KYUTANYUSEN!
(SHINSEI MARU No. 6, prewar)
IJN SHINSEI MARU No. 6:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2016-2018 Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall
Revision 1
28 January 1938:
Innoshima near Osaka. Laid down by Osaka Iron Works K.K. shipyard for Hara Shoji K.K. as a 4,928-tons cargo ship.
28 July 1938:
Launched and named SHINSEI MARU No. 6. [1]
20 October 1938:
Completed and registered at Osaka.
21 November 1940:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
16 December 1940:
Registered in the IJN as an auxiliary collier/oiler attached to the Kure Naval District with Kure as homeport under Navy’s instruction No. 980. Captain Tsukagoshi Hikotaro (39) is appointed supervisor. [2]
20 December 1940:
Departs Ujina, Hiroshima Prefecture and arrives at Kure later that day. Starts conversion to military duty at the Kure Naval Yard.
24 December 1940:
The conversion is completed.
26 December 1940:
Departs Kure.
28 December 1940:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
3 January 1941:
Departs Yokosuka and arrives at Shibaura near Tokyo, later that same day.
13 January 1941:
Departs Shibaura.
E 20 January ~ 20 February 1941:
Calls at Truk, Central Carolines ~ Ponape, Eastern Carolines ~ Emiedj, Jaluit, Marshalls ~ Taroa, Marshalls ~ Wotje, Marshalls and Roi-Namur, Marshalls.
28 February 1941:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
March 1941:
Assigned to transport personnel, weapons and ammunition under Yokosuka Naval District instruction No. 140.
7 March 1941:
Departs Yokosuka and arrives at Shibaura later in the day.
17 March 1941:
Departs Shibaura.
19 March 1941:
Arrives at Osaka.
21 March 1941:
Departs Osaka.
E 25 March ~ 14 April 1941:
Calls at Pagan, Marianas ~ Saipan, Marianas ~ Tinian, Marianas ~ Palau, Western Carolines and Fais, Eastern Carolines.
22 April 1941:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
25 April 1941:
Captain Tsukagoshi is relieved by Captain (Rear Admiral posthumously) Shimizu Ryutaro (36).
April 1941:
Assigned to transport personnel, weapons and ammunition under Yokosuka Naval District instruction No. 269.
1 May 1941:
Departs Yokosuka.
3 May 1941:
Arrives at Osaka.
11 May 1941:
Departs Osaka.
E 15 ~ 18 May 1941:
Calls at Pagan ~ Saipan and Tinian.
22 May 1941:
Arrives at Palau.
June 1941:
Departs Palau.
13 June 1941:
Arrives at Yokosuka. Departs later.
29 June 1941:
Departs Osaka.
E 6 July ~ 16 August 1941:
Operates in the South Seas (Japanese mandated islands).
23 August 1941:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
21 October 1941:
Departs Yokosuka.
E 28 October ~ 30 November 1941:
Operates in the South Seas.
6 December 1941:
Assigned to transport personnel and troop supplies under Yokosuka Naval District instruction No. 14.
7 December 1941:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
12 December 1941:
Departs Yokosuka.
14 December 1941:
Arrives at Muroran, Hokkaido.
16 December 1941:
Departs Muroran.
E 18 December 1941:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
December 1941:
Assigned to transport ammunition to the South Seas bases under Navy’s secret instruction No. 974.
E 19 ~ 20 December 1941:
Loads 5,000-tons of coal, fuel and ammunition.
21 December 1941:
Departs Yokosuka with auxiliary transport BRASIL MARU bound for the south seas.
28 January 1942:
Ends ammunition transport to the South Seas bases under Yokosuka Naval District instruction No. 45.
January 1942:
Assigned to Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Inoue Shiyegoshi’s (37) 4th Fleet as an auxiliary collier/oiler (Ko) category. [2]
February 1942:
Assigned to fuel transport mission under 4th Fleet radio transmission No. 102.
12 February 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
E 19 February ~ 31 March 1942:
Operates in the South Seas.
7 April 1942:
Arrives at Yokohama. Departs later.
15 April 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
18 April 1942:
Arrives at Otaru.
20 April 1942:
Departs Otaru.
15 May 1942:
Captain Shimizu is relieved by Captain Iwase Masami (41).
7 June 1942:
Arrives at Nagoya.
9 June 1942:
Departs Nagoya.
11 June 1942:
Arrives at Kure. Departs later.
7 July 1942:
Departs Saitozaki, Nagasaki Prefecture.
8 July 1942:
Departs through Bungo Suido escorted by auxiliary netlayer HINOKI MARU.
16 July 1942:
At 1430 departs Yulin for Shanghai after loading a cargo of salt at Sana.
5 August 1942:
Captain Iwase is relieved by Captain Kusuoka Junichi (36).
17 August 1942:
Departs Truk with IJN requisitioned cargo ship (B-AK) SHUNZAN MARU No. 2 escorted by auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 15.
19 August 1942:
At 1000, arrives at Ponape. Departs later with an unidentified escort (probably SHONAN MARU No. 15).
21 August 1942:
About 94 nautical miles W of Truk. At 0700, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Stephen H. Ambruster's (USNA ’28) USS TAMBOR (SS-198) fires a spread of three torpedoes, scoring three hits on SHINSEI MARU No. 6. The first hits amidships and the other two aft, blowing her stern off. She quickly sinks at 07-02N, 158-03E with one crewmen KIA.
15 September 1942:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 1711.
Authors' Notes:
[1] Not to be confused with civilian cargo ship (C-AK) (2,209 GRT, ’45).
[2] There were two categories of Kyutanyusen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
- Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.
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