Japanese Auxiliary Gunboats

KOKAI HOKAN!

(MEIJI MARU, prior to renaming MEIJI MARU No. 1 GO, prewar)

IJN MEIJI MARU No. 1 GO:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2018 Gilbert Casse, Berend van der Wal and Peter Cundall

26 November 1936:
Tsurumi. Laid down by Tsurumi Seitetsu Zosen K.K. shipyard for Hinode Kisen K.K. as a 1,934 GRT cargo ship, part of the Peacetime Standard Ship (D) Type Program.
16 April 1937:
Launched and named MEIJI MARU.
15 May 1937:
Completed and registered at Tokyo.
15 November 1941:
Tsurumi. Conversion to an auxiliary gunboat begins at Asano Dock K.K. shipyard.
16 November 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
1 December 1941:
Registered as an auxiliary gunboat attached to Yokosuka Naval District, Yokosuka Guard Force, in Yokosuka Coastal Guard Squadron under Navy’s instruction No. 1570. Navy Reserve Lt Maruyama Hisayoshi is appointed CO that same day.
10 December 1941:
Confirmed as attached to Yokosuka Guard Force under Yokosuka Naval District instruction No. 24. Renamed MEIJI MARU No. 1 GO. under secret instruction No. 11623/2. Conversion is completed that day.

11 December 1941: BR> Arrives at Nagaura.
19 December 1941:
Departs Nagaura.
20 December 1941:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
24 December 1941:
Departs Yokosuka.
25 December 1941:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
28 December 1941:
Departs Yokosuka.
11 January 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka. Undergoes repairs to rudder head, and fitting of new steam pipes at Yokosuka Naval Yard.
17 January 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
28 January 1942:
Confirmed as attached to Yokosuka Guard Force under Yokosuka Naval District No. 45.
29 January 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
7 February 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
18 February 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
2 March 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
6 March 1942:
Scheduled to patrol area N3 from 7 March 0800 under Yokosuka Guard Force instruction No. 275.
9 March 1941:
Carries out primary gun firing exercise.
11 March 1942:
Scheduled to patrol areas N3 and V from 12 March 0600 under Yokosuka Guard Force instruction No. 292.
17 March 1942:
Due to return to Yokosuka under Yokosuka Guard Force instruction No. 309.
19 March 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
21 March 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
1 April 1942:
Confirmed as attached to Yokosuka Guard Force under Yokosuka Naval District No. 72.
4 April 1942:
Enters drydock.
5 ~ 30 April 1942:
Undergoes steam pipes repairs.
10 April 1942:
Attached to Yokosuka Guard Force, Yokosuka Coastal Guard Squadron in Yokosuka 4th Patrol Unit under instructions No. 74 and No. 657. Navy Reserve Lt Maruyama Hisayoshi remains CO.
18 April 1942:
While at the Yokohama docking quay sustains an air attack. [1]
27 April 1942:
Departs Yokohama on trials, returns there later that day.
1 May 1942:
Confirmed as attached to Yokosuka Coastal Guard Squadron in Yokosuka 4th Patrol Unit under Yokosuka Naval District No. 78. Departs Yokohama and arrives at Yokosuka later this day.
14 May 1942:
Departs Yokosuka and carries out radio direction finding calibration tests.
15 May 1942:
Arrives at Nagaura.
20 May 1942:
Departs Yokosuka on patrol along patrol line No. 1.
23 May 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
1 June 1942:
Scheduled for personnel transport mission to Miyakejima and Hachijojima under Yokohama instruction No. 225.
2 June 1942:
At 0830 departs Nagaura and at 1700 calls at Ofunato Bay, Miyakejima. Departs there later that same day at 1900.
3 June 1942:
At 0900 arrives at Borowazawa, Hachijojima and departs later that day at 1900.
4 June 1942:
At 1000 arrives at Nagaura.
11 June 1942:
At 0830 departs Nagaura on patrol along patrol lines No. 1 and No. 3.
15 June 1942:
Confirmed as attached to Yokosuka Coastal Guard Squadron in Yokosuka 4th Patrol Unit under Yokosuka Naval District No. 99.
16 June 1942:
At 1800 arrives at Nagaura.
27 June 1942:
Scheduled to get a camouflage scheme under Navy’s instruction No. 1728/2.
29 June 1942:
At 0810 departs Nagaura on patrol along patrol line No. 1.
1 July 1942:
At 1610 arrives at Onagawa.
3 July 1942:
At 1824 departs Onagawa on patrol along patrol line No. 1.
6 July 1942:
Ends patrol to assist auxiliary patrol boat CHOSU MARU No. 2 which engine has failed. Off Inubosaki coast, takes CHOSU MARU No. 2 in tow.
7 July 1942:
At 1720 arrives at Nagaura.
11 July 1942:
At 1010 departs Nagaura on patrol along patrol line No. 1.
14 July 1942:
At 1200 arrives at Onagawa.
15 July 1942:
At 0730 departs Onagawa.
16 July 1942:
At 1620 arrives at Watanoha.
18 July 1942:
At 0746 departs Watanoha on patrol along patrol line No. 1.
19 July 1942:
Ends patrol to assist powerless fishing boat MYOJIN MARU No. 1.
21 July 1942:
Meets up with MYOJIN MARU No. 1 and takes her in tow.
22 July 1942:
At 1745, arrives off Shiogama harbor coast of and ends towing.
23 July 1942:
At 0800 departs Shiogama harbor waters.
24 July 1942:
At 1650 arrives at Nagaura.
3 August 1942:
At 0820 departs Yokosuka on patrol along patrol line No. 1.
5 August 1942:
At 1509 arrives at Watanoha.
6 August 1942:
At 1815 departs Watanoha on patrol.
8 August 1942:
At 1200 arrives at Nagaura.
9 August 1942:
At 1330 loads coal from ISUZU MARU.
15 August 1942:
At 1000 departs Nagaura on patrol.
18 August 1942:
At 1000 arrives at Watanoha.
20 August 1942:
At 0825 departs Watanoha on patrol.
22 August 1942:
At 1030 arrives at Nagaura.
28 August 1942:
Loads food.
8 September 1942:
At 1015 departs Yokosuka.
10 September 1942:
At 0800, begins air defense exercise No. 1.
12 September 1942:
At 1930, ends air defense training.
14 September 1942:
At 1610 arrives at Nagaura.
22 September 1942:
At 1330 departs Nagaura on patrol.
23 September 1942:
At 1200, departs from off Futtsu, Tokyo Bay in a convoy also consisting of TOHO and JINZAN MARUs escorted by destroyer OKIKAZE heading NE. The convoy sails at nine knots.
25 September 1942:
Confirmed as attached to Yokosuka Coastal Guard Squadron in Yokosuka 4th Patrol Unit under Yokosuka Naval District No. 126.
28 September 1942:
At 0940 arrives at Nagaura.
1 October ~ 12 October 1942:
Undergoes construction work under Navy’s instruction No. 12241.
13 October 1942:
At 0830 departs Yokosuka on patrol.
21 October 1942:
At 1113 arrives at Yokosuka.
23 October 1942:
At 0800 departs Yokosuka. While heading from Yokosuka to Shimoda carries out radio shields experiments.
27 October 1942:
Ends experiments and arrives at Shimoda later that day.
28 October 1942:
At 1000 departs Shimoda.
29 October 1942:
At 0800, begins air defense exercise No. 2.
30 October 1942:
At 0800, ends air defense exercise.
31 October 1942:
At 1030 arrives at Nagaura.
1 November 1942:
Navy Reserve Lt Maruyama Hisayoshi is confirmed as CO.
5 November 1942:
At 0830 departs Nagaura.
5 ~ 13 November 1942:
Carries out various team training tests.
14 November 1942:
At 1200 arrives at Nagaura.
24 November 1942:
At 1500 departs Nagaura to carry out a radio shields experiment which is later postponed because of bad weather.
26 November 1942:
Carries out radio shields experiments. At 1800, experiments end. At 1900, Off Tateyama cuts port anchor chain. At 2000, stays temporarily at Tateyama.
27 November 1942:
Departs Tateyama and arrives at Nagaura later this day at 1600.
6 December 1942:
At 0850 departs Nagaura on patrol and relay boat mission.
16 December 1942:
At 1520 arrives at Nagaura.
30 December 1942:
At 0900 departs Nagaura on patrol and relay boat mission.
2 January 1943:
Together with auxiliary patrol boat SHINKO MARU No. 1 carries out temporary No. 3 radio interference procedure experiment.
4 January 1943:
Aborts experiment because of breakdown issue.
5 January 1943:
Aborts experiment because of breakdown issue.
6 January 1943:
Aborts experiment because of breakdown issue.
7 January 1943:
Ends experiment due to faulty device not able to be fixed.
10 January 1943:
At 1100 arrives at Nagaura.
20 January 1943:
At 0910 departs Nagaura.
26 January 1943:
At 1400 arrives at Nagaura.
8 February 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
15 February 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
23 February 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
6 March 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
5 April 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
7 April 1943:
Arrives at Onagawa.
19 April 1943:
Departs Onagawa.
20 April 1943:
About 26 nautical miles NE Shioyazaki. At 1200, LtCdr William N. Wylie’s (USNA ’30) USS SCORPION (SS-278) running submerged, makes a periscope attack firing three Mark XIV Type 3A torpedoes. One hit is scored on MEIJI MARU No. 1 GO that sinks by the stern in two minutes, at N37-10N, 141-25E with the loss of nine crewmen.
1 July 1943:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 1321.

Authors' Notes:
[1] By USAAF North American B-25 ‘Mitchell’ medium bombers launched earlier that day by USS HORNET (CV-8), part of LtCol (full four-star general-ret) James H. Doolittle’s Raid.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.

- Gilbert Casse, Berend van der Wal and Peter Cundall.

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