Japanese Oilers

YUSOSEN!

(KIYO MARU - prewar)

IJN KIYO MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2009-2020 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Revision 8

1930:
Finkenwärder (now Finkenwerder), Hamburg, Germany. Laid down at Deutsche Werft shipyard as a 7,251-ton tanker for Skibs-A/S Vigrid (Bruun & von der Lippe), Tonsberg, Norway.
7 June 1930:
Launched and named VIGRID.
July 1930:
Completed and registered at Tønsberg, Norway with Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) and Net Registered Tonnage (NRT) of respectively 7,356-tons and 4,367-tons. Her call sign is LJDF. [1]
1934:
Her call sign changes to LDOW.
1935:
Sold to Asano Busan K.K. (Asano Production Co Ltd.). Renamed KIYO MARU and registered in Tokyo. Her GRT and NRT respectively change to 7,240-tons and 5,569-tons. Her call sign is JWXJ. [1]
1939:
Her GRT and NRT respectively change to 7,251-tons and 5,671-tons.
6 January 1942:
Departs Yokkaichi.
8 January 1942:
Arrives at Kure. Chartered by the IJN as a general charter vessel for oil supply. Assigned to the Naval Department
11 January 1942:
Departs Kure.
17 January 1942:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores (now Magong, Penghu Islands, Taiwan).
21 January 1942:
Departs Mako.
25 January 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
28 January 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
29 January 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
1 February 1942:
Departs Kure.
3 February 1942:
Arrives at Yokkaichi.
11 February 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
13 February 1942:
Departs Mako.
19 February 1942:
Arrives at Davao, Mindanao, Philippines.
24 February 1942:
Departs Davao.
27 February 1942:
Arrives at Balikpapan, Borneo, Netherlands East Indies (now Kalimantan, Indonesia). Loads fuel oil.
2 March 1942:
Departs Balikpapan.
E 13 March 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
15 March 1942:
Departs Kure.
20 March 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
23 March 1942:
Departs Mako.
27 March 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
1 April 1942:
Departs Kure.
6 April 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
8 April 1942:
Departs Mako.
13 April 1942:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
30 April 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
May 1942:
Scheduled for munitions transport under wireless instruction No. 685.
3 May 1942:
Departs Tokuyama and later that day arrives at Tainouchi, near Kure.
5 May 1942:
Departs Tainouchi.
7 May 1942:
Arrives at Yokkaichi.
14 May 1942:
Departs Yokkaichi.
15 May 1942:
Arrived at Yokosuka.
18 May 1942:
Departs Tokyo Bay in a convoy also consisting of consisting of IJA transports SHICHISEI and YAMAZURU MARUs escorted by minelayer UKISHIMA. The KIYO MARU is en route to Kure.
E 20 May 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
E 22 May 1942:
Departs Kure.
E 24 May 1942:
Arrives at Yokkaichi.
30 May 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
1 June 1942:
Departs Kure.
10 June 1942:
Arrives at Saipan, Marianas.
16 June 1942:
Departs at Saipan.
27 June 1942:
Arrives at Palembang, Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). Loads fuel oil.
1 July 1942:
Departs Palembang.
2 July 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.
7 July 1942:
KIYO MARU departs Singapore in convoy No. 614 also consisting of four unidentified merchant ships escorted by auxiliary gunboat CHOJUSAN MARU.
10 July 1942:
Arrives St. Jacques, French Indochina (now Vung Tau, Vietnam). [2]
19 July 1942:
At 1900 departs Mako in convoy No. 236 also consisting of GENOA, IKOMA, ARABIA, MANSHU, IKUSHIMA, ISUZU, KAISHO, UMEKAWA, NISHIYAMA (SEIZAN), MANKO, HIBARI, MADRAS, KENZAN and CHICAGO MARUs, DAIGEN MARU No. 3, BANEI MARU No. 7 and tanker TAKASAGO MARU escorted by the auxiliary gunboat DELHI MARU.
26 July 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama.
27 July 1942:
Arrives at Tsurumi.
30 July 1942:
Departs Yokohama and later that day arrives at Yokosuka.
1 August 1942:
Departs Yokosuka escorted by auxiliary gunboat HIYOSHI MARU No. 2 GO.
2 August 1942:
Arrives at Yokkaichi.
5 August 1942:
Departs Yokkaichi.
7 August 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
7 ~ 13 August 1942:
An AA gun is fitted on the forecastle, a new signal lamp is installed and two depth charge racks are fitted on the poop deck.
13 August 1942:
Departs Kure.
14 August 1942:
Arrives at Moji and departs later that day.
15 August 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai, Chosen (now Jinhae South Korea).
18 August 1942:
Departs Chinkai.
23 August 1942:
At 0725 KIYO MARU reports sighting an enemy submarine in 33.17N 135.45E.
26 August 1942:
Arrives at Palau.
29 August 1942:
Departs Palau.
7 September 1942:
Arrives at Palembang. Loads fuel oil.
9 September 1942:
Departs Palembang.
12 September 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.
14 September 1942:
Departs Singapore.
28 September 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama.
2 October 1942:
Departs Yokohama and later that day arrives at Yokosuka.
4 October 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
5 October 1942:
Arrives at Yokkaichi. Loads fuel.
8 October 1942:
Departs Yokkaichi.
10 October 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
11 October 1942:
Departs Kure and later that day arrives at Hiro.
14 October 1942:
Departs Hiro.
25 October 1942:
Arrives at Truk, Carolines.
27 October 1942:
Departs Truk in convoy with auxiliary oiler EIYO MARU escorted by auxiliary gunboat CHOUN MARU. CHOUN MARU detaches later that day.
9 November 1942:
Arrives at Palembang. Loads fuel oil.
11 November 1942:
Departs Palembang.
27 November 1942:
Transits the Bungo Straits heading north.
29 November 1942:
Arrives at Tokuyama. Unloads fuel oil.
5 December 1942:
Departs Tokuyama.
6 December 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
9 December 1942:
Departs Kure.
10 December 1942:
Joined by subchaser CH-36 off Fukajima and escorted south. At 1100 passes through the Bungo Suido at 10.5 knots.
E 11 December 1942:
CH-36 is detached 90 degrees off Toi Misaki.
21 December 1942:
Arrives at Palembang. Loads fuel oil.
23 December 1942:
Departs Palembang.
26 December 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.
27 December 1942:
Departs Singapore in unescorted convoy No. 655 also consisting of one unidentified merchant ship.
29 December 1942:
Arrives at St Jacques. [3]
3 January 1943:
Sustains rudder damage
4 January 1943:
Arrives at Mako.
8 January 1943:
Experiences damage to the steering. Met at sea by the minelayer TAKASHIMA and escorted northwards.
13 January 1943:
At 0000 TAKASHIMA detaches. Later that day escorted through the Bungo Straits to Fukajima by minelayer NATSUSHIMA and auxiliary netlayers DAIKOKUTEN and SHOSEI MARUs. From there, proceeds to Tokuyama, arriving later that day. Unloads fuel oil.
16 January 1943:
Departs Tokuyama and later that day arrives at Kasado Jima dry-dock for temporary repair to her rudder.
22 January 1943:
Undocked. Departs Kasado Jima and later that day arrives at Tokuyama.
25 January 1943:
Departs Tokuyama.
28 January 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
31 January 1943:
Departs Yokosuka and later that day arrives at Yokohama.
3 February 1943:
Yokohama. Enters dock at the Nippon Kokan, K.K shipyard. Undergoes permanent repair to her rudder and other repairs.
17 March 1943:
Renamed I GO KIYO MARU under war preparations instruction No. 110. (In practice few references used this full name)
4 April 1943:
Undocked.
5 April 1943:
Departs Yokohama.
11 April 1943:
Departs Moji in convoy No. 146 (first part) also consisting of three unidentified tankers. The entire convoy including KIYO MARU consists of CELEBES, NORFOLK, BATAVIA, TAGONOURA and RIKKO MARUs and eighte unidentified ships and sails in two sections escorted by destroyer KARUKAYA (that probably escorted the first section).
15 April 1943:
At 1200 arrives at Mako.
17 April 1943:
KIYO MARU departs Mako in unescorted convoy No. 385 also consisting of four unidentified merchant ships.
22 April 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
28 April 1943:
Arrives at Palembang. Loads fuel oil.
29 April 1943:
Departs Palembang.
2 May 1943:
Arrives at Singapore. Unloads fuel oil.
5 May 1943:
Departs Singapore.
7 May 1943:
Arrives at Palembang. Loads fuel oil.
8 May 1943:
Departs Palembang.
10 May 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
11 May 1943:
Departs Singapore.
24 May 1943:
Arrives Mako.
27 May 1943:
At 1000 KIYO MARU departs Mako in convoy No. 266 also consisting of tankers HAKUBASAN MARU, OGURA MARU No.1 and cargo ships SUGIYAMA, GINYO, JUYO MARU and six unidentified merchant ships escorted by patrol boat PB-2.
28 May 1943:
IJN transport SHOKO MARU departs Kirun for Yawata, Fukuoka Prefecture and joins convoy No. 266.
29 May 1943:
At 2245 in position 29-50N 129-35E LtCdr Anthony H Dropp's USS SAURY (SS-189) torpedoes and sinks SHOKO MARU loaded with 7250 tons of iron ore, with two torpedoes. All 57 crewmen and four watchmen are killed.
1 June 1943:
At 2030 the convoy arrives at Moji. Later the ship arrives at Tokuyama. Unloads fuel oil.
7 June 1943:
Departs Tokuyama.
8 June 1943:
Arrives at Mutsure.
14 June 1943:
Departs Mutsure in convoy No. 166 consisting of oilers GOYO, TACHIBANA, HAKKO, CHIYODA, CHIHAYA and NICHIRIN MARUs and transports CEYLON, NORFOLK, SHOGEN, TAIAN and ISUZU MARUs.
15 June 1943:
At 1013 patrol boat PB-36 begins escorting convoy No. 166.
18 June 1943:
At 1000, TAIAN MARU is detached for Kirun, Formosa (now Keelung, Taiwan).
19 June 1943:
TACHIBANA, ISUZU, SUZURAN,HIWA and GOYO MARU detach for Takao, Formosa (now Kaoshiung, Taiwan). Arrives at Mako later this day.
23 June 1943:
Departs Mako in convoy No. 302 also consisting of auxiliary oilers OGURA MARU No. 1 and CHIYODA and GOYO MARUs and cargo ships KOSEI, RYUKO, YASUKUNI, NORFOLK, SANKISAN and SHOGEN MARUs. KOSEI and YASUKUNI MARUs detach en route off Hainan Island, China.
29 June 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
7 July 1943:
Arrives at Palembang. Loads fuel oil.
8 July 1943:
Departs Palembang.
11 July 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
15 July 1943:
KIYO MARU departs Singapore in convoy No. 605 also consisting of tankers TACHIBANA and SAN PEDRO MARUs and TAMAHOKO, GYOSAN, SAMARANG and NICHIWA MARUs, JUNGEN GO and one unidentified merchant ship. [4]
18 July 1943:
At 1100 arrives St Jacques.
23 July 1943:
KIYO MARU departs St Jacques in unescorted convoy No. 412 also consisting of tankers ATAGO, NICHIRIN and SAN RAMON MARUs and cargo ships JUNGEN GO and KAIJUN GO, GYOKO MARU and six unidentified merchant ships. The convoy later splits into three parts.
26 July 1943:
GINREI MARU joins the convoy from Yulin.
29 July 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
2 August 1943:
KIYO MARU departs Takao in convoy No. 288 also consisting of six unidentified merchant ships escorted by patrol boat PB-2.
7 August 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
9 August 1943:
Arrives at Amagasaki.
12 August 1943:
Departs Amagasaki.
13 August 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
14 August 1943:
Departs Kure. Arrives at Mutsure.
15 August 1943:
KIYO MARU departs Moji in convoy No. 187 also consisting of ATAGO, RAIZAN, CHOJO, KOYU, KOFUKU, HONAN MARUs, and fleet oiler SHIRIYA together with four unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer KARUKAYA.
20 August 1943:
Arrives at Mako.
22 August 1943:
KIYO MARU departs Mako in convoy No. 317 also consisting of IJA shared tanker (A/C-AO) YAMAMIZU MARU No. 3, IJA transports CHOJO, KOYU, KACHOSAN KAIKO, KISHU MARUs, IJN transport RYUKO MARU and three unidentified merchant ships escorted by patrol boat PB-2.
26 August 1943:
RYUKO and KISHU MARUs detach off Hainan Is, the former ship gores to Sana.
30 August 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
1 September 1943:
KIYO MARU is registered in the Kure Naval District as an auxiliary transport ship (oil supply), (Otsu) category under internal order No. 1820. Her home port is Kure. [5]
2 September 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
5 September 1943:
KIYO MARU departs Singapore in unescorted convoy No. 618 also consisting of auxiliary oilers SHOYO MARU, OGURA MARU No. 1 and OGURA MARU No. 2, fleet oiler SHIRIYA, and cargo ship HOKUYO MARU without escort.
8 September 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
11 September 1943:
Departs St Jacques in convoy No. 425 also consisting of auxiliary oilers SHOYO, MATSUMOTO MARUs and OGURA MARU No.2, auxiliary transports ARGUN, MANTAI, GINYO and HOKUYO MARUs, fleet oiler SHIRIYA and three unidentified merchant ships escorted by the destroyer ASAGAO.
13 September 1943:
Auxiliary transport TEIKA MARU (ex-Vichy French CAP VARELLA) departs Haikow and joins convoy No. 425.
18 September 1943:
At 0620, GINYO MARU reports a torpedo attack that missed the ship. Later that day, the convoy arrives at Mako.
20 September 1943:
At 1800, KIYO MARU departs Takao in the "Temporary B" convoy also consisting of auxiliary oilers TAKETSU (BUTSU) and SHOYO MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 1 and transports ARGUN, MANTAI and GYOKU MARUs escorted by fleet tanker SHIRIYA and old destroyer ASAGAO.
21 September 1943:
East China Sea. NE of Keelung, Formosa. LtCdr (later Captain) Robert E. Dornin's (USNA ’35) USS TRIGGER (SS-237) is patrolling submerged 30 miles N of the Hoka Sho light. At 2058, Dornin makes a visual surface attack. At 1500 yards, he fires three torpedoes at the lead oiler and three at the second oiler. One hits the lead ship, SHIRIYA carrying aviation gasoline. She explodes and sinks at 26-27N, 122-40E. The second ship, freighter ARGUN MARU is hit by a torpedo amidships, breaks in half and sinks immediately with the loss of two crewmen and 8,295-tons of rice. [3]
LtCdr Dornin brings USS TRIGGER about and fires three stern tubes at OGURA MARU No. 1, but misses. Dornin crash-dives to escape gun fire from a third oiler. He comes to periscope depth and fires two bow torpedoes at SHOYO MARU that hit her to starboard and sends her down by the bow. SHOYO MARU sinks at 26-33N,123-10E taking down five crewmen.
Dornin makes two more attacks on a freighter, but all of his Mark 14 torpedoes either miss or are duds. Still, GYOKU MARU is damaged in the attacks. The remainder of the convoy arrives at Moji. USS TRIGGER returns safely to Midway Island for refit.
25 September 1943:
At 0830, arrives at Moji.
26 September 1943:
Arrives at Kudamatsu.
30 September 1943:
Departs Kudamatsu and later that day arrives at Tokuyama.
1 October 1943:
Departs Tokuyama.
2 October 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
3 October 1943:
KIYO MARU departs Moji in convoy No. 103 also consisting of and transports HOKKI, COLUMBIA, HAKKO, HOKUSHIN and MINRYO MARUs and six unidentified merchant ships. after departing port, the convoy splits into two parts. Destroyer ASAGAO escorts one part escorting and destroyer SHIOKAZE, that joins from Sasebo, escorts the other. It is unknown in which part KIYO MARU steams.
6 October 1943:
KIYO MARU falls behind the convoy.
7 October 1943:
The first part arrives at Takao.
8 October 1943:
The second part arrives at Takao.
12 October 1943:
KIYO MARU departs Takao convoy No. 329 also consisting of HOKKI, FRANCE, TEIRITSU, HOTEN, GYOKO, COLUMBIA, HOKUSHIN, MANKO, HAKKO MARUs, FUSHIMI MARU No. 3 and nine unidentified ships escorted by destroyer ASAGAO, and torpedo boat TOMOZURU.
E 16 October 1943:
Submarine chaser CH-9 joins the convoy.
18 October 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques, Indochina.
19 October 1943:
KIYO MARU departs St Jacques in convoy No. 518 also consisting of HOKKI, GYOKO, TEIRITSU, FRANCE, HAKKO, REIYO MARUs escorted by torpedo boat TOMOZURU and auxiliary gunboat EIFUKU MARU.
24 October 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
30 October 1943:
Arrives at Miri, Borneo, British Malaya, (now Malaysia).
29 December 1943:
KIYO MARU and tanker HAKKO MARU arrive at Miri.
2 January 1944:
At 1800, KIYO MARU departs Miri for St Jacques in the Rinji (Special) convoy consisting of HAKKO and KONZAN MARUs escorted probably by subchaser CH-9.
4 January 1944:
South China Sea. At about 2100, LtCdr Willard R. Laughon’s (USNA ’33) USS RASHER (SS-269) attacks the convoy. Laughon fires four torpedoes at the convoy, but one prematures. KIYO MARU begins firing 20 mm tracers and broadside gun. She also lits about 20 minutes an all around red signal light or dimmed cargo light. She appears to be hit because she stops and swings around on various headings, making no attempt to escape. Howevers she reports not to have been damaged.
At 2130 turns of red light and departs with a speed of about 7 knots.
At 2230 KIYO MARU begins firing 20 mm and larger caliber guns in the direction of Cdr George E. Porters’s (USNA ’32) USS BLUEFISH (SS-222)’s position.
At 2240 Porter torpedoes and sinks HAKKO MARU at 06-55N, 109-29E with 8,333 tons of crude oil. 4 crewmen are KIA.
At 2341 Laughon fires six torpedoes at KIYO MARU of which two hit the KIYO MARU at 05-46N, 108-36E. Hits are confirmed by USS BLUEFISH. Although hit KIYO MARU doesn’t sink and is able to continue.
5 January 1944:
At 0506 Laughon fires 4 torpedoes at KIYO MARU of which two hit. Explosions set her on fire. She sinks after 40 minutes at 06-55, 108-23E. There are no survivors with all 42 crew lost.
31 March 1944:
Removed from the Navy List under internal order No. 508.

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 subtracting 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] KIYO MARU may then have joined convoy No. 419 to Mako and then convoy No. 236 (arrived Moji 24 July).
[3] That same day, KIYO MARU may have departed in unescorted convoy No. 461 consisting of one unidentified merchant ship.
[4] The convoy may have been escorted by Vichy French frigate La PEROUSE. If so, it departed at 0730 at 8.5 knots.
[5] There were two categories of Yusosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
Photo credit goes to Allan Alsleben of Oregon. General thanks to Gilbert Casse of France and Berend van der Wal of Netherlands. Thanks also go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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