Japanese Oilers

YUSOSEN!

(Type 2TL wartime Standard Merchant Tanker by Ueda Kihachiro)

MATSUSHIMA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2010-2014 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

6 July 1944:
Nagasaki. Laid down at Mitsubishi Jukogyo K. K. Zosensho as a 10, 240-ton Type 2TL wartime Standard Merchant Tanker for Nitto Kogyo Gyogyo.
6 September 1944:
Launched and named MATSUSHIMA MARU.
15 October 1944:
Completed.
17 October 1944:
Departs Nagasaki and later that day arrives at Sasebo.
18 October 1944:
Departs Sasebo.
20 October 1944:
Arrives at Tokuyama. Probably takes on fuel for her maiden voyage south.
22 October 1944:
Departs Tokuyama and later that day arrives at Moji.
26 October 1944:
At 1730, MATSUSHIMA MARU departs Mutsure in convoy HI-79 also consisting of tanker TENEI MARU transports KAGU, MELBOURNE and ARIMASAN MARUs and fleet stores ship MAMIYA. The ships are initially escorted by light cruiser KASHII, kaibokan NOMI, UKURU and minelayer NIIZAKI.
27 October 1944:
Kaibokan CD-17 joins the escort.
28 October 1944:
W-21 joins the escort.
29 October 1944:
MELBOURNE MARU is detached for Keelung escorted by UKURU and CD-17.
30 October 1944:
Convoy HI-79 arrives at Takao, Formosa. Kaibokan MANJU joins the escort of HI-79 now consisting of tankers MATSUSHIMA, TENEI, KUROSHIO and RYOEI MARUs (the latter two from Takao) escorted by light cruiser KASHII, kaibokan UKURU, NOMI, CD-17 and minelayer NIIZAKI.
31 October 1944:
Departs Takao.
2 November 1944:
At 1432, the convoy is attacked by a B-24 without damage.
9 November 1944:
At 1000, arrives at Singapore.
17 November 1944:
MATSUSHIMA MARU departs Singapore in convoy HI-80 also consisting of TENEI, MUNAKATA, RYOEI, ARIMASAN, KUROSHIO, NICHINAN and KAIHO MARUs escorted by light cruiser KASHII (F), kaibokan MANJU, UKURU, NOMI, KASADO, MIYAKE, CD-17, CD-23 and CD-51 and minelayer NIIZAKI.
20 November 1944: At 1240, CD-17 is detached for Saigon.
27 November 1944: At 0930, RYOEI and ARIMASAN MARUs escorted by NIIZAKI are detached for Takao.
4 December 1944: HI-80 arrives at Sasebo; then sails on to Tokuyama.
9 December 1944:
Departs Tokuyama.
11 December 1944:
Arrives at Nagasaki to undergo repairs.
27 December 1944:
Departs Nagasaki and later that day arrives at Sasebo.
30 December 1944:
Departs Sasebo.
31 December 1944:
Early morning. MATSUSHIMA MARU arrives off Moji. At 0820, she departs Moji for Singapore in convoy HI-87 also consisting of fleet oiler KAMOI and tankers HASHIDATE, TENEI, KAIHO, KUROSHIO, MITSUSHIMA, MIRI, MUNAKATA and SARAWAK MARUs and passenger-cargoman TATSUWA MARU escorted by destroyers SHIGURE, HATAKAZE and DesDiv17’s HAMAKAZE and ISOKAZE and kaibokan KURAHASHI, MIKURA and CD-13. Light carrier RYUHO provides air cover.
7 January 1945:
East China Sea. The convoy is sighted by "Loughlin's Loopers" submarine wolf pack consisting of Cdr (later Rear Admiral/MOH) Eugene R. Fluckey's USS BARB (SS-220) and LtCdr Evan T. Shepard's PICUDA (SS-382), later joined by Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Charles E. Loughlin's QUEENFISH (SS-393).
At 0905, in high seas, Shepard's PICUDA heavily damages MUNAKATA MARU in the bow. She is assisted by KURAHASHI then proceeds separately to Kirun (Keelung). The convoy anchors at Shinchiku roadstead, Formosa.
At 1300, the convoy is sighted by the wolfpack and tracked. RYUHO and SHIGURE are detached and proceed to Kirun. MITSUSHIMA MARU suffers an engine breakdown and is detached to Takao escorted by destroyer HATAKAZE.
8 January 1945:
At Takao. At 1200, KAMOI arrives with KAIHO MARU and escorts MIKURA, YASHIRO and kaibokan CD-13. Then KAIHO MARU experiences an engine breakdown. The ships anchor temporarily outside Takao’s port.
9 January 1945:
Vice Admiral John S. McCain's Task Force 38 attacks shipping at Takao. At 1200, 17 Grumman TBM "Avengers" and F6F "Hellcats" attack and sink KAIHO MARU, heavily damage KUROSHIO MARU and damage escorts YASHIRO, MIYAKE and kaibokan CD-13. Fleet oiler KAMOI suffers light damage, probably from the near-miss of a bomb. MATSUSHIMA MARU suffers direct hits by bombs in her port side engine room forward and port side tank No. 3. Shrapnel from near misses hits the ship and opens a 2 foot hole in oil tank No. 3. Four men are KIA.
10 January 1945:
At 1700, MATSUSHIMA MARU departs Takao for Mako, Pescadores in the reformed convoy now also consisting of KAMOI, SARAWAK, TENEI, MITSUSHIMA and HASHIDATE MARUs escorted by kaibokan KANJU, KURAHASHI, NOMI, SHINNAN, YASHIRO, MIYAKE and CD-13, CD-60 and CD-205 and destroyer SHIGURE that rejoins from Kirun.
RYUHO and DesDiv 17’s HAMAKAZE and ISOKAZE are detached from HI-87 and depart for Japan. At 1830, MITSUSHIMA MARU suffers an engine breakdown and returns to Takao.
12 January 1945:
At 0600, TENEI MARU's steering breaks down. The convoy receives a radio report that Kirun is under air attack and the ships are ordered to head for Hong Kong, not Mako. CD-60 escorts TENEI MARU to Hong Kong.
13 January 1945:
At 1100, convoy HI-87 enters Hong Kong.
15 January 1945:
Hong Kong. At 0915, an air raid warning is sounded and soon after carrier aircraft from Vice Admiral John S. McCain’s Task Force 38 begin attacks. Bomb and machine gun strafing attacks harry the ships all day, but they escape major damage.
16 January 1945:
Hong Kong. The air attacks continue from 0820. At 1124, KAMOI is near missed, but at 1240, KAMOI and TENEI MARU both suffer direct hits.
At 1540, MATSUSHIMA MARU suffers 13 direct bomb hits, over 100 strafing hits and 50 near misses. Her cargo deck is holed in at least 10 places. Part of the deck is bulged. The area between No. 3 and No. 4 tank bulkheads, No. 1 bunker tank, the oil loading pump room and the area behind the ship's bridge are all badly damaged. At 2330, fire fighting tugs finally get the fires raging on board under control.
17 January 1945
After MATSUSHIMA MARU begins settling, she is run aground at Koshima Island in Hong Kong. The wreck is abandoned.
Ca. 1947
The hulk is salved and scrapped.

- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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