YUSOSEN!
(KONSAN MARU, pre-war)
IJN KONSAN MARU
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2011-2012 Bob Hackett
11 March 1929:
Tamano. Laid down at Mitsui Bussan, K. K. as a 2,735-ton
cargo ship for Dairen Kisen, K. K., Dairen (Dalian), Manchuria.
12 July 1929:
Launched and named KONSAN MARU. [1]
31 August 1929:
Completed.
27 November 1942:
Maizuru. Begins conversion to an emergency tanker (Ohkyu Yusosen) at Maizuru Naval Arsenal.
12 January 1943:
Completes conversion. Requisitioned by the IJN that same day.
8 March 1943:
Kobusaki. Convoy No. 2308 forms up for Tokyo consisting of KONZAN, KENAN, FUKUJU, SHINFUKU, HISAJIMA, HOKUYO and ATAKA MARUs. At 0800, minesweeper W-24 departs Muroran, Hokkaido escorting the convoy. From 1400,
SHIRAKAMI and auxiliary KEISHU MARU No. 3 provide distant cover.
At 1645, LtCdr Wreford G. Chapple's USS PERMIT (SS-178) torpedoes and sinks HISAJIMA MARU at 41-16N 141-29E. She was loaded mainly with coal. Five crewmen and 2 gunners are KIA. HOKUYO MARU rescues survivors and proceeds to Hachinohe, Hokkaido. The rest of the convoy retreats to Yamada Port.
1 July 1943:
KONSAN MARU departs Takao escorting the "D"convoy consisting of TAINAN and KONSAN MARUs and seven unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer SANAE.
6 July 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
2 January 1944:
At 1800, KONZAN MARU departs Miri for St Jacques in
the Rinji (Special) convoy consisting of HAKKO and KIYO MARUs escorted by
subchaser CH-17. HAKKO MARU is carrying 8,333 tons of fuel oil. KIYO MARU is
carrying 9,500 tons of fuel oil. It is unknown as to how many tons KONZAN MARU
is carrying.
4 January 1944:
South China Sea. At about 2100, LtCdr Laughon’s USS
RASHER (SS-269) attacks the convoy. Laughon fires four torpedoes at the convoy,
but one prematures. One of the others appears to hit. At about the same time,
Cdr George E. Porters’s USS BLUEFISH (SS-222) torpedoes and sinks HAKKO MARU at
06-55N, 109-29E. Four crewmen are KIA. BLUEFISH picks up two survivors as POWs.
At about 2245, RASHER torpedoes KIYO MARU at 05-46N, 108-36E.
5 January 1944:
At about 0145, KIYO MARU sinks at 06-55, 108-23E. All
42 hands are KIA.
30 June 1944:
At 0600, KONZAN MARU departs Keelung for Moji in convoy
TAMO-20B consisting of passenger/cargo KAMO, MANSHU, YAMAHAGI, SHIROTAE, TOUN
and TASMANIA MARUs escorted by kaibokan ETOROFU and CD-17 and minesweeper
NUWAJIMA.
3 July 1944:
East China Sea. At 2300, LtCdr Donald F. Weiss' USS TINOSA (SS-283) attacks the convoy and torpedoes and sinks passenger/cargo ship KAMO MARU. 415 troops, 3 other passengers, 74 crewmen and 7 gunners are KIA.
TINOSA also torpedoes and sinks KONZAN MARU
west of Kyushu at 32-25N, 128-50E. 23 crewmen are KIA.
1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Author's Notes:
[1] Also known as KONZAN MARU.
- Bob Hackett
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