© 2007-2019 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 12
1931:
Free City of Danzig. Completed by F. Schichau, GmbH. [1]
July 1931:
Purchased by the United States War Department for its Bureau of Insular Affairs and put in service as Philippine Islands' customs cruiser ARAYAT and manned by Filipino Merchant Marine Officers [2][3]
12 December 1941:
Manila Harbor. While laying alongside Pier No. 5, ARAYAT is attacked and set afire by aircraft of the Takao and 1st Kokutai.
2 January 1942:
The Japanese occupy Manila. ARAYAT comes under their control.
1942:
Refitted and reconstructed at the No. 103 Repair Facility at Cavite Naval Base.
1 September 1943:
Registered in the Sasebo Naval District as patrol boat PB-105. Assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet's Third Southern Expeditionary Fleet.
15 September 1943:
Repairs are completed.
6 October 1943:
Departs Manila and anchors outside port.
7 October 1943:
Departs Manila and late that day arrives at Olongapo.
8 October 1943:
Departs Olongapo and later that day arrives at Manila.
22 October 1943:
Departs Manila briefly but returns to port soon after.
25 October 1943:
Departs Manila.
27 October 1943:
Arrives back at Manila.
2 November 1943:
Departs Manila escorting stage 1 of H-3 convoy consisting of PANAMA, TOYAMA, TATSUHA MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No.17.
4 November 1943:
Arrives at Cebu.
5 November 1943:
Departs Cebu.
6 November 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
10 November 1943:
Departs Manila escorting convoy H-4 consisting of SHINWA, NARITA, TATSUJU, KOGEN, KIYO and ODATSUKI MARUs and others unknown.
15 November 1943:
Arrives at Kau.
18 November 1943:
At 1000 departs Kau escorting a M convoy (number unknown) consisting of YUBAE, HAMBURG, TEIKAI (ex German FULDA) and NISSHO MARUs and one unidentified merchant ship.
21 November 1943:
Arrives at Zamboanga.
22 November 1943:
Departs Zamboanga.
24 November 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
30 November 1943:
Transfers from Manila to Cavite.
7 December 1943:
Docked at Cavite.
25 December 1943:
Undocked.
28 December 1943:
Transfers to Manila Bay.
30 December 1943:
Transfers to Manila.
31 December 1943:
Transfers to Manila Bay and later that day returns to Manila.
2 January 1944:
At 0600 departs Manila in H convoy (number unknown) consisting of NANKA, JINJU, NISHI (ex British KALGAN), ADEN and KOHOKU MARUs with PB-105 as sole escort.
4 January 1944:
Arrives at Cebu where NISHI MARU is detached.
7 January 1944:
Departs Cebu.
10 January 1944:
Arrives at Davao. Later convoy proceeds to Halmahera Island.
12 January 1944:
Arrives at Kau Bay.
17 January 1944:
At 0800, PB-105 departs Wasile, Halmahera Island with auxiliary subchaser KYO MARU No. 12 escorting convoy M-9 consisting of NISSHU, TAIZAN, SHOGEN, TSUSHIMA, MIKASA and YUSEI MARUs.
21 January 1944:
At 0700, arrives at Cebu.
28 January 1944:
Departs Manila for Wasile escorting convoy H-16 consisting of an unknown number of unidentified ships.
8 February 1944:
Arrives at Wasile Bay.
10 February 1944:
Transfers to nearby Kau Bay.
13 February 1944:
Transfers back from Kau to Wasile.
14 February 1944:
At 1400, PB-105 departs Wasile with minesweeper W-4 escorting convoy convoy M-12 consisting of MIZUHO, FUSO, MITSUKI, KENWA, TONEGAWA, KUROGANE and WALES MARUs.
16 February 1944:
At 0145, KENWA MARU is attacked unsucessfully by a submarine, probably by LtCdr (later Captain) Henry G. Munson's (USNA ’32) USS CREVALLE (SS-291). At 2000, W-4 is detached.
19 February 1944:
Arrives at Cebu.
21 February 1944:
Departs Cebu.
22 February 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
25 February 1944:
Transfers from Manila to Cavite.
17 March 1944:
Departs Cavite on an escort mission.
19 March 1944:
Anchors in Manila Bay.
20 March 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
24 March 1944:
Departs Manila.
25 March 1944:
Arrives back in Manila.
31 March 1944:
At 0358, PB-105 departs Manila for Kau, Halmahera Island with PB-103, auxiliary netlayer KOREI MARU and auxiliary submarine chaser CHa-24 escorting convoy H-23 consisting of BUNZAN, TATSUJU, MIYAURA and TAIYU MARUs.
2 April 1944:
Arrives at Cebu, Philippines. KOREI MARU and CHa-24 are apparently detached.
6 April 1944:
At 0733, departs Cebu. Enroute, the convoy is joined by KURAMASAN and MITO MARUs from Davao.
11 April 1944:
At 1753, arrives at Kau.
12 April 1944:
At 1500, PB-105 departs Kau for Manila with PB-103, auxiliary subchasers YATSUSHIRO MARU and KYO MARU No. 2 escorting convoy M-27 consisting of YAMAGATA, SHOGEN, TETSUYO and SHINYU MARUs and NIKKO MARU No. 1 and Army LST BANRYU (later SS-2).
15 April 1944:
At 2340, LtCdr (later Cdr) Marshall H. Austin's (USNA ’35) USS REDFIN (SS-272) torpedoes and damages SHINYU MARU, but she is able to continue.
16 April 1944:
At 0240, USS REDFIN torpedoes and damages YAMAGATA MARU, transporting about 100 wounded soldiers and 25 other passengers, and later she sinks. 28 passengers and five crewmen are killed.
17 April 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga, Mindanao and departs at 2040 the same day.
21 April 1944:
JAMBI and BUGEN (ex Philippine KOLAMBUGAN) MARUs join the convoy.
22 April 1944:
Arrives at Cebu and departs the same day.
24 April 1944:
Convoy M-27 arrives at Manila.
12 June 1944:
At 0800, PB-105 departs Manila for Wasili, Halmahera Island with PB-103, submarine chaser CH-45 and kaibokan CD-10 escorting convoy H-29 consisting of MACASSAR, JUNPO, YAMAGIKU, FRANCE, KURAMASAN, HIBI and TAIYU MARUs.
17 June 1944:
HIBI MARU is detached for Zamboanga.
23 June 1944:
At 1710, convoy H-29 arrives at Halmahera.
25 June 1944:
At 0550, PB-105 and PB-103 depart Wasili for Manila with kaibokan CD-10 escorting convoy M-25 consisting of MACASSAR, JUNPO, YAMAGIKU, FRANCE and TAIYU MARUs.
28 June 1944:
Moro Gulf, 35 miles E of Zamboanga. At 0712, LtCdr Ian C. Eddy’s (USNA ’30) USS PARGO (SS-264) attacks the convoy. Eddy torpedoes and sinks YAMAGIKU MARU with the loss of three crewmen, and damages CD-10 at 06-50N, 121-30E.
29 June 1944:
At 1550, the convoy departs Zamboanga with KASAGISAN MARU as an additional member.
1 July 1944:
Cebu Sea. FRANCE and TAIYU MARUs are detached. That same day, Reserve Lt Kosaka Minezo is posted CO.
3 July 1944:
The remainder of convoy M-25 arrives at Manila.
19 July 1944:
Departs Manila in convoy H-32 consisting of MIKASA, TAIYU, MIHARA, YAMABUKI, FUSAN, SAIHO, KYOKUZAN, KEIAN, NASUSAN and SHOHO MARUs also escorted by submarine chasers CH-23, CH-31, CH-32 and auxiliary submarine chaser CHa-24.
21 July 1944:
At 1200 arrives at Cebu.
23 July 1944:
At 1830 departs Cebu with ASAHISAN MARU as additional convoy member (possibly PB-105 only joins at this point).
28 July 1944:
At 1440 arrives at Bitoeng, Halmahera Island.
18 August 1944:
PB-105 departs Cebu for Zamboanga with minesweeper W-28 and subchaser CH-46 escorting convoy H-33 consisting of MEXICO, KOKUZAN, HACHIJIN and HAVRE MARUs.
21 August 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga. KOKUZAN and HACHIJIN MARUs are detached. At 0850, the remainder of the convoy departs for Jolo, Philippines joined by subchaser CH-31.
24 August 1944:
Arrives at Jolo.
27 August 1944:
PB-105 departs Jolo for Menado, Celebes with minesweeper W-28, subchasers CH-31 and CH-46 escorting convoy H-33 consisting of MEXICO and HAVRE MARUs.
29 August 1944:
N of Celebes. At 0225, LtCdr Arthur E. Krapf's (USNA ’34) USS JACK (SS-259) makes a radar-assisted surface attack on the convoy. Krapf torpedoes and sinks MEXICO MARU at 02-15N, 122-29E. She takes down 847 men of the almost 4,300 troops including 4,041 Communications Troops of the Army’s 26th Regiment, and crew she was carrying and 1,600-tons of rice, 1,000 cans filled with heavy oil or concentrated sulphuric acid, 103 cans filled with gasoline, 200-tons of coal, 8-tons of yellow gunpowder, 1,000-tons of clothing and 19 motor vehicles. CH-31 rescues 760 men, CH-46 935 men and PB-105 1609 men, a total of 3304 survivors.
At about 0400, Krapf makes another surface attack on the convoy. He fires nine torpedoes by radar bearings of which three hit and sink minesweeper W-28 at 02-15N, 123-29E. No counterattacks are made and USS JACK safely departs the scene.
8 October 1944:
At 0700, PB-105 departs Manila for Miri, Borneo with kaikoban CD-18 and CD-26, subchaser CH-19 and auxiliary subchaser Cha-56 escorting reorganized convoy MI-19 consisting of NITTETSU, SAN LUIS, DAIZEN, HIDA, SAN DIEGO, EIKYO, TOKUWA, SHUNTEN, TATSUBATO, DAISHU and YOSHU MARUs.
9 October 1944:
About 1700, LtCdr Henry D. Sturr’s (USNA ’33) USS BECUNA (SS-319) torpedoes and damages SAN LUIS MARU, but she is able to continue. LtCdr Francis W. Scanland’s (USNA ’34) USS HAWKBILL (SS-366) also torpedoes SAN LUIS MARU about the same time. At 1804, USS BECUNA torpedoes and sinks TOKUWA MARU with the loss of ten crewmen.
10 October 1944:
SHUNTEN MARU and two of the escorts are detached with damaged SAN LUIS MARU and head for Sandakan, Borneo. PB-105 is likely one of these escorts. At 2200 the rest of the convoy arrives at Pagdanan Bay.
11 October 1944:
At 0300 departs Pagdanan Bay.
12 October 1944:
Palawan Passage. LtCdr (later Captain) David H. McClintock’s (USNA ’35) USS DARTER (SS-227) fires four torpedoes at two ships in the convoy, but inflicts no damage. At 1340 arrives at Dalahuan Bay, Balabac Island.
13 October 1944:
At 0600 departs Dalahuan Bay.
14 October 1944:
At 0208, LtCdr (later Captain) Bladen D. Claggett’s (USNA ’35) USS DACE (SS-247) torpedoes and sinks NITTETSU MARU with 12 crewmen KIA and damages DAIZEN and EIKYO MARUs. At 0630 the convoy arrives at Kimanis and departs at 1130. Later that day arrives at Brunei Bay.
15 October 1944:
Departs Brunei Bay and at 1530 arrives at Labuan.
16 October 1944:
At 1300 departs Labuan and at 1900 arrives at Victoria.
17 October 1944:
At 0630 departs Victoria and at 1700 arrives at Miri.
25 October 1944:
PB-105 departs Miri with kaibokan CD-18 and CD-26 escorting a convoy consisting of MYOGI, HEIAN, MIKASA and TEIYU (ex Italian CARIGNANO) MARUs.
2 November 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
27 November 1944:
Before noon, PB-105 departs Manila for Ormoc with subchasers CH-45 and CH-53 escorting convoy TA No. 6 consisting of SHINSHO MARU and SHINETSU MARU.
28 November 1944:
Ormoc Bay, Leyte. At about 1900, TA No. 6 arrives and begins unloading. PB-105 is dispatched to guard the bay against any possible intruders during the unloading.
About midnight, American PT-boats PT-127 and PT-331 enter the bay and are engaged by the IJN escorts. Each PT-boat launches four torpedoes some of which hit and sink subchaser CH-53 at 10-59N, 124-33E.
PB-105 is hit, but Lt Kosaka manages to run her aground in shallow water. She is then abandoned by her crew. Ten days later, the hulk is captured by the Americans. [4]
10 January 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors Notes:
[1] The Free City of Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland) was an autonomous city-state established after WW1 on 10 January 1920 in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles.
[2] Some sources claim that PB-105 was the ex-ARAYAT (former Spanish gunboat ARAYAT). However, after researching wartime documents related to the capture of ARAYAT, the Japanese naval historian Tamura Toshio has discovered that her displacement was more consistent with that of the Philippine customs cruiser.
[3] According to a Coast Guard historian, the Coast Guard was then under the Bureau of Customs. USS ARAYAT was manned by Filipino Merchant Marine officers who were also reserve officers of the Philippine Army's off shore patrol.
[4] One source states that PB-105 was later used by the Americans as a PT-boat tender, but this has not been confirmed.
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler, of Germany and to Phillippine Coast Guard LtCdr Mark Condeno, the late John Whitman of USA, Matthew Jones of Mississippi, USA and to Gilbert Casse of France.
Photo credit goes to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.
Back to
Patrol Boat Page
