RIKUGUN YUSOSEN
(Sister DAIFUKU MARU No. 1, prewar)
OREGON MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2013-2016 Bob Hackett
Revision 3
1 April 1920:
Kobe. Laid down at Kawasaki Zosensho, K. K. as yard No. 501, a
5,873-ton passenger-cargo ship.
17 June 1920:
Launched and named OREGON MARU.
16 August 1920:
Completed.
1920-1934:
The worldeide economic shipping climate is depressed.
OREGON MARU remains unsold and probably is laid up.
1 December 1934:
Kobe. Sold to Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line).
March 1936:
In service on “K” Line‘s Central and South America West
Coast route.
July 1937:
The Second Sino-Japanese War begins.
1937:
Chartered by the Imperial Army (IJA).
17 November 1937:
OREGON MARU departs Ujina:
18 November 1937:
Arrives at Moji and departs to transport wounded back to the homeland.
22 November 1937:
Arrives at Jinshan.
25 November 1937:
-Departs Jinshan
26 November 1937:
Arrives at Shanghai:
27 November 1937:
Departs Shanghai:
30 November 1937:
Arrives at Moji and departs.
1 December 1937:
Arrives at Ujina.
2 December 1937:
OREGON MARU departs Ujina and arrives at Moji and departs to transport wounded.
6 December 1937:
Arrives at Shanghai.
9 December 1937:
Departs Shanghai.
12 December 1937:
Arrives at Moji and departs.
13 December 1937:
Arrives at Ujina.
16 December 1937:
Departs Ujina:
17 December 1937:
Arrives at Moji and departs.
20 December 1937:
Arrives at Shanghai:
22 December 1937:
Departs Shanghai:
26 December 1937:
Arrives at Ujina:.
2 October 1941:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army (IJA) as an Army Auxiliary Repair (Salvage) Ship. Allotted IJA No. 186.
13 December 1941 - Operation “E” – The Invasion of Malaya:
At 0830, OREGON MARU departs Camranh Bay in the Transportation Movement's 3rd Unit with
KUNITAMA, OHIO, SUMATRA and YAWATA MARUs. The Movement carries the main body of the IJA 5th Infantry Division.
16 December 1941:
At 1900, arrives at Singora, Siam (now Songhkla,
Thailand).
16 November 1942:
OREGON MARU departs Mako, Pescadores for Manila in
convoy No. 726 also consisting of BUYO and TEIKON MARU (ex-German WINNETOU)
MARUs escorted by destroyer KARUKAYA.
18 November 1942:
South China Sea. About 36 miles W of Olongapo,
Philippines. At 0028, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Eugene B. McKinney’s (USNA ’27)
USS SALMON (SS-182) fires two Mark 14-3A torpedoes and hits OREGON MARU in the
stern. At about 0030, she sinks at 14-50N, 119-45E. 530 men including 74 crewmen
and 7 gunners are KIA. Later that day, the remainder of the convoy arrives at
Manila.
Author's Note:
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.
No data were found for OREGON MARU's movements from Dec '41 to Nov '42, nor data as to when she reverted to a transport. 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
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to IJA Transports
