RIKUGUN HAITOSEN!
(Type 1TM Standard Tanker underway)
NANEI MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
©2011-2013 Bob Hackett
Revision 1
1941:
Osaka. Laid down at Tekkosho, K.K., as a 5,019-ton Standard Type 1TM
tanker for Nitto Kogyo Kisen K.K., Tokyo.
1942:
Launched and named NANEI MARU. [1]
December 1942:
Completed and requisitioned by the Japanese Government's Senpaku Uneikai civilian wartime shipping authority.
Chartered to the Imperial Army with a civilian crew. Assigned call letters JRPR.
20 July 1943:
At 0800, NANEI MARU departs Takao in convoy No. 284
consisting of SHOUN, BIYO, MATSUMOTO, HIROTA, ARGUN and KISHU MARUs and three
unidentified merchant ships.
25 July 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
25 August 1943:
At 0900, NANEI MARU departs Moji in convoy HI-07 also
consisting of tankers ITSUKUSHIMA, GOYO, OMUROSAN and NAMPO MARUs and
cargo-passenger ship USSURI MARU escorted by kaibokan ETOROFU.
29 August 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
30 August 1943:
Arrives at Mako. ETOROFU is detached and replaced by
kaibokan SADO.
8 September 1943:
Arrives at Saigon, delayed by her own slow speed.
9 September 1943:
Departs St Jacques in convoy No. 508 consisting of
tankers KIRISHIMA and two unidentified merchant ships without escort.
12 September 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
11 November 1943:
At 1600, NANEI MARU departs Moji for Takao in convoy
No. 113-MA-07 consisting of ARABIA, TAMAHOKO, RYUYO, DAKAR, CHIYO, TOSEI, ANYO,
SYDNEY, HIDA, NITTETSU and NACHISAN MARUs escorted by destroyer KURETAKE.
13 November 1943:
At 0556, LtCdr Robert E. Dorin's USS TRIGGER
(SS-237) torpedoes and sinks NACHISAN MARU at 32-55N, 125-09E. KURETAKE drops
five depth charges that damage TRIGGER slightly.
21 November 1943:
At 1140, arrives at Mako, Pescadores.
13 February 1944:
At 1600, NANEI MARU departs Singapore for Moji in
convoy HI-40 consisting of tankers NAMPO, KOKUEI, ICHIYO, NICHIRIN and ASAMA
MARUs escorted by kaibokan SHIMUSHU.
19 February 1944:
South China Sea, 300 miles W of Luzon. At 0550,
Captain (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Thomas M. Dykers’ USS JACK (SS-259) attacks
HI-40. Dykers torpedoes and sinks NANEI and KOKUEI MARUs at 14-34N, 114-11E,
NICHIRIN MARU at 15-40N, 115-48E and ICHIYO MARU at 15-46N, 115-57E.
55 of NANEI MARU’s crew and five gunners are KIA.
Author's Note:
[1] Not to be confused with 5,500 ton cargo ship MANATAWAY (ex-CASAGRANDE) completed 23 Sep '20 by American International SB Corp,
Hog Island, Philadelphia, PA and sunk at Manila in Jan '42. Some sources claim that MANATAWAY was captured on 2 Feb 42 at Manila, towed to Japan, refurbished and renamed NANEI MARU, then managed by Nitto Kogyo Kisen until torpedoed and lost in '44; however, these accounts are improbable as MANATAWAY was carrying dynamite when she was bombed and sunk in Manila in Jan '42.
Thanks go to Gilbert Casse of France, Allan Alsleben of Oregon and Peter Cundall of Australia.
-Bob Hackett
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