YUSOSEN!
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(USS SARAH THOMPSON AO-8, later SANRAKU MARU)
IJN SANRAKU MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2010-2012 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
E 1887:
Newcastle, England. Laid down at William Armstrong, Mitchell & Co.'s shipyard as a 2,691 gross register ton civilian oil tanker for the German firm of Wilhelm Riedemann & Albert Nic. Schütte & Sohn, importers of
Standard Oil products in Germany.
August 1888:
Launched and named GUT HEIL.
17 November 1888:
Completed.
11 June 1890:
Ownership transfers to Deutsch-Amerikanische Petroleum Gesellschaft (German/American Oil Co.).
28 April 1901:
Ships is placed for sale.
22 May 1906:
Port of registry is changed to Hamburg.
1912:
Sold to an unknown American firm.
28 April 1914:
Mississippi River. GUT HEIL is in a collision with oil
tanker WILKOMMEN and steamer BULYSSES and sinks.
1917:
Sold. Raised and refurbished for further use.
8 August 1918:
New Orleans, Louisiana. While undergoing repairs, GUT
HEIL is purchased by the U.S. Navy from the New York firm of J. W. Thompson.
17 September 1918:
Commissioned as USS SARA THOMPSON (at the request
of former owner J. W. Thompson). Assigned USN hull No. 3148. Attached to the
Naval Overseas Transportation Service. Painted in “Dazzle” pattern camouflage.
Carries oil from Gulf Coast to ports on the Atlantic Coast and to Bermuda and Ponta Delgada, Azores.
November 1918: World War I Ends:
An Armistice is declared.
1918:-1919:
Continues to carry oil from Gulf Coast to ports on the Atlantic Coast and to Bermuda and Ponta Delgada, Azores.
4 March 1919:
SARA THOMPSON is anchored at Ponta Delgada as a station tanker.
7 September 1919:
SARA THOMPSON departs Ponta Delgada on a two-month
voyage to the Philippine Islands by way of Gibraltar the Suez Canal and Colombo, Ceylon.
9 November 1919:
Arrives at Manila. Thereafter, attached to U.S.
Asiatic Fleet at Cavite Navy Yard as a fuel storage vessel.
April 1920:
Arrives at Apra Harbour, Guam carrying oil. Operates with the U.S. Navy 13th Destroyer Squadron.
17 July 1920:
Redesignated USN oiler, AO-8.
December 1921:
SARA THOMPSON’s worn-out machinery restricts her to reduced commission status at Cavite.
1922-1930:
Laid up at Cavite. Storage ship for fuel oil.
January 1930:
Redesignated as a receiving ship.
21 July 1933:
Decommissioned.
9 August 1934:
Sold for scrap to Alberto Barrette. Renamed SARANGANI and used again as a U.S. Navy bunker ship.
1942:
Philippines. Scuttled to avoid capture..
6 May 1942:
Renamed SANRAKU MARU.
30 September 1942:
Refloated by the Japanese.
December 1942:
Repairs are completed.
1 January 1943:
Registered as an auxiliarytransport ship (oiler) in the Sasebo Naval District.
19 January 1943:
Cavite. The IJN’s 103rd Repair Unit begins
converting SANRAKU MARU to an oiler.
3 February 1943:
The conversion is completed. Thereafter, operation
and management of the ship is taken over by the Osaka Shosen Kaisha (OSK) Line.
1 March 1943:
Cavite. Enters dock for repairs.
5 May 1943:
Repairs are completed.
7 May 1943:
SANRAKU MARU departs Manila in convoy No. 914 consisting
of three unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer SANAE.
11 May 1943:
SANAE is detached at 03-00S.
12 May 1943:
The convoy arrives at Tarakan. SANRAKU MARU is detached.
Probably takes on fuel oil.
15 May 1943:
Departs Tarakan.
21 May 1943:
Arrives at Manila. Probably unloads fuel and/or refuels fleet units.
23 May 1943:
Departs Manila.
29 May 1943:
Arrives at Tarakan. Probably takes on fuel oil.
1 June 1943:
At 1200, SANRAKU MARU departs Tarakan in a convoy
consisting of tankers KYOEI and SHONAN MARU's escorted by auxilary gunboat BUSHO MARU.
3 June 1943:
At 1600, auxiliary gunboat BUSHO MARU is detached and auxiliary gunboat KISO MARU joins as relief escort.
5 June 1943:
At 1830, arrives at Manila. Probably unloads fuel and/or refuels fleet units.
7 June 1943:
Arrives at Cañacao Bay.
13 June 1943:
Departs Manila.
15 June 1943:
Near Cape Lovieanne, Borneo. LtCdr (later KIA) Albert H. Clark’s (USNA '33) USS TROUT (SS-202) torpedoes and sinks SANRAKU MARU at 04-58N, 119-37E.
1 August 1943:
Removed from the Navy List.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
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