ZATSUYOSEN!
(SHINRYU MARU by Ueda Kihachiro)
IJN SHINRYU MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2013 Gilbert Casse, Bob
Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
September 1936:
Innoshima. Laid down by Osaka Ironworks K.K. shipyard for Naigai Kisen K.K., as a 4,935-tons cargo ship.
March 1937:
Launched and named SHINRYU MARU. [1]
18 May 1937:
Completed and registered in Kobe. Her Net Registered Tonnage (NRT) is 2,937-tons. [2]
1937:
Requisitioned by the Army with allotted number No. 378. Arrives at Shanghai.
E 1939-1940:
Released to her owners in unknown year.
31 December 1940:
Requisitioned by the IJN as a general requisitioned transport (Ippan Choyosen).
1941:
Her Net Registered Tonnage (NRT) is changed to 2,941-tons. [2].
10 November 1941:
Registered in the IJN as an auxiliary transport, (Otsu) category and attached to the Yokosuka Naval District with Yokosuka as homeport under internal order No. 1391. [3]
29 November 1941:
Departs Sasebo.
6 December 1941:
Arrives at Palau, Western Carolines. Preparation is made for the invasion of Southern Philippines at Legaspi.
8 December 1941: Operation “M” – The Attack on the Southern Philippines:
At 0800, SHINRYU MARU departs Peleliu, Palau Islands for Legaspi, Luzon, Philippines in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kubo Kyuji 's (38) (former CO of KAGA) Fourth Surprise Attack Force with IJA Air Defense ship/transport YASUKAWA MARU, IJA transports MATSUMOTO, HARUNA, SHINANOGAWA and MYOKO MARUs and
auxiliary transport YAMAFUKU MARU. The transports carry 2,500 men of MajGen Kimura Naoki's 16th Infantry Division's 33rd Infantry Regiment, a battery of the 22d Field Artillery and engineer detachments accompanied by 575 men of the Kure No. 1 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF).
Kubo’s force is escorted by light cruiser NAGARA (F), DesDiv 24's KAWAKAZE, SUZUKAZE, UMIKAZE and YAMAKAZE and minelayer AOTAKA. Kubo’s force is also accompanied by fleet oiler HAYATOMO and DesDiv 16’s YUKIKAZE and TOKITSUKAZE. Seaplane tenders CHITOSE and MIZUHO provide air cover.
11 December 1941:
Off Western Luzon, Philippines. En route to Legaspi, the convoy’s destroyers refuel from oiler HAYATOMO. Later the invasion convoy arrives off Albay Province, Luzon east coast.
12 December 1941:
At 0400, a submarine is detected near the landing force. At 0600, patrolboats PB-34 and PB-35 arrive at Legaspi. AOTAKA and PB-34 are briefly detached for a depth-charge attack. At about 1200, Kubo's Fourth
Surprise Attack Force begin landing troops at Legaspi without opposition. SHINRYU, MATSUMOTO, MYOKO, HARUNA, SHINANOGAWA and YAMAFUKU MARUs land troops of the 16th Infantry Division. YASUKAWA MARU lands troops of the Kure No. 1 SNLF.
USAAF B-17 “Flying Fortess” heavy bombers raid the convoy. YASUKAWA MARU suffers some water leakage caused by a near miss of a bomb. The other transports sustain no damage.
18 December 1941:
Departs Legaspi.
22 December 1941:
Arrives at Palau.
30 December 1941:
Departs Palau.
6 January 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
7 January 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
9 January 1942:
Arrives at Kobe.
17 January 1942:
Departs Kobe.
19 January 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
29 January 1942:
Departs Kure.
5 February 1942:
Arrives at Davao, Mindanao.
10 February 1942:
Departs Davao.
15 February 1942:
Arrives at Balikpapan, Borneo.
25 February 1942:
Departs Balikpapan.
28 February 1942:
Arrives at Kutai River, Borneo.
4 March 1942:
Departs Kutai River.
5 March 1942:
Arrives at Sanga-Sanga, Borneo.
25 March 1942:
Departs Sanga-Sanga.
29 March 1942:
Arrives at Loa Bokong, Borneo.
30 March 1942:
Departs Loa Bokong.
6 April 1942:
A
rrives at Sanga-Sanga.
13 April 1942:
Departs Sanga-Sanga.
15 April 1942:
Arrives at Haiphong, Indochina (now Vietnam).
20 April 1942:
Departs Haiphong.
22 April 1942:
Arrives at Port-Redon, near Haiphong, Indochina.
25 April 1942:
Departs Port-Redon.
27 April 1942:
Arrives at Haikow, Hainan Island, China.
29 April 1942:
Departs Haikow.
3 May 1942:
Arrives at Fushiki, Toyama Prefecture.
6 May 1942:
Departs Fushiki and arrives at Saitozaki, South of Nagasaki, later in the day.
8 May 1942:
Departs Saitozaki.
10 May 1942:
Arrives at Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.
15 May 1942:
Removed from the Navy’s list under internal order No. 852.
18 May 1942:
Departs Yokkaichi.
21 May 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
27 May 1942:
Released to her owners.
28 May 1942:
Departs Yokosuka in a convoy also consisting of IJA transport BELGIUM MARU escorted by auxiliary gunboat HIYOSHI MARU No. 2. SHINRYU MARU is en route to Miike, Fukuoka Prefecture.
29 June 1942:
Departs Yokosuka in a convoy bound for Hokkaido also consisting of civilian cargo ships (C-AK) TAIKAI (2478 grt), HOZAN (2260 grt) and JINBU MARUs, IJA shared transport (A/C-AK) FUKUYAMA MARU (6040 grt) and IJA transport ASAKA MARU escorted by destroyer HATAKAZE.
1942:
Requisitioned by the IJA with allotted number No. 378 at unknown date.
14 August 1942:
Departs Osaka.
18 August 1942:
Arrives at Quinhuandao, northern China.
20 August 1942:
Departs Quinhuandao.
27 August 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama.
2 September 1942:
Departs Yokohama and arrives at Kawasaki later that day.
7 September 1942:
Departs Kawasaki.
12 September 1942:
Arrives at Oumuhora (Omudo), Karafuto (now Protochnoye, Sakhalin).
19 September 1942:
Departs Oumuhora.
23 September 1942:
Arrives at Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture.
28 September 1942:
Departs Kamaishi.
1 October 1942:
Arrives at Oumuhora.
9 October 1942:
Departs Oumuhora.
15 October 1942:
Arrives at Kawasaki.
20 October 1942:
Departs Kawasaki.
23 October 1942:
Arrives at Muroran, Hokkaido.
25 October 1942:
Departs Muroran.
28 October 1942:
Arrives at Tokyo.
1 November 1942:
Departs Tokyo.
6 November 1942:
Arrives at Chinnampo, Chosen (now North Korea).
15 November 1942:
Departs Chinnampo.
19 November 1942:
Arrives at Osaka.
21 November 1942:
Departs Osaka.
22 November 1942:
Arrives at Innoshima, Hiroshima Prefecture.
23 November 1942:
Departs Innoshima.
7 December 1942:
Arrives back at Innoshima.
8 December 1942:
Departs Innoshima and arrives at Ujina, Hiroshima Prefecture later that day.
9 December 1942:
Departs Ujina.
10 December 1942:
Arrives at Moji. Departs later that same day for Ujina.
11 December 1942:
Arrives at Ujina.
14 December 1942:
Departs Ujina.
18 December 1942:
Arrives at Shanghai.
25 December 1942:
Departs Shanghai.
28 December 1942:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores.
29 December 1942:
Departs Mako.
5 January 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
10 January 1943:
Departs Palau.
16 January 1943:
Arrives at Truk, Central Carolines.
20 January 1943:
Departs Truk for Rabaul in convoy “D” also consisting of IJA transports TAIHEI, KAMO, MACASSAR and SHICHISEI MARUs and an unidentified ship escorted by destroyer HAMAKAZE, subchaser CH-12 and auxiliary
gunboat CHOKO MARU No. 2. [4]
22 January 1943:
Steffen Straits near Kavieng, New Ireland. Subchasers CH-18 and CH-22 rendezvous with convoy "D" to provide escort to Rabaul. CH-12 and CHOKO MARU No. 2 are detached to escort an outbound convoy.
24 January 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul, New Britain.
31 January 1943:
At 1545, departs Rabaul for Truk in an unnumbered convoy consisting of auxiliary transport KAGU MARU and auxiliary ammunition ship TATSUTAKE MARU that steam unescorted.
4 February 1943:
At 1600, arrives at Truk. KAGU MARU is detached.
9 February 1943:
Departs Truk.
E 16 February 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo. Departs later.
20 February 1943:
Arrives at Ujina. Departs later.
6 March 1943:
Departs Otaru, Hokkaido in a convoy also consisting of MELBOURNE MARU eventually escorted by the destroyer NUMAKAZE.
8 March 1943:
The convoy sails via Kushiro and NUMAKAZE meets the convoy off Ochiishi Misaki.
15 March 1943:
Arrives at Paramushiro, Kuriles.
16 April 1943:
Departs Paramushiro.
20 April 1943:
Arrives at Otaru.
27 May 1943:
Departs Otaru in a convoy also consisting of IJA transports SANKO, MELBOURNE and FUSHIMI MARUs escorted by two unidentified subchasers.
30 May 1943:
Arrives at Paramushiro.
E 30 May-3 June 1943:
Unloads cargo.
3 June 1943:
Departs Paramushiro with IJA transport MELBOURNE MARU.
6 June 1943:
Arrives at Otaru.
10 June 1943:
Departs Otaru in a convoy also consisting of IJA transports SANKO, MELBOURNE and FUSHIMI MARUs escorted by two unidentified ships.
13 June 1943:
Arrives at Paramushiro.
E 13-17 June 1943:
Unloads cargo.
17 June 1943:
Departs Paramushiro in a convoy also consisting of IJA transports SANKO, MELBOURNE and FUSHIMI MARUs escorted by two unidentified ships.
20 June 1943:
Arrives at Otaru.
24 June 1943:
At 1900, departs Otaru in convoy as only merchant ship for Matsuwa-To, Kuriles (now Ostrov Matsua) carrying 188 military passengers and a cargo of gasoline and shells escorted by Minesweeper W-23.
26 June 1943:
At 1900, under heavy weather conditions, runs aground in 48-02N 153-17E while trying to anchor off Matsuwa-To. In the next few days, her crew tries to break free of the grounding. But without success. The bad weather worsens. [5].
29 June 1943:
At 0030, stranded SHINRYU MARU sustains an explosion due to unknown cause and is set afire. Most survivors try to swim to Banjo-jima in cold and stormy seas. About 0300, two Daihatsu barges take off 11 crewmen and pick up some men in water. At 0330, fire detonates ammunition. SHINRYU MARU blows up and sinks at 48-06N 153-15E, taking down 32 crewmen and 97 passengers and gunners.
Authors Notes:
[1] Not to be confused with the IJA transport (3,181 GRT ’18)
[2] NRT is a ship's cargo volume capacity expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3). It is calculated by subtracting non-revenue-earning spaces i.e. spaces not available for carrying cargo, for example engine rooms, fuel tanks and crew quarters, from the ship's gross register tonnage (GRT). Net register tonnage (NRT) is not a measure of the
weight of the ship or its cargo, and should not be confused with terms such as deadweight tonnage or displacement.
[3] There were two categories of Zatsuyosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
[4] Convoy D was actually Part D (the equipment/baggage convoy) of Convoy No. 35 that departed Shanghai to transport the IJA’s 6th Infantry Division via Truk to Guadalcanal (after the decision is made to evacuate Guadalcanal, the convoy’s destination was changed to New Guinea).
[5] It appears that W-23 departed the area before SHINRYU MARU ran into trouble.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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