RIKUGUN YUSOSEN

(Sister YOSHIDA MARU No. 1, prewar)

IJA Transport MALTA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2013 Bob Hackett

10 June 1919:
Tsurumi, Yokohama. Laid down at Asano Zosensho K.K., as yard number 13, a 5,438-ton passenger-cargo ship for Suzuki Shoten, Kobe.

29 September 1919:
Launched and named MALTA MARU.

30 October 1919:
Completed.

1920:
Sold to Kokusai Kisen Kaisha, Yokohama (later Kobe).

24 March 1922:
MALTA MARU arrives at Ellis Island, New York from Hull, England.

1924:
Off the port of Pensacola, Florida. MALTA MARU is damaged in a collision with United States Coast Guard Cutter TALLAPOOSA.

1943:
Chartered by the Imperial Army as a troop transport/cargo ship. Assigned Army No. 913.

8 October 1943:
MALTA MARU departs Takao for Moji in convoy No. 210 also consisting of HOKKO, KISO, KOKKO, KOSHIN, NORWAY, SHINNO, TOKUSHIMA and YAMABATO MARUs escorted by destroyer HASU and patrol boat PB-36.

E 11 October 1943:
Off the Niu Shan Islands. HASU is detached.

13 October 1943:
At 1200, kaibokan SADO relieves PB-36.

15 October 1943:
Arrives at Moji less SHINNO and YAMABATO MARUs detached earlier.

30 October 1943:
At 1600, MALTA MARU departs Mutsure for Takao in convoy No. 110 consisting of ASAHI, HANAKAWA, KIZAN, SEIZAN, OSHIMA, CHINKAI, TAINAN, TEIKO (ex-Vichy French D’ARTAGNAN), SEIWA, SHINKOKU, TERUKAWA, TOYO, YOZAN and YULIN MARUs and oilers SANKO and TEIKON (ex-German WINNETOU) MARUs escorted by patrol boat PB-2 and auxiliary gunboat KAZAN (HUASHAN) MARU.

4 November 1943:
At 1410, arrives at Takao, Formosa.

4 February 1944:
At 1400, MALTA MARU departs Moji for Takao in convoy MOTA-01 also consisting of HOZAN, SHINKOKU, TEIYU (ex-Italian CARIGNANO), TENSHIN and ZUIYO MARUs and one unidentified merchant ship escorted by destroyer MINEKAZE and auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU. MALTA MARU is carrying 800 passengers.

10 February 1944:
At 0415, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Ralph M. Metcalf's (USNA ’35) USS POGY SS-266) torpedoes and sinks MINEKAZE at 23-12N, 121-30E. 99 crew including CO, LtCdr Imaizumi Masajiro (62) are KIA.

At 0430, POGY also torpedoes and sinks MALTA MARU at 23-12N, 121-30E. 33 crewmen and an unknown number of passengers are KIA.

SHINKOKU MARU is also damaged in the attack and run aground.

Author's Note:
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.

-Bob Hackett

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