Japanese Oilers

YUSOSEN!

(Oiler by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")

IJN KYOEI MARU No. 2:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2010-2020 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

Revision 6

8 August 1940:
Aioi. Laid down at Harima Zosensho K. K. as a 1,192 gross register tons tanker for Kyoei Tanker K.K., Kobe.
19 November 1940:
Launched and named KYOEI MARU No. 2.
28 December 1940:
Completed and registered at Kobe with Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) and Net Registered Tonnage (NRT) of respectively 1,157-tons and 551-tons. Her call sign is JGVM. [1]
1941:
Her GRT and NRT respectively change to 1,192-tons and 575-tons. [1]
28 August 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
2 September 1941:
Navy (Resv) (unknown rank) Okubo Sadakichi is appointed Commanding Officer.
16 September 1941:
Begins conversion.
20 September 1941:
Registered in the Kure Naval District as an auxiliary transport (oil supply) under internal order No. 1093. Assigned to the Combined Fleet as an Otsu category auxiliary transport. [2]
14 October 1941:
Completes conversion.
14 November 1941:
Arrives at Saeki Bay.
18 November 1941:
Departs Saeki Bay.
8 December 1941:
Departs Kure and arrives at Tokuyama Navy Fuel Depot. Loads fuel.
1 January 1942:
Rated as the Supply Unit’s Second Supply Unit under Mobile Task Force Command No. 17.
7 January 1942:
At 1700 departs Kure with ammunition ship NICHIRO MARU escorted by destroyer ISOKAZE bound for Truk. The ships proceed via Tokuyama.
8 January 1942:
Departs Tokuyama.
18 January 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
26 February 1942:
Arrives at Staring Bay, Kendari, Celebes (now Sulawesi, Indonesia). Refuels fleet units with aviation fuel.
19 March 1942:
Attached to the Supply Unit’s Second Supply Unit under Mobile Task Force Command No. 31.
29 March 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
5 May 1942: Operation "MI" - The Battle of Midway:
KYOEI MARU No. 2 is attached to the Second Supply Corps of the Midway Island Task Force.
20 May 1942:
Attached to the Midway Island (MI) Operation Mobile Task Force Supply Unit’s Second Supply Unit.
2 June 1942:
Departs Kure.
28 June 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
14 August 1942:
KYOEI MARU No. 2 is attached to the First Supply Corps of the Guadalcanal Task Force.
28 August 1942:
Arrives at Tokuyama. Loads fuel.
24 November 1942:
At Truk supplies lubricating oil to heavy cruiser ATAGO (from 0906-1014) and battleship KONGO.
7 March 1943:
Arrives at Takao, Formosa (now Kaoshiung, Taiwan).
10 March 1943:
Departs Takao.
26 March 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama.[3]
1 May 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
7 May 1943:
Arrives at Takao and departs the same day.
7 July 1943:
At 1400, KYOEI MARU No. 2 departs Moji in convoy No. 173 consisting of auxiliary oiler KOSHIN MARUs and and IJA shared tanker (A/C-AO) ZUIYO MARU, auxiliary transports HIROTA, NACHISAN MARU and RYUKO MARUs, IJA transports MURORAN, ASAKA, TAIYU and KYOKKO MARUs and civilian ore carrier (C-AC) GYOKUREI MARU escorted by torpedo boat HAYABUSA and patrol PB-36.
13 July 1943:
At 0950, arrives at Takao.
19 July 1943:
Attached to the Mobile Task Force under Combined Fleet wireless order No. 638. Attached to the Supply Unit under Mobile Task Force wireless command No. 96.
20 July 1943:
Detached from the Advance Unit under Advance Unit’s wireless command No. 246.
6 August 1943:
At 0800 departs Balikpapan in convoy with KASAGISAN MARU escorted by auxiliary subchaser CHa-15.
9 August 1943:
Reported near Davao, Mindanao, Philippines in convoy with KASAGISAN MARU and air escort.
10 August 1943:
At 0800 (ETA) arrives at Davao.
11 August 1943:
Departed Davao alone.
4 September 1943:
At Wewak NAGANO MARU is bombed and becomes unnavigable. KYOEI MARU No. 2 takes her under tow.
6 September 1943:
Arrives at Hollandia New Guinea, Netherlands Indies (now Jayapura or Port Numbay, New Guinea, Indonesia).
9 September 1943:
At 0630, departs Truk in convoy also consisting of Naval tanker TSURUMI and cargo ship TAIKOKU MARU escorted by subchaser CH-29 and auxiliary subchaser SHOWA MARU.
11 September 1943:
Convoy meets up with EIKO MARU No. 2 GO off Mereyon (Woleai), Yap, Eastern Carolines (Federated States of Micronesia).
12 September 1943:
At 0600, EIKO MARU No. 2 GO and SHOWA MARU detach and head towards Fais, Yap, Eastern Carolines (now Federated States of Micronesia).
14 September 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
17 September 1943:
Departs Palau in convoy 2510 also consisting of tankers TSURUMI and TOA MARU escorted by destroyer ASAKAZE and subchaser CH-13.
18 September 1943:
At 0900 auxiliary oiler TOA MARU detaches and heads towards Surabaya, Java, Netherlands Indies (now Indonesia).
20 September 1943:
Arrives at Davao and departs later that day.
23 September 1943:
Arrives at Tarakan, Borneo, Netherlands East Indies (now Kalimantan, Indonesia).
24 September 1943:
Departs Tarakan.
26 September 1943:
Arrives at Balikpapan, Borneo, Netherlands East Indies (now Kalimantan, Indonesia).
1 November 1943:
Receives Combined Fleet Command No. 46:
1. The Commander in Chief of the Third Fleet, a resident Fleet (except the First Carrier Division) at Truk, is absent due to Operation RO and incorparated in the interceptor unit.
2. During this period auxiliary ammunition ship NICHIRO MARU, auxiliary oilers NICHIEI and NISSHO MARUs and KYOEI MARU No. 2 transfer to the Combined Fleet.
20 January 1944:
At 1300 KYOEI MARU No. 2 departs Truk for Palau in convoy No. 7202 also consisting of OGURA MARU No. 3 escorted by destroyer HAMANAMI and subchasers CH-24, CH-30, CH-33 and CH-39.
26 January 1944:
Arrives at Palau, East Pass.
30 January 1944:
At 0850, KYOEI MARU No. 2 departs Palau for Tarakan in convoy NE-002 with OGURA MARU No. 3 escorted by patrol boat PB-36 and auxiliary subchasers CHa-22 and CHa-15.
31 January 1944:
At 1400, auxiliary subchaser CHa-22 is detached to return to Palau.
2 February 1944:
At 1300, auxiliary subchaser CHa-15 is detached for Davao.
5 February 1944:
Arrives at Tarakan. Loads fuel. Departs that same day and arrives at Balikpapan, Borneo.
8 February 1944:
Departs Tarakan with tanker OGURA MARU No. 3 for Balikpapan.
17 February 1944:
Departs Balikpapan and later that same day and arrives at Tarakan, Borneo. Loads fuel.
18 February 1944:
At 0800, departs Tarakan with German tanker ROSSBACH (ex Norwegian MADRONO).[4]
20 February 1944:
At 1900, arrives at Zamboanga, Mindanao, Philippines.
27 March 1944:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
1 May 1944:
Departs Moji in convoy TE-05 also consisting of YAMADORI, HIYORI, HIOKI, KOKUSEI, HIKACHI, NICHIWA and SHONAN MARUs escorted by the old destroyer ASAGAO, kaibokans CD-8 and CD-20 and auxiliary netlayer KAINAN MARU.
7 May 1944:
Arrives at Kirun, Formosa (now Keelung, Taiwan). Kaibokan CD 1 joins the convoy.
9 May 1944:
Departs Kirun.
13 May 1944:
YAMADORI MARU detaches for Hong Kong.
14 May 1944:
Arrives at Yulin, Hainan Island, China.
2 June 1944:
Arrives at the Berouw (Berau) River mouth, NE Borneo, Netherlands East Indies (now NE Kalimantan, Indonesia).
3 June 1944:
Arrives at Tarakan, Borneo.
4 June 1944:
Arrives at Trusan Ligitan, the Ligitan Channel, Sabah, British Borneo. (now Malaysia).
5 June 1944:
Departs Trusan Ligitan and arrives at Tawi Tawi, Philippines.
8 June 1944:
Supplies lubricating oil to heavy cruiser TONE.
16 June 1944:
Departs Tawi Tawi and arrives at Zamboanga, Philippines.
17 June 1944:
Departs Zamboanga.
18 June 1944:
Arrives at San Carlos, Negros, Philippines..
19 June 1944:
Departs San Carlos and arrives at Guimaras anchorage, Philippines.
27 June 1944:
Departs Guimaras.
27 June 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga.
29 June 1944:
Departs Zamboanga and arrives at Tawi Tawi.
1 July 1944:
KYOEI MARU No. 2 is attached to the Third Southern Expeditionary Fleet.
13 July 1944:
Departs Tawi Tawi and arrives at Jolo, Philippines.
14 July 1944:
Departs Jolo and arrives at Zamboanga.
15 July 1944:
Departs Zamboanga and arrives at Glan, Mindanao, Philippines.
16 July 1944:
Departs Glan.
17 July 1944:
Arrives at Davao.
25 July 1944:
At 0155, KYOEI MARU No. 2 departs Davao for Zamboanga, Philippines in convoy Z-258 also consisting of AZUCHISAN, OYO, TATSUHARU, RYUKA and KITAGAMI MARUs and tanker HISHI MARU No. 2 and LST No. 127 escorted by kaibokan CD-6, CD-16, minesweeper W-30, subchasers CH-13, CH-49 and CH-58, auxiliary subchaser KYO MARU No. 12, auxiliary netlayer TOKACHI MARU, auxiliary netlayer TOKO MARU No. 1 Go and auxilary submarine chaser MISAGO MARU No. 2. The convoy is provided air cover. At 1452 an aircraft bearing 140 degrees drops a bomb near the shore. Auxiliary subchasers CHa-49 and CHa-58 head to the drop location for an anti submarine attack. At 1600, T.127, RYUKA MARU and TOKO MARU No. 1 GO and MISAGO MARU No. 2 are detached for Sarangani Bay, Philippines.
27 July 1944:
Sulu Sea. At about 0100, LtCdr (later Captain) Bladen D. Claggett's (USNA ’35) USS DACE (SS-247) attacks the convoy and sinks KYOEI MARU No. 2 at 05-20N,121-43E. Five crewmen are KIA.
10 September 1944:
Removed from the Navy List under internal order No. 1167.

Authors' Notes:
General: Loading and unloading of fuel oil and gasoline noted at various ports in this TROM is speculative rather than factual.

[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] There were two categories of Yusosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
[3] According to John Alden US Submarine Attacks During World War II and Monograph 116 The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II KYOEI MARU No.2 was attacked as follows:
29 March 1943:
Celebes Sea. About 1200, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) William S. Post’s (USNA ‘30) USS GUDGEON (SS-211) sights a tanker. One torpedo hits KYOEI MARU No. 2 at 00-53N, 119-02E. Damage is however light and she is able to resume her course.
It is possible the ship attacked was one of the higher number KYOEI MARU's or that the above references are mistaken. A torpedo hit on such a small tanker, unless dud, could be reasonably expected to do at least moderate damage.
[4]: MADRONO was captured by the German raider Hilfskreuzer 10/THOR on 4 July 1942. The ship was also shown in Japanese records as CHORAN MARU.
Thanks for assistance in translating some location names go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany. 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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