Japanese Minelayers

FUSETSUKAN!
(TSUBAME by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")

IJN Minelayer NIIZAKI: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2008-2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 1

12 July 1941:
Tamano. Laid down at Mitsui's shipyard.
2 March 1942:
Launched and named NIIZAKI.
31 August 1942:
Completed and registered in the Maizuru Naval District. Attached to the Maizuru Guard Unit.
7 March 1944:
Departs Takao with destroyers HASA and TSUGA escorting convoy TAMO-07 consisting of nine unidentified merchant ships.
8 March 1944:
Arrives at Kirun (Keelung).
13 March 1944:
Departs Kirun. The convoy splits into two parts after departing port.
17 March 1944:
The first part arrives Moji.
18 March 1944:
The second part arrives Moji.
26 April 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Koniya with minelayer TSUBAME and auxiliary patrol boat TAIAN MARU escorting convoy ROKU-508 consisting of eight unidentified merchant ships.
3 May 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Koniya with auxiliary patrol boat TAIAN MARU escorting Army Fishing Boat Convoy No. 2 consisting of 16 unidentified fishing boats enroute to Minami Daito Jima.
13 May 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Naha for Kagoshima with torpedo boat MANAZURU and auxiliary minesweeper SHONAN MARU No. 16 escorting convoy OKI-305 consisting of six unidentified merchant ships.
22 May 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with torpedo boat MANAZURU, subchaser CH-49, auxiliary minesweeper HIMESHIMA MARU, auxiliary patrol boats TAIAN MARU and CHOUN MARU No. 13 escorting convoy KATA-205 consisting of 10 unidentified merchant ships.
E 24 May 1944:
N of Naha. NIIZAKI joins the escort of convoy NAKA-305 consisting of five unidentified merchant ships escorted by minelayers TSUBAME, minesweeper W-15, auxiliary minesweeper HAKATA MARU No. 6, and auxiliary YUKO MARU enroute to Kagoshima via Koniya.
29 May 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with minelayer TSUBAME, minesweeper W-15, auxiliary minesweeper HAKATA MARU No. 6, auxiliary patrol boat RYUSEI MARU escorting convoy KATA-906 consisting of seven unidentified merchant ships.
16 June 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kirun via Naha for Kagoshima with minelayer TSUBAME, auxiliary minesweepers Shonan MARU No. 16, SHIMPO MARU, TAKUNAN MARU No. 1, TAIHEI MARU No. 3 Go, auxiliary patrol boats CHOUN MARU No. 13 and CHIKUTO MARU escorting convoy TAKA-606 consisting of nine unidentified merchant ships.
27 June 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with auxiliary minesweeper SHONAN MARU No. 16, auxiliary patrol boats RYUSEI and CHIKUTO MARUs, auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2 escorting convoy KATA-412 consisting of 12 unidentified merchant ships.
10 July 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kirun via Naha for Kagoshima with auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2, auxiliary minesweepers TOSHI MARU No. 7, TAKUNAN MARU No. 1, HAKATA MARU No. 6 and auxiliary patrol boat CHOUN MARU No. 13 escorting convoy TAKA-005 consisting of 10 unidentified merchant ships.
19 July 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with torpedo boat MANAZURU, auxiliary gunboat TOMITSU MARU, auxiliary minesweepers HAKATA MARU No. 6, HOEI MARU, auxiliary patrol boats RYUSEI MARU, CHOUN MARU No. 13, TAISEI MARU No. 5 and auxiliary YUKO MARU escorting convoy KATA-917 consisting of 20 unidentified merchant ships, some enroute to Kirun, some direct, others via Naha.
26 July 1944:
At 0600, NIIZAKI departs Imari Bay for Miri with kaibokan MATSUWA, CD-14, patrol boat PB-38, minesweeper W-18, auxiliary minesweeper TAKUNAN MARU No. 3, auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU and auxiliary patrol boats EIFU, FUYO, KASUGA and NUNOBIKI MARUs escorting convoy MI-13 consisting of tankers SHINCHO, TEIKON, TOKUWA, KYOEI and ATAGO MARUs and cargo ships HIYORI, DURBAN, KIZAN, KUNIYAMA, URAL, SHIROTAE, KOKUSEI, CHINA, HIGANE, MATSUURA, RISSHUN and ATLAS MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 1 and OGURA MARU No. 2.
31 July 1944:
The convoy arrives at Takao. SHIROTAE, CHINA and MATSUURAs are detached and tankers SHIMPO and ZUIYO MARUs and cargo ship SHINKO MARU join the convoy. NIIZAKI, TAKUNAN MARU No. 3 and CHOHAKUSAN MARU are detached from the escort and replaced by kaibokan KUSAGAKI and YASHIRO and destroyer ASAKAZE. Naval Transport T-3 also joins.
6 August 1944:
At 0900, NIIZAKI departs Kagoshima for Keelung with torpedo boats TOMOZURU and MANAZURU, minelayers TSUBAME and NUWAJIMA, auxiliary minesweepers SHONAN MARU No. 16, HAKATA MARU No. 6, TAIAN, HIMESHIMA and SEKI MARUs and subchasers CH-18 and CH-17 escorting convoy KATA-626 consisting of NISSHO, SHINTON, TAIYO, TAIKEN, SEIZAN, ARISAN, NAKAGAWA, TAKUSAN, FUKUURA, TETSUZAN, KENJO, DAITOKU, EJIRI, DAII and DAIIUKU MARUs.
9 August 1944:
At 1830, arrives at Naha. NUWAJIMA and the subchasers return to Kagoshima.
17 August 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Naha for Kagoshima with minelayer NUWAJIMA, auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2 and auxiliary minesweeper CHITOSE MARU escorting convoy NAKA-105 consisting of four unidentified merchant ships.
17 August 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Kirun with minelayer TSUBAME, torpedo boat MANAZURU, subchasers CH-17, CH-18 and CH-49, auxiliary minesweepers SEKI MARU, SHONAN MARU No. 16, TOSHI MARU No. 7, TAKUNAN MARU No. 1, HIMESHIMA MARU, CHOUN MARU No. 8, auxiliary patrol boats CHOUN MARU No. 13, TAISEI MARU No. 5 and TAIAN MARU escorting convoy TAKA-708 consisting of 23 unidentified merchant ships enroute to Koniya or Kagoshima, some direct and some via Naha.
19 August 1944:
At 1200, arrives at Naha. Most ships in the convoy stop and unload.
21 August 1944:
DAIYA, HOKUYU and WASHIN MARUs depart with an unknown escort.
22 August 1944:
DAIYA MARU is detached at Miyako-Jima.
23 August 1944:
The convoy arrives at Keelung.
28 August 1944 NIIZAKI departs Kirun to Kagoshima with minelayer NUWAJIMA, torpedo boat MANAZURU, auxiliary minesweepers SEKI, CHITOSE and HOEI MARUs, auxiliary patrol boat CHOUN MARU No. 13 escorting convoy TAKA-708 (part II) consisting of 20 unidentified merchant ships enroute to Kagoshima, some direct and some via Naha.
28 August 1944:
At 0400, NIIZAKI, subchasers CH-49, CH-17 and CH-18 depart Kagoshima, Kyushu for Keelung, Formosa escorting convoy KATA-827 consisting of TSUKUSHI MARU No. 3, DOSHI, ISSHIN, KINZAN, NANYO, HAKUYO and JOGU MARUs and 25 other unidentified ships. Other escorts include torpedo boat MANAZURU, auxiliary netlayer SHINTO MARU No. 2, auxiliary subchaser CHIKUTO MARU, auxiliary minesweepers SHONAN MARU No. 16, HOEI MARU and auxiliary HOKOKU MARI No. 3.
30 August 1944:
Departs Naha.
4 September 1944:
At 1030, arrives at Keelung.
6 September 1944:
NIIZAKI, departs Kagoshima for Naha with minelayers NUWAJIMA and TSUBAME, minesweeper W-15, kaibokan CD-30, auxiliary minesweepers KAIYO MARU No. 1 Go, TAKUNAN MARU No. 3, CHITOSE MARU, auxiliary patrol boat HOKOKU MARU No. 3 Go escorting convoy KANA-602 consisting of two unidentified merchant ships.
29 September 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Naha to Kagoshima wih subchaser CH-49, auxiliary patrol boat Chikuto MARU, auxiliary minesweepers SEKI , and HOEI MARUs and SHONAN MARU No. 16 escorting convoy NAKA-908 consisting of four unidentified merchant ships.
26 October 1944:
At 1730, NIIZAKI departs Moji with light cruiser KASHI and kaibokan NOMI and UKURU escorting convoy HI-79 consisting of fleet stores ship MAMIYA, transports KAGU, MELBOURNE and ARIMASAN MARUs and tankers TENEI and MATSUSHIMA MARUs.
27 October 1944:
Kaibokan CD-17 joins the escort.
28 October 1944:
Minesweeper W-21 joins the escort.
29 October 1944:
MELBOURNE MARU is detached for Keelung escorted by kaibokan UKURU and CD-17.
30 October 1944:
HI-79 arrives at Takao. W-21, MAMIYA and KAGU MARU are detached. Tankers KUROSHIO and RYOEI MARUs and kaibokan MANJU join the convoy.
9 November 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
17 November 1944:
NIIZAKI departs Singapore with light cruiser KASHII (F), kaibokan MANJU, UKURU, NOMI, KASADO, MIYAKE, CD-17, CD-23 and CD-51 escorting convoy HI-80 consisting of tankers TENEI, MATSUSHIMA, RYOEI, MUNAKATA, KUROSHIO, NICHINAN and KAIHO MARUs and transport ARIMASAN MARU.
20 November 1944:
CD-17 is detached for Saigon.
24 November 1944:
A Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" heavy bomber attacks the convoy at 16-34N, 108-21E, but is driven off without inflicting damage to the convoy.
27 November 1944:
RYOEI and ARIMASAN MARUs escorted by NIIZAKI are detached for Takao.
22 January 1945:
NIIZAKI departs Moji for Hong Kong with kaibokan AGUNI and CD-17 escorting convoy MOHO-01 consisting of four unidentified merchant ships.
2 February 1945:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
18 February 1945:
NIIZAKI departs Kirun with destroyer KIRI and subchaser CH-21 escorting convoy TAHO-01 consisting of two unidentified merchant ships.
21 February 1945:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
15 August 1945:
NIIZAKI's crew is informed of the cessation of hostilities with the Allies.
September 1945:
Hong Kong. Surrendered to Chinese Forces; thereafter turned over to the British Royal Navy.
4 October 1945:
Off Muroran, Hokkaido. While engaged in minesweeping duties for the Allied Minesweeping Service, NIIZAKI hits a mine and is disabled.
5 October 1945:
Towed to Muroran and laid up. Removed from the Navy List that same day.
1947:
Scrapped.

Author's Notes:
[1] No data were found on NIIZAKI 's movements during 1942 and 1943. Readers with access to any such data are requested to post the information on the Discussion and Questions board or j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message Board

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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