YUSOSEN!
(Prewar Royal Dutch Shell tanker GENOTA later IJN OSE)
IJN OSE:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2006-2014: Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Revision 2
1934:
Hamburg, Germany. Laid down at Deutsche Werft A.G. Bet Finkenwerder for the Dutch La Corona
(trading name of Royal Dutch Shell) of the Hague.
April 1935:
Launched and named GENOTA.
1935:
Completed.
1 September 1939:
Nazi Germany invades Poland. WWII begins. The Netherlands declares neutrality.
1935-May 1940:
GENOTA spends her entire prewar career in voyages between Europe and the Netherland East Indies.
10 May 1940:
Nazi Germany invades the neutral Netherlands.
15 May 1940:
Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch government flee to London, England. The Netherlands surrenders.
1940:
GENOTA is requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport.
30 April 1942:
Australia. Captain J. In't Veld's Royal Dutch Shell tanker GENOTA departs Geraldton in ballast for Abadan, Iran.
9 May 1942:
Indian Ocean. 480 miles SSE of Diego Suarez, Madagascar. GENOTA is intercepted and captured by IJN armed merchant cruisers AIKOKU and HOKOKU MARUs at 17-40S, 76-20E. GENOTA’s crew is ordered to stop and make no radio signals. A prize crew and 30 armed Special Naval Landing Force troops are put aboard. GENOTA is diverted to Singapore, Malaya.
30 May 1942:
GENOTA arrives at Tarakan, Borneo. She loads 5,800 tons of oil and departs for Yokohama.
11 July 1942:
GENOTA’s Royal Dutch Shell crew is transferred to an internment camp in Formosa. Later, the Dutch crew is transferred to an internment camp in Fukuoka, Japan.
20 July 1942:
GENOTA completes conversion to a fleet oiler and is renamed OSE.
15 August 1942:
OSE arrives at Yokosuka. Undergoes tests.
5 October 1942:
OSE is registered in the IJN.
7 November 1942:
Arrives at Shanghai carrying 13,500-tons of fuel oil.
11 January 1943:
Yokosuka. OSE collides with escort carrier UNYO.
21 February 1943:
Off Ooagari Jima (Daito Islands). At about 2300, LtCdr Eugene T. Sands’ (USNA ’30) USS SAWFISH (SS-276) torpedoes and lightly damages OSE at 29-29N, 132-48E.
March 1943:
Undergoes repairs at an unknown location.
22 June 1943:
OSE departs Yawata, Kyushu for Takao, Formosa in convoy No. 169 consisting of SEISHIN, KINREI, NASUSAN, HOKUAN and RYUOSAN MARUs escorted by torpedo boat HAYABUSA and patrol boat PB-38.
24 June 1943:
W of Amami O-shima, Ryukuyus. At 1124, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Charles O. Triebel’s (USNA ’29) USS SNOOK (SS-279) torpedoes and damages OSE severely at 28-50N, 126-56E.
27 June 1943:
Arrives at Takao. Undergoes temporary repairs.
8 July 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo.
July-November 1943:
Undergoes battle damage repairs.
5 December 1943:
OSE departs Moji for Singapore escorting the second echelon of convoy HI-23 consisting of tankers ITSUKUSHIMA, TATEKAWA and BOKUEI MARUs with fleet oiler SUNOSAKI.
7 December 1943:
OSE departs Takao, Formosa in convoy HI-23 also consisting of Navy oilers TAKASAKI and SUNOSAKI, cargo passenger ships NOSHIRO and AKI MARUs and fleet tankers OMUROSAN, ICHIU, ITSUKUSHIMA, TATEKAWA, RYUEI and BOKUEI MARUs escorted by destroyer NAMIKAZE and kaibokan KANJU.
10 December 1943:
Arrives at St. Jacques, Indochina.
17 December 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
30 December 1943:
OSE departs Singapore as designated escort of a convoy (possibly designated T convoy) also consisting of TATSUHARU MARU and tankers NAMPO, NICHIRIN and NICHINAN MARUs.
3 January 1944:
At 0210 in 08-10N 112-43E while sailing line astern with OSE leading, the convoy is attacked by an unidentified submarine with two torpedoes missing the fourth ship in the line.
8 January 1944:
Arrives at Takao.
10 January 1944:
The same ships leave Takao as Special Convoy T still escorted by OSE.
15 January 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
16 January 1944:
Arrives at Tokuyama Naval Fuel Depot. Refuels and departs that same day.
21 January 1944:
Arrives at Tokuyama Naval Fuel Depot. Refuels and departs that same day.
11 February 1944:
At 1600, departs Moji in convoy HI-43, also consisting of cargo passenger ship (A/C-APK) ORYOKU MARU, MANEI MARUs and EIYO MARU No. 2 and two unidentified MARUs escorted by kaibokan TSUSHIMA.
16 February 1944:
At 1100, arrives at Kirun (Keelung), Formosa.
18 February 1944:
At 1000, departs Kirun.
23 February 1944:
At 1730, arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.
29 February 1944:
At 0900, departs Camranh Bay.
3 March 1944:
At 1700, arrives at Singapore.
March 1944:
Departs Singapore for Palau.
9 March 1944:
OSE departs Palau in a convoy with Navy oiler IRO escorted by CruDiv 5's MYOKO and HAGURO and destroyer SHIRATSUYU.
15 March 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan, Borneo. Takes on a cargo of fuel oil.
March 1944:
OSE departs Singapore in a convoy consisting of tankers AMATSU, ASASHIO and YUHO MARUs with an unidentified escort.
24 March 1944:
Arrives at Palau.
30 March 1944: American Operation “Desecrate One” :
Palau, Carolines. The anchorage is attacked by F6F "Hellcats", SBD "Dauntless", TBF "Avenger" and SB2C "Helldiver" carrier aircraft from Task Group 58. 1's USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6), USS BELLEAU WOOD (CVL-24) and USS COWPENS (CVL-25), TG 58. 2's USS BUNKER HILL (CV-17), USS HORNET (CV-12), USS MONTEREY (CVL-26) and USS CABOT (CVL-28) and TG 58. 3's USS YORKTOWN (CV-10), USS LEXINGTON (CV-16), USS PRINCETON (CVL-23) and USS LANGLEY (CVL-27).
Urukhapel Island, Malakai Harbor, Palaus. At 1215, TBFs from USS YORKTOWN hit OSE with two of eight 500-lb. bombs. At 1730, an SBD from USS ENTERPRISE scores a hit on OSE with a 1,000-lb. bomb. Despite the heavy damage inflicted by the three bombs, burning OSE remains afloat.
31 March 1944:
At about 1200, TBFs from USS YORKTOWN attack OSE again and score two probable hits with 500-lb. bombs. Later, OSE floods, heels over to starboard and sinks in shallow water. Casualties are unknown. In all, Operation Desecrate One accounts for 36 Japanese vessels sunk or damaged.
10 May 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Postwar:
Scrapped in place by the Fujita Salvage K. K., of Osaka.
Authors' Note:
[1] See TROMS of AIKOKU and HOKOKU MARUs at Tokusetsu Junyokan!
Thanks to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
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