 Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
27 February 1940:
Koyagi Jima. Laid down by Kawaminami Kogyo Zosensho K.K. as a Peacetime Standard (D) Type cargo ship for Toyo Kaiun K.K.
20 August 1940:
Launched and named KISOGAWA MARU.
22 November 1940:
Completed and registered at Tokyo.
29 October 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
4 November 1941:
Conversion for military duty starts at the Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries K.K.
10 November 1941:
Registered by the IJN as an auxiliary water tanker. Attached to the Sasebo Naval District with Sasebo as homeport under instruction No. 1391.
E December 1941:
Attached to Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s (37) Southern Expeditionary Fleet as an auxiliary water tanker, (Otsu) category. [1]
7 December 1941:
Departs Sasebo.
8 December 1941:
At Koyagi Jima, Nagasaki.
20 December 1941:
Departs Nagasaki.
25 December 1941:
Arrives At Camranh Bay. At some point departs for Singora, Thailand.
January 1942:
Attached to Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s (37) First Southern Expeditionary Fleet in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hiraoka Kumeichi’s (39) 9th Base Force.
1 January 1942:
Departs Singora.
2 January 1942:
Arrives at St Jacques.
4 January 1942:
Departs St Jacques.
5 January 1942:
Arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.
12 January 1942:
Departs Camranh Bay.
13 January 1942:
Arrives at Pulo (Poulo) Condor, Indochina.
16 January 1942:
Departs Pulo Condor.
17 January 1942:
Arrives at Saigon, French Indochina.
20 January 1942:
Departs Saigon. Arrives the same day at St Jacques, French Indochina.
21 January 1942:
Departs St Jacques. Arrives at Pulo Condor the same day.
24 January 1942:
Departs Pulo Condor.
26 January 1942:
Arrives at Anambas (Anambas Islands) following Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s (37) Western Invasion Group.
28 January 1942:
Departs Anambas.
31 January 1942:
Arrives at Saigon.
Early February 1942:
Departs Saigon.
10 February 1942:
Arrives at Saigon.
24 February 1942:
Departs Saigon.
25 February 1942:
Attached to Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s (37) First Southern Expeditionary Fleet in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hiraoka Kumeichi’s (39) 9th Base Force.
8 March 1942:
Temporarily fitted with seized weapons by the 101st Naval Construction Unit.
Operation "T" - The Seizure of North Sumatra (Sabang/Idi and Koetaradja) :
At 1600 (JST), the northern Sumatra invasion convoy departs Singapore consisting of Navy transports HEITO and TATSUMIYA MARUs transporting the Kobayashi Detachment of the Imperial Guards Division and Army transports ANYO, ALASKA, RAKUYO and KINUGAWA MARUs transporting other elements of the same division. KORYU and KISOGAWA MARUs also steam in this convoy, but are later detached and head separately to Penang.
The convoy is escorted by DesRon 3 light cruiser SENDAI (F), DesDiv 19 ISONAMI, URANAMI and AYANAMI, DesDiv 20 AMAGIRI, ASAGIRI and YUGIRI, MineDiv 1 W1, W3, W4 and W5, SC-Div 11 CH-8 and CH-9, Escort No. 1 Force light cruisers KASHII and YURA, kaibokan SHIMUSHU and MineDiv 41's REISUI and TAKAO MARUs.
Distant cover is provided by Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s (37) heavy cruiser CHOKAI (flagship), CruDiv 7’s MOGAMI, MIKUMA, KUMANO and SUZUYA, DesDiv 11 FUBUKI, HATSUYUKI and SHIRAYUKI and DesDiv 12 MURAKUMO and SHIRAKUMO. Light aircraft carrier RYUJO, seaplane tender SAGARA MARU and aircraft from the 40th Naval air Group, Seletar airfield and from the Bihoro Naval Air Group, Penang airfield, provide air cover.
April 1942:
Attached to Penang, Malaya, Base Force.
15 May 1942:
Fitted with one Type 92 7.7mm mod. A MG under Navy’s secret instruction No. 5990.
17 May 1942:
Attached to Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s (37) First Southern Expeditionary Fleet, 10th Special Base Force.
4 August 1942:
At Mergui transfers 75 tons fresh water to heavy cruiser KUMANO and 45 tons to heavy cruiser SUZUYA.
7 August 1942:
At Mergui transfers 60 tons of fresh water to heavy cruiser KUMANO.
8 August 1942:
At Mergui at 0920 transfers 30 tons of water to heavy cruiser SUZUYA. That same day attached to Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo’s (36) Southwest Area Fleet in Vice Admiral Okawachi Denshichi’s (36) First Southern Expeditionary Fleet, 9th Base Force, Penang Base Force.
August 1942:
Departs Penang.
25 August 1942:
Attached to Combined Fleet, in Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo’s (36) Southwest Area Fleet.
September 1942:
Departs Penang.
1 October 1942:
Arrives at Sabang, North Sumatra.
2 October 1942:
Departs Sabang. Arrives at Koetaradja, North Sumatra later that same day.
3 October 1942:
Departs Koetoradja. Arrives at Sabang later that day.
4 October 1942:
Departs Sabang.
8 October 1942:
Arrives at Seletar Naval Base, Singapore.
16 October 1942:
Departs Singapore.
18 October 1942:
Arrives at Penang.
29 October 1942:
Departs Penang.
30 October 1942:
Arrives back at Penang.
31 October 1942:
Departs Penang and returns back there later in the day.
November 1942:
Departs Penang.
7 December 1942:
Departs Penang.
10 December 1942:
Arrives back at Penang.
15 December 1942:
Departs Penang.
17 December 1942:
Arrives back at Penang.
19 December 1942:
Departs Penang.
E 20 December 1942:
Arrives at Belawan, Northeast Sumatra
21 December 1942:
Departs Belawan.
22 December 1942:
Arrives at Penang.
26 January 1943:
Departs Penang.
29 January 1943:
Arrives at Seletar Naval Base, Singapore.
31 January 1943:
Enters drydock No. 2.
E 1 ~ 5 February 1943:
Undergoes maintenance and repairs.
6 February 1943:
Undocked.
8 February 1943:
Departs Singapore.
10 February 1943:
Arrives at Penang.
17 February 1943:
Departs Penang.
18 February 1943:
Arrives at Malacca, Malaya.
22 February 1943:
Departs Malacca.
23 February 1943:
Arrives at Penang. Departs there later that same day.
26 February 1943:
Arrives at Sabang.
27 February 1943:
Departs Sabang and arrives at Koetaradja later that day.
28 February 1943:
Departs Koetaradja and arrives at Sabang later in the day.
2 March 1943:
Departs Sabang and arrives at Koetaradja later that same day.
3 March 1943:
Departs Koetaradja.
5 March 1943:
Arrives at Padang.
8 March 1943:
Departs Padang with KORYU MARU.
10 March 1943:
Arrives at Sabang.
12 March 1943:
Departs Sabang.
13 March 1943:
Arrives at Penang.
25 March 1943:
Sustains daily airstrikes until 2 Apr ‘43.
20 April 1943:
Departs Penang.
22 April 1943:
Arrives at Koetaradja. Departs there and arrives at Sabang later in the day.
23 April 1943:
Depart Sabang.
25 April 1943:
Arrives at Penang.
7 May 1943:
Departs Penang.
June 1943:
Departs Sabang on transport mission for the Sibolga district, Northwest Sumatra.
15 June 1943:
Arrives at Penang.
20 June 1943:
Departs Penang for Sabang. Later that same day departs Sabang on transport mission for the Padang district.
2 July 1943:
Arrives at Sibolga.
4 July 1943:
Departs Sibolga.
5 July 1943:
Arrives at Padang.
8 July 1943:
Departs Padang.
9 July 1943:
Arrives at Sibolga. Departs there later that day.
10 July 1943:
Arrives at Sabang.
11 July 1943:
Departs Sabang escorted by auxiliary netlayer CHOKO MARU.
12 July 1943:
Arrives at Penang.
15 July 1943:
Departs Penang escorted by auxiliary netlayer CHOKO MARU.
18 July 1943:
Arrives at Seletar Naval Base.
19 July 1943:
Departs Seletar Naval Base. Later that same day arrives at Keppel Commercial Port, Singapore. Enters drydock.
E 20 ~ 25 July 1943:
Undergoes maintenance and repairs.
26 July 1943:
Undocked.
31 July 1943:
Departs Keppel Commercial Port and arrives at Seletar Naval Base later that same day.
3 August 1943:
Departs Seletar Naval base.
5 August 1943:
Arrives at Penang.
8 August 1943:
Departs Penang.
9 August 1943:
Arrives at Olehleh, North Sumatra. Departs there and arrives at Sabang later in the day.
12 August 1943:
Departs Sabang.
13 August 1943:
Arrives at Penang.
20 August 1943:
Attached to the Sumatra Base Force.
24 August 1943:
Departs Sabang.
26 August 1943:
Arrives back at Sabang.
27 August 1943:
Departs Sabang again.
29 August 1943:
Arrives at Penang.
3 September 1943:
Departs Penang.
5 September 1943:
Arrives at Sabang.
6 September 1943:
Departs Sabang.
7 September 1943:
Arrives at Meulaboh, Northwest Sumatra.
8 September 1943:
Departs Meulaboh and arrives at Soesoh, Nortwest Sumatra later that day.
9 September 1943:
Departs Soesoh and arrives at Meulaboh later that same day.
16 September 1943:
Departs Meulaboh and arrives at Olehleh later in the day.
20 September 1943:
Departs Olehleh and arrives at Sabang later that day.
22 September 1943:
Departs Sabang.
23 September 1943:
Arrives at Car Nicobar, Andamans.
24 September 1943:
Departs Car Nicobar.
26 September 1943:
Arrives at Penang.
30 September 1943:
Depart Penang.
10 November 1943:
Off Murray W coast, about 67 nautical miles NW of Penang. At 0830, LtCdr (later Captain) Leslie W. A. Bennington (DSO and Bar, DSC)’s HMS TALLY-HO (P317) torpedoes and sinks KISOGAWA MARU at 06-12N, 99-27E. There are no survivors from her crew of 42. One of the five torpedoes fired circles back towards HMS TALLY-HO but the submarine manages to avoid it and escapes undamaged.
15 January 1944:
Removed from the Navy list under internal order No. 54.
Authors notes :
[1] There were two categories of Kyusuisen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.
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