© 2006-2015 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
Revision 4
24 May 1944:
Tokyo. Laid down at the Uraga Dock Co. shipyard as kaibokan No. 338.
1 September 1944:
Renamed SHINNAN and provisionally attached to Sasebo Naval District.
5 September 1944:
Launched.
15 September 1944:
Reserve LtCdr Ikeda Go is posted Chief Equipping Officer.
21 October 1944:
Completed and attached to Sasebo Naval District. LtCdr Ikeda Go is the Commanding Officer. Assigned to the Kure Guard Unit for workup and training.
26 November 1944:
Reassigned to the General Escort Command’s First Surface Escort Division.
30 November 1944:
At 0900, SHINNAN departs Moji with destroyer ASAGAO, kaibokan IKUNA, KANJU, CD-41, CD-66, sub-chaser CH-28 and auxiliary sub-chaser CHa-223 escorting convoy MI-29 consisting of CLYDE, BRAZIL, AKISHIMA, MEIRYU, HAWAII, ENOURA, DAII, SHINYU, AKIKAWA and KAZUURA MARUs, HOSHI MARU No. 11 (JUICHISEI MARU) and KONAN MARU No. 1 and tankers ENGEN, ENCHO and ENKEI MARUs.
2 December 1944:
LtCdr (later Captain-Ret) Ralph C. Styles' (USNA ’33) USS SEA DEVIL (SS-400) torpedoes and sinks HAWAII and AKIKAWA MARUs at 30-24N 128-17E. HAWAII MARU is carrying 60small boats, 50 motor vehicles and 1843 troops of 23rd Army Division and all 1843 troops together with 60 others, 83 gunners, and 148 crewmen are killed. There are no survivors documented. KONAN MARU No. 1 rescues survivors from AKIKAWA MARU. 249 troops, 7 Armed Escort 18 crewmen are however MIA.
The convoy formation breaks up. BRAZIL MARU goes to Keelung, DAII MARU and three others go to Koniya, Amami-Oshima. CLYDE MARU and HOSHI MARU No. 11 (JUICHISEI MARU) go to Takao with IKUNA. Later, the Koniya ships rejoin at Takao, but at this point the convoy is officially dissolved.
3 January 1945:
At 2000 departs Takao because of the threat of an air-raid.
5 January 1945:
At 1000 arrives at Amoy.
6 January 1945:
At 0750 departs Amoy with YAKU and destroyer ASAGAO escorting convoy TAA-01 consisting of nine unidentified merchant ships bound for Takao.
7 January 1945:
At 1223 SHINNAN arrives at Saei.
9 January 1945:
At 0857 departs Saei on an anti submarine sweep returning to port at 1915.
10 January 1945:
At 1600 SHINNAN departs Saei for Mako with kaibokan YASHIRO, MIYAKE, KANJU, KURAHASHI, NOMI, CD-13, CD-41, CD-60, CD-205, and destroyer SHIGURE escorting convoy HI-87 from Takao consisting of fleet tanker KAMOI and tankers SARAWAK, TENEI, HASHIDATE, MATSUSHIMA and MITSUSHIMA MARUs. At 1830, MITSUSHIMA MARU suffers an engine breakdown and returns to Takao.
12 January 1945:
At 0600, TENEI MARU's steering breaks down and she is escorted by CD-60 to Hong Kong. Soon after, the rest of the convoy, advised of a pending air raid on Mako, turns about and heads for Hong Kong.
13 January 1945:
At 1217, enters Hong Kong port.
14 January 1945:
At 1926 SHINNAN transfers to nearby Junk Bay.
15 January 1945:
At 0847 returns to Hong Kong harbout. At 0915, an air raid warning sounds and carrier aircraft begin attacks. Bomb and machine gun attacks harry the ships all day, but they escape major damage.
16 January 1945:
Hong Kong. The air attacks continue from 0820 to 1830. KAMOI, TENEI and MATSUSHIMA MARUs suffer direct hits. SHINNAN, kaibokan NOMI and CD-60 are lightly damaged. 2 crewmen are killed and 18 wounded (1 severely) on SHINNAN. The Japanese claim 22 aircraft shot down.
20 January 1945:
At 1925 SHINNAN departs Hong Kong with KURAHASHI escorting convoy HI-87B likely consisting only of oiler HASHIDATE MARU.
21 January 1945:
At 1613 arrives off the southern part of the Hainan Island coast and shelters there.
22 January 1945:
At 1923 departs Hainan Island area with KURAHASHI and probably HASHIDATE MARU.
24 January 1945:
At 0940 arrives back at Hong Kong.
25 January 1945:
At 1006 docked at Hong Kong for repairs.
29 January 1945:
At 1100 undocked and at 1755 departs Hong Kong.
31 January 1945:
At 1508 arrives at Kirun.
2 February 1945:
At 0642 SHINNAN departs Kirun (Keelung) with auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN MARU, kaibokan KURAHASHI, CD-22 and subchaser CH-19 and CH-58 escorting convoy TAMO-40 consisting of MASASHIMA MARU and three unidentified merchant ships.
5 February 1945:
At 1737 arrives at Taichou (Taizhou) Island Group and anchors.
6 February 1945:
At 0625 departs Taichou Island anchorage. At 1517 arrives at Liu Heng Tao.
7 February 1945:
At 0533 departs Liu Heng Tao. At 1820 arrives at the Ssu Chiao Shan anchorage.
8 February 1945:
At 0500 departs the Ssu Chiao Shan anchorage.
12 February 1945:
At 1746 arrives at Moji.
13 February 1945:
At 0637 SHINNAN departs Mutsure and at 1558 arrives at Sasebo.
16 February 1945:
At 1056 docked at Dock No.2, Sasebo Naval yard. Remains there for the rest of the month.
4 March 1945:
At 1036 undocked.
5 March 1945:
At 1138 departs Sasebo and at 1749 returns to Sasebo.
6 March 1945:
At 0600 departs Sasebo. At 1650 arrives at Hikoshima opposite Moji. Leaves to assist inbound HI-88F convoy.
8 March 1945:
At 0600 meets up with HI-88F convoy consisting of FUKUEI and SAKAE MARUs and departs Tsushima with kaibokan KURAHASHI, NOMI and CD-60 and at 1500 arrives at Mutsure. At 1716 transfers to Moji.
11 March 1945:
At 1710 departs Moji and at 1812 arrives off Mutsure.
12 March 1945:
At 0730 departs Mutsure.
13 March 1945:
At 0306 arrives at Maizuru.
15 March 1945:
At 0630 departs Maizuru
17 March 1945:
At 1910 arrives at Liu Heng Shan.
18 March 1945:
Tanker MITSUSHIMA MARU, formerly a part of convoy HI-96, departs Hong Kong hugging the coast. At 0655 SHINNAN departs Liu Heng Shan to meet convoy.
19 March 1945:
SHINNAN is damaged by aircraft at 33-47N, 131-35E.
21 March 1945:
At 1900 anchors east of Chiu Shan Liehtao.
22 March 1945:
Amoy Sea. At 0100, while SHINNAN and kaibokan UKU are escorting cargo ship AKISHIMA MARU they join the “Mitsushima Maru” convoy consisting of tanker MITSUSHIMA MARU escorted by kaibokan MIKURA and CD-33. At 1100 arrive at Ssu Chiao Shan.
23 March 1945:
At 0950 depart Ssu Chiao Shan.
26 March 1945:
At 1936 arrives at Mutsure.
27 March 1945:
At 0600, departs Mutsure and soon after arrives at Moji.
3 April 1945:
Meets with kaibokan KANJU and proceeds to Keichi, Tsushima.
6 April 1945:
The 2A cargo ship YAMAJI MARU reports a torpedo attack. KANJU joins up with SHINNAN and patrols the Tsushima Straits area.
11 April 1945:
After an attack by an enemy submarine on IKUNA, which with CD-72, is patrolling P Section of Tsushima Straits area, SHINNAN and KANJU are ordered to provide assistance.
16 April 1945:
At 1755 departs Azuchi-Ura with kaibokan KANJU on an anti submarine sweep.
20 April 1945:
At 1800 departs Azuchi-Ura with KANJU on an anti submarine sweep.
29 April 1945:
At 1800 SHINNAN and CD-72 depart Imari Wan.
4 May 1945:
At 1800 departs Azuchi-Ura on an anti submarine sweep with KANJU.
15 August 1945:
Sasebo. SHINNAN’s crew receives notice of the termination of the war.
30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
1 December 1945:
Assigned to mine sweeping duties by the Allied Occupation Forces.
20 July 1946:
Designated a minesweeper tender.
1 November 1947:
Released as a minesweeper tender.
26 December 1947:
Transferred to the Marine Transportation Bureau. Assigned as a Central Meteorological Observatory weather survey ship. Renamed SHINNAN MARU. Participates in summer season typhoon patrols with former kaibokans CHIKUBU, IKUNA and UKURU.
1 January 1949:
Transferred to the Maritime Safety Agency. Reclassified a patrol boat and renamed TSUGARU.
3 June 1966:
Discarded.
1967:
Remodelled at Hitachi Zosen Co., Ltd., as an accommodation ship.
October 1967:
Transferred to the Petroleum Development Public Corporation for support of development operations in Borneo.
1975:
Scrapped.
Authors' Note:
Thanks for assistance go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro and Mr. Aki of Japan and to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France. Thanks also go to Matthew Jones of Ohio for help in identifying kaibokan COs.
-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall
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