ZATSUYOSEN!
(OGASHIMA MARU prewar)
IJN OGASHIMA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2013-2017 Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
28 January 1936:
Yokohama. Laid down by Yokohama Dock K.K shipyard for Nagakawa Kisen K.K. as a 1,397-ton cargo ship.
16 July 1936:
Launched and named OGASHIMA MARU.
31 August 1936:
Completed and registered in Funagawaminato, Akita Prefecture. Her Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) and Net Registered Tonnage (NRT) respectively are 1,397-tons and 891-tons. [1]
1937:
Her GRT and NRT are respectively changed to 1,424-tons and 918-tons.
1 December 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
6 December 1941:
Registered in the IJN as an auxiliary transport attached to the Yokosuka Naval District with Yokosuka as home port under Navy instruction No. 1601.
December 1941:
Tactically assigned to Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Inoue Shigeyoshi’s (37) 4th Fleet Supply Unit as an auxiliary transport (Otsu) category, also consisting of auxiliary water tankers TATEYAMA MARU and AMAKASU MARU No. 1, auxiliary oiler KAIJO MARU No. 2 GO and auxiliary storeships CHICHIBU, CHIYO, HARUNA and HOKKAI MARUs. [1]
17 December 1941:
Yokohama. Completes her conversion to military duty at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries K.K. shipyard. Departs later for Yokosuka.
E 18 December 1941:
Loads 250 mines, torpedoes and spare parts.
19 December 1941:
Departs Yokosuka for the Marshalls area.
March 1942:
Tactically assigned to the Marshalls area supply unit under Navy’s Instruction No. 18.
2 March 1942:
Departs Taroa, Marshalls.
3 March 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein, Marshalls.
8 March 1942:
Departs Kwajalein.
9 March 1942:
Arrives at Emiedj, Marshalls and departs later that day.
11 March 1942:
Arrives at Mili, Marshalls.
13 March 1942:
Departs Mili.
14 March 1942:
Arrives at Jaluit, Marshalls.
16 March 1942:
Departs Jaluit.
17 March 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
25 March 1942:
Departs Kwajalein.
27 March 1942:
Arrives at Taroa.
30 March 1942:
Departs Taroa.
31 March 1942:
Arrives at Roi-Namur, Marshalls.
3 April 1942:
Supplied with 30-tons of fresh water and other sundries by small freighter HISASHI MARU No. 2.
16 April 1942:
Departs Roi-Namur.
E April-May 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama. Departs later.
May 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
27 May 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
7 June 1942:
Arrives at Wake (renamed Otori Island after its capture). Departs later that day.
11 June 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
16 June 1942:
Departs Kwajalein.
17 June 1942:
Calls at Jabot, Marshalls and arrives later in the day at Emiedj.
23 June 1942:
Departs Emiedj.
24 June 1942:
Arrives at Taroa.
27 June 1942:
Departs Taroa.
28 June 1942:
Arrives at Wotje, Marshalls.
30 June 1942:
Departs Wotje.
1 July 1942:
Arrives at Roi-Namur.
3 July 1942:
Departs Roi-Namur and arrives at Kwajalein later that day.
4 July 1942:
Departs Kwajalein.
8 July 1942:
Arrives at Wake.
9 July 1942:
Departs Wake.
12 July 1942:
Arrives at Rongelap, Marshalls.
July 1942:
Stranded. Later refloated.
29 July 1942:
Departs Rongelap.
30 July 1942:
Arrives at Roi, then Kwajalein.
2 August 1942:
Departs Kwajalein.
14 August 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka. Departs later for Yokohama.
September ~ 4 November 1942:
At Yokohama. Docks at Asano Dock shipyard for maintenance and repairs.
5 November 1942:
Departs Yokohama and arrives at Tokyo later that same day.
8 November 1942:
Departs Tokyo and arrives at Yokosuka later in the day.
10 November 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
20 November 1942:
Arrives at Wake.
22 November 1942:
Departs Wake.
25 November 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
6 December 1942:
Departs Kwajalein.
7 December 1942:
Arrives at Jaluit.
8 December 1942:
Departs Jaluit.
9 December 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
15 December 1942:
Departs Kwajalein.
18 December 1942:
Arrives at Tarawa, Gilberts.
23 December 1942:
Departs Tarawa.
24 December 1942:
Arrives at Makin, Gilberts.
25 December 1942:
Departs Makin.
27 December 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
30 December 1942:
Departs Kwajalein for Japan.
12 January 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
18 January 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
30 January 1943:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
26 February 1943:
Departs Kwajalein.
28 February 1943:
Arrives at Mili. Departs later.
1 March 1943:
Arrives back at Mili.
7 March 1943:
Departs Mili and met and escorted by auxiliary submarine chaser KYO MARU No. 6.
8 March 1943:
Arrives at Jaluit.
12 March 1943:
Departs Jaluit and arrives at Kwajalein later in the day.
7 April 1943:
Departs Kwajalein and arrives at Roi-Namur later that day.
8 April 1943:
Departs Roi-Namur and arrives at Kwajalein later in the day.
10 April 1943:
Departs Kwajalein and returns back arriving later in the day.
28 April 1943:
At 1300, departs Kwajalein.
29 April 1943:
At 0800, arrives at Wotje.
1 May 1943:
Departs Wotje and arrives at Taroa later that same day.
4 May 1943:
Departs Taroa.
5 May 1943:
Arrives at Mili.
10 May 1943:
Departs Mili.
11 May 1943:
Arrives at Jaluit.
13 May 1943:
Departs Jaluit.
15 May 1943:
Arrives at Kusai, Eastern Carolines.
29 May 1943:
At 1000 departs Emidj escorted by auxiliary submarine chaser KYO MARU No. 6.
31 May 1943:
At 0520 arrives at Kusai (Kusiae).
1 June 1943:
At 0800 departs Kusai escorted by auxiliary submarine chaser KYO MARU No. 6.
3 June 1943:
At 0600 arrives at Kwajalein.
7 June 1943:
Departs Kwajalein and arrives at Roi-Namur later that day.
8 June 1943:
Departs Roi-Namur and arrives at Kwajalein later in the day.
June 1943:
Departs Kwajalein.
12 June 1943:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
4 July 1943:
Departs Kwajalein.
21 July 1943:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
4 August 1943:
Departs Kwajalein.
5 August 1943:
Arrives at Wotje.
6 August 1943:
Departs Wotje.
7 August 1943:
Arrives at Taroa.
9 August 1943:
Departs Taroa.
10 August 1943:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
21 August 1943:
At 0930, departs Kwajalein escorted by auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 3 and an unknown auxiliary SHONAN MARU No. ? (probably SHONAN MARU No. 11 given these regularly sailed together).
24 August 1943:
Arrives at Makin.
27 August 1943:
Departs Makin still with the same escorts.
30 August 1943:
Arrives at Jaluit.
1 September 1943:
Departs Jaluit.
2 September 1943:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
6 September 1943:
Departs Kwajalein escorted by auxiliary subchasers SHONAN MARU No. 3 and SHONAN MARU No. 11. The ships sail at six knots.
8 September 1943:
Arrives at Taroa.
14 September 1943:
Departs Taroa escorted by auxiliary subchasers SHONAN MARU No. 11 and CHa-14.
15 September 1943:
At 1330, arrives at Kwajalein.
17 September 1943:
Departs Kwajalein and arrives at Roi-Namur later that day.
20 September 1943:
Departs Roi-Namur and arrives at Kwajalein later in the day.
21 September 1943:
Departs Kwajalein.
25 September 1943:
Arrives at Nauru. Departs later.
October 1943:
Tactically assigned to the Marshalls area defense forces, general unit under Navy’s Instruction No. 10.
1 October 1943:
Departs Tarawa.
3 October 1943:
Arrives at Mili. Departs later that day.
4 October 1943:
Arrives at Jaluit.
7 October 1943:
Departs Jaluit.
8 October 1943:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
19 October 1943:
Departs Kwajalein.
20 October 1943:
At 1030, arrives at Maleolap, Marshalls.
26 October 1943:
Departs Maleolap.
28 October 1943:
Arrives at Roi-Namur.
31 October 1943:
Departs Roi-Namur and arrives at Kwajalein later that day.
4 November 1943:
Departs Kwajalein for Jaluit with auxiliary netlayer KOTOBUKI MARU No. 3, auxiliary subchaser CHa-18 and auxiliary minesweeper SHOWA MARU No. 8 bound for Kusai, Carolines.
5 November 1943:
Arrives at Jaluit escorted by auxiliary netlayer KOTOBUKI MARU No. 3, auxiliary subchaser CHa-18 and auxiliary minesweeper SHOWA MARU No. 8.
7 November 1943:
At 0830, departs Jaluit escorted by auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 3 and auxiliary minesweeper SHOWA MARU No. 8. The ships sail at 8 knots.
9 November 1943:
At 1200, arrives at Kusai.
15 December 1943:
At 1000, departs Kusai escorted by auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 3 and auxiliary minesweeper SHOWA MARU No. 8. The ships sail at 8 knots.
17 December 1943:
At 1000, scheduled to arrive at Kwajalein.
6 January 1944:
Transfers from Roi to Kwajalein.
10 January 1943:
Transfers from Kwajalein to Roi with auxiliary sailboat NICHINAN MARU No. 51.
17 January 1944:
At 1740, arrives at Maleolap escorted by auxiliary subchaser CHa-49.
20 January 1944:
Departs Maleolap for Yap, Carolines. Later in the day, about 80 nautical miles SW of Yap, OGASHIMA MARU is bombed and sunk by USAAF North American B-25 “Mitchell” aircraft at 08-07N, 137-38E with the loss of 30 of her crew. [3]
10 March 1944:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 427.
Authors Notes:
[1] NRT is a ship's cargo volume capacity expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3). It is calculated by subtracting non-revenue-earning spaces i.e. spaces not available for carrying cargo, for example engine rooms, fuel tanks and crew quarters, from the ship's gross register tonnage (GRT). Net register tonnage (NRT) is not a measure of the weight of the ship or its cargo, and should not be confused with terms such as deadweight tonnage or displacement.
[2] There were two categories of Zatsuyosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
[3] Sources conflict on the fate of OGASHIMA MARU. One western source gives the 20 Jan ‘44 location at Namu Atoll, Marshalls, 08-07N, 168-00, but the same and other sources also claim that on 24 Jan ’44, USN PB4Ys (B-24s) damaged OGASHIMA MARU south of Kwajalein, 08-14N, 168-02´E. Deemed beyond salvage, OGASHIMA MARU was scuttled by auxiliary minesweeper TAMA MARU No. 5.Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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