RIKUGUN YUSOSEN
(CAPE VERDE [later KIZAN MARU], prewar)
IJA KIZAN MARU:
Tabular Record of
Movement
© 2014-2016 Bob Hackett
E 1917:
Port Glasgow, Scotland. Laid down at Robert Duncan & Co., Ltd. as
Yard No 330, a 5,038 ton cargo ship for Glen & Co, Glasgow.
28 March 1918:
Launched and named CAMPERDOWN.
May 1918:
Completed and sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company,
London. Renamed MONTEZUMA.
1923:
Renamed BEDWYN.
1928:
Sold to the Lyle Shipping Co., Ltd, Glasgow. Renamed BALFOUR.
1928:
Managed by T. & J. Harrison Co., Ltd. Renamed CAPE VERDE.
1935:
Sold to Fan Shien Ho of Tsingtao, China. Renamed SHANG-HO.
1938:
Transferred to Miyachi Kisen K. K, Kobe. Renamed KIZAN MARU.
17 October 1941:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army (IJA) and converted to a
troop transport. Alloted IJA No. 580.
21 January 1942:
At 1000, KIZAN MARU departs Moji for Mako,
Pescadores in the 3rd Transportation Unit also consisting of transports ATSUTA,
BRAZIL, COLUMBIA, FUSHIMI, DAINICHI, GENOA, HOEISAN, MAEBASHI, MOMOYAMA, PACIFIC,
REIYO, SOMEDOMO, SYDNEY, TAKETOYO, TATSUNO, TOFUKU, TOKIWA and TSUYAMA
MARUs escorted by CruDiv 9's light cruiser OOI, DesDiv 32's ASAGAO, FUYO and
KARUKAYA. The transports are carrying the 2nd Infantry Division.
26 January 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
February 1942:
Departs Mako.
February 1942:
Arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina to assemble for the
invasion of Western Java, Netherlands East Indies (NEI).
18 February 1942: Operation "J" - The Invasion of Java, Netherlands East
Indies:
KIZAN MARU is attached to Vice Admiral Takahashi's Third Fleet,
Southern Force, Netherlands East Indies Force in Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo’s
Western Java Seizure Force. Departs Camranh Bay in a convoy comprised of 56
troop transports. They carry the 2nd Infantry Division for the invasions of
Merak and Bantam Bay, Java escorted by light cruisers YURA and NATORI, DesDivs
5, 6, 11, 12 and 22.
Fifteen transports go to Merak, Java including KIZAN, ATLAS, AKITSU, COLUMBIA,
HOKOKUMEI (later NIKKEI), KOYO, MOMOYAMA, PACIFIC, REIYO, RYUNAN,
SHINSHU, SYDNEY and TSUYAMA MARUs. Seven transports go to Eretan Wetan. Seaplane
tender SANYO MARU provides air cover.
1 March 1942:
Arrives at Merak, Java. Lands troops of the IJA’s 2nd
Infantry Division.
9 March 1942:
Arrives at Bantam Bay.
13 March 1942:
Departs Bantam Bay.
16 March 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.
19 March 1942: "U" transport operation to Burma (U sakusen
yuso):
KIZAN MARU departs Singapore in the First Burma Transport Convoy also
consisting of KIZAN, AOBASAN, GENOA, GLASGOW, HAVRE, HARUNA, HIBURI, HOFUKU,
HOKUMEI, KAZUURA, KUSUYAMA, KOTOHIRA, MOMOYAMA, MYOKO, NAKO, NAGARA,
NAPLES,NICHIRAN, SANKO, SAKITO, SHINAI, SHINRYU, SHUNSEI, SYDNEY, SHINANOGAWA,
SUMATRA, TATEISHI, TSUYAMA, TOKIWA and YAE MARUs and two others. The ships carry
the main body of the IJA 56th Division.
25 March 1942:
The First Burma Transport Convoy arrives at Rangoon,
Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar).
21 May 1942:
Released by the IJN back to her owners.
1 December 1942:
Re-requisitioned by the IJA.
13 December 1942:
KIZAN MARU departs Saeki in No. 8 Military
Movement’s convoy “H” also consisting of KASHU, MIYADONO, NANKING, TOMIURA and
YAGUMO,MARUs. Escorted by torpedo boat HATO and subchaser CH-36.
E 14 December 1942:
Both escorts are detached at 29N.
24 March 1943:
KIZAN MARU departs Palau for Rabaul, New Britain in a
convoy also consisting of ATLAS, BENGAL HAMBURG, RAKUTO and TOYAMA MARUs and
YOSHIDA MARU No.3 with unknown escort.
2 April 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul.
1 May 1943:
KIZAN MARU departs Palau in convoy No. 3206 also
consisting of ADEN, ASO, BENGAL, MIYADONO, and TOYAMA MARUs escorted by
destroyer ASAGAO.
6 May 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
15 May 1943: At 1435, KIZAN MARU departs Rabaul in convoy R-515 also
consisting of ADEN and MIYADONO MARUs and two unidentified merchant ships bound
for Palau escorted by subchaser CH-39. At an unkown time and place, CH-39 is
detached.
21 May 1943:
At 0430, convoy R-515 arrives at Rabaul.
September 1943:
KIZAN MARU departs St Jacques, Vichy French Indochina
(Vung Tau, Vietnam).
15 September 1943:
KIZAN MARU anchors at Pulau Bukum , off Singapore
26/27 September 1943: Australian Operation Jaywick:
Singapore. Maj
(later LtCol) Ivan Lyon, two officers and six seaman of the Australian “Z”
Special Unit of Special Operations Australia (SOA) (Services Reconnaissance
Department in three two-man canoes attack anchored Japanese merchant ship. Maj
Lyon and his men attach magnetic mines to the hulls of several of the 45
(possibly 51) vessels in port. [1].
Three vessels explode and sink, probably KIZAN and HAKUSAN MARUs and
tanker ARARE MARUs (ex-Dutch PAULA). Three other ships are damaged.
Author's Note:
[1] Six men left Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia on 2 Sep '43
in the KRAIT, disguised as a Japanese fishing boat. Three 2-man canoes were
landed at Panjang Island on 17 Sep from which they paddled to islands south of
Singapore. For more please see "Operation Jaywick: A
Reassessment of Results."
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.
Bob Hackett
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