RIKUGUN HAITOSEN!

(Type 1TM Standard Tanker underway)

NICHINAN MARU No. 2:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2010-2013 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Revision 1

24 July 1943:
Nagasaki. Laid down at Mitsubishi Jukogyo's shipyard as a 5, 227-ton Type 1TM Standard Tanker for Iino Kaiun K K.

29 October 1943:
Launched and named NICHINAN MARU No. 2.

18 December 1943:
Completed.

1944:
Placed under Senpaku Uneikai (Civilian Shipping Authority) control at an unknown date. Allotted to the Army (A/C-AO) with Army No. 5101.

20 April 1944:
At 0600, NICHINAN MARU No. 2 probably departs Moji-Mutsure for Singapore in convoy HI-59 also consisting of tankers MANEI, OKIKAWA, NIPPPO, EIHO, MANEI (BANEI), OTORISAN, MANKO MARU and NIYO MARUs and probably KINUGASA, NOSHIRO and TEIRITSU MARUs, escorted by kaibokan KURAHASHI, CD-10, CD-11 and CD-20.

21 April 1944:
KURAHASHI and CD-20 are detached.

E 28 April 1944:
South China Sea. KURAHASHI and CD-20 arrive from Manila and rejoin the convoy.

28 April 1944:
Arrives at Takao.

29 April 1944:
Departs Takao.

2 May 1944:
At 1200, HI-59 arrives at Manila where the convoy is dissolved.

20 June 1944:
At 1930, NICHINAN MARU No. 2 departs Moji for Singapore convoy HI-67 consisting of tankers MIRI, OTORISAN, SARAWAK and SHINEI MARUs and transports GOKOKU, MANJU, NANKAI, KINUGASA, ASAKA, ASAHISAN and HAKOZAKI MARUs escorted by destroyer KURETAKE, minelayer SHIRATAKA, kaibokan HIRADO, KURAHASHI, CD-5 and CD-13 and subchaser CH-61.

E 26 June 1944:
CD-2 and destroyer ASAGAO join convoy HI-67.

29 June 1944:
Near dawn, LtCdr Anton W. Gallaher's USS BANG (SS-385) picks up convoy HI-67. Gallaher makes a long "end-around" in daylight. At about 1500, he fires all ten torpedoes in his bow and stern tubes at three ships. He damages MIRI and SARAWAK MARUs. Both oilers are hit in the bow, but each manages to proceed to Manila.

30 June 1944:
The convoy arrives at Manila. GOKOKU, SARAWAK and MIRI MARUs are detached.

3 July 1944:
At 0600, HI-67 departs Manila.

9 July 1944:
Arrives at Singapore at 1640.

14 July 1944:
At 0730, NICHINAN MARU No. 2 departs Singapore in convoy HI-68 also consisting of tankers TOA, TOHO, SHIMPO and OTORISAN MARUs, and transports MANILA and KIYOKAWA MARUs escorted by kaibokan HIRADO, KURAHASHI, CD-13, CD-20 and CD-28 and minelayer SHIRATAKA.

E 19 July 1944:
SHIRATAKA is detached from the convoy.

24 July 1944:
At 0600, convoy HI-68 departs Manila for Moji. The convoy sails in three columns consisting of NICHINAN MARU No. 2, oilers OTORISAN MARU, landing ship MAYASAN MARU and escort carrier TAIYO in column No. 1; landing ship KOZU MARU (a.k.a. TAKATSU MARU) and transports TOSAN, KASHII, NISSHO and AKI MARUs in column No. 2 and ex-seaplane tender KIYOKAWA MARU and oilers ITSUKUSHIMA, TOA, TOHO and SHIMPO MARUs in column No. 3. The convoy is escorted by kaibokan HIRADO (F), KUSAGAKI, KURAHASHI, MIKURA, CD-11, CD-20 and torpedo boat HIYODORI.

A three-submarine wolf pack of Cdr Whitaker’s FLASHER, LtCdr Franklin Hess’s ANGLER (SS-240) and LtCdr Francis D. Walker’s CREVALLE (SS-291) tracks the convoy.

25 July 1944:
Off NW Luzon. At 1540, transports AKI and TOSAN MARUs succesfully evade an attack by CREVALLE.

26 July 1944:
Off Luzon. At 0311, in a night surface radar attack, FLASHER damages TOSAN MARU and sinks AKI MARU and OTORISAN MARU. Hess’s ANGLER torpedoes and blows the bow off KIYOKAWA MARU. At 0655, the ship leaves the convoy and heads for Takao, Formosa. At 1137, LtCdr Walker’s CREVALLE torpedoes and again damages TOSAN MARU. Later, she catches fire.

27 July 1944:
At 0430, the fires ignite 1,000 stored shells and by 1045 TOSAN MARU sinks. The remainder of the convoy arrives at Takao.

3 August 1944:
At 1600, arrives at Moji.

24 October 1944:
Departs Miri in Nichinan Maru No. 2 Convoy consisting only of NICHINAN MARU No. 2 escorted by minesweepers W-17, W-18 and W-30.

28 October 1944:
Arrives at Manila.

7 November 1944:
At 2000, convoy MASHI-03 departs Manila for Singapore consisting of tankers NICHINAN MARU No. 2 and SHIMOTSU MARU escorted by subchasers CH-7 and CH-8.

8 November 1944:
At 2257, after the convoy avoids one torpedo attack, LtCdr Marshall H. Austin's USS REDFIN (SS-272) torpedoes and sinks NICHINAN MARU No. 2 at 14-10N 116-37E. The forepart of the wreck sinks at 1030 the following day.

Authors' Note:
NICHINAN MARU No. 2 was civilian operated for the Army on specific voyages.

- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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