YUSOSEN!

(Sister IJN ASHIZURI - colorized photo by Irootoko Jr)

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Fleet AvGas Tanker IJN SHIOYA:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2005-2017 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Revision 6

1 April 1942:
Nagasaki. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' shipyard as a 7, 951-ton aviation gasoline tanker.

8 March 1943:
Launched and named SHIOYA.

27 October 1943:
Captain Kioka Arimatsu (40) (current CO of OSE) is appointed Chief Equipping Officer as an additional duty.

1 November 1943:
Captain-Ret (later Rear Admiral)(40) Ikeuchi Masamichi is posted as Chief Equipping Officer.

9 November 1943:
Nagasaki. Completed and registered (commissioned) in the IJN as a Transport in the Sasebo Naval District. Attached directly to the Combined Fleet. Captain Ikeuchi is the Commanding Officer.

31 December 1943:
At 0600, convoy HI-29 departs Moji consisting of tankers KUROSHIO and (ex cargo) GOYO MARUs, cargo passenger ships KACHIDOKI (ex-PRESIDENT HARRISON) and ASOSAN MARUs escorted by kaibokan SADO. That same day, SHIOYA and sister fleet oiler ASHIZURI depart Sasebo and join the convoy.

4 January 1944:
At 1600, convoy HI-29 arrives at Takao. SHIOYA and ASHIZURI are detached.

6 January 1944:
At 1315, SHIOYA, fleet oiler ASHIZURI and tanker OKIKAWA MARU depart Takao in the Rinji (special) M convoy escorted by kaibokan SADO and patrol boat PB-36. This convoy accompanies convoy HI-29 to Manila.

9 January 1944:
At 1530, convoy HI-29 arrives at Manila. The Rinji M convoy is detached.

10 January 1944:
At 1840, SHIOYA, ASHIZURI and OKIKAWA MARU depart Manila escorted by patrol boat PB-36.

13 January 1944:
At 1840, arrives at Tarakan, Borneo.

14 January 1944:
At 0340, departs Tarakan.

15 January 1944:
At 1450, arrives at Balikpapan.

23 January 1944:
Departs Balikpapan, Borneo.

24 January 1944:
Arrives at Tarakan.

25 January 1944:
Departs Tarakan for Zamboanga, Mindanao.

26 January 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga

27 January 1944:
Departs Zamboanga for Davao.

28 January 1944:
Arrives at Davao, Philippines.

2 February 1944:
Departs Davao for Zamboanga.

3 February 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga. Captain Sato Noboru Noburu (48) is appointed CO.

4 February 1944:
Departs Zamboanga for Manila.

5 February 1944:
Arrives at Manila.

8 February 1944:
Departs Manila for Zamboanga.

10 February 1944:
Arrives at Zamboanga.

11 February 1944:
Departs Zamboanga for Balikpapan.

13 February 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.

15 February 1944:
Departs Balikpapan for Manila.

19 February 1944:
Arrives at Manila.

20 February 1944:
Departs Manila for Sasebo.

24 February 1944:
Arrives at Koniya.

26 February 1944:
Departs Koniya for Sasebo.

28 February 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo. Undergoes repairs and servicing.

19 March 1944:
The Sunosaki-convoy consisting of gasoline tankers SUNOSAKI and SHIOYA departs Sasebo for Takao

24 March 1944:
The Sunosaki-convoy arrives at Takao.

25 March 1944:
At 1200, the Sunosaki-convoy departs Takao for Manila.

27 March 1944:
The Sunosaki-convoy arrives at Manila.

294 March 1944:
The Sunosaki-convoy departs Manila for Zamboanga.

30 March 1944:
The Sunosaki-convoy arrives at Zamboanga.

31 March 1944:
The Sunosaki-convoy departs Zamboanga for Balikpapan.

1 April 1944:
Patrol Boat PB-102 joins as escort at 02-50N, 120-32E.

2 April 1944:
SUNOSAKI and PB-102 arrive at Balikpapan.

3 April 1944:
SHIOYA arrives at Balikpapan (she is delayed by several hours due to unspecified problem).

10 April 1944:
SHIOYA departs Balikpapan for Manila.

13 April 1944:
Arrives at Manila.

16 April 1944:
At 0900 departs Manila escorted by torpedo boat HAYABUSA.

19 April 1944:
SHIOYA departs Manila for Tawitawi, Sulu Archipelago escorted by torpedo boat HAYABUSA.

21 April 1944:
Off Zamboanga. Patrol Boats PB-102 joins SHIOYA. Later this day both vessels arrive at Jolo, Sulu Archipelago.

22 April 1944:
SHIOYA and PB-102 depart Jolo for Bongao, Tawi tawi. Later this day arrive at Bongao.

23 April 1944:
SHIOYA and PB-102 depart Bongao, Tawi tawi for Tarakan.

24 April 1944:
SHIOYA and PB-102 arrive at Tarakan.

28 April 1944:
At 1110 departs Tarakan escorted by patrol boat PB-36.

29 April 1944:
At 1210 arrives at Balikpapan.

4 May 1944:
At 0740, SHIOYA departs Balikpapan for Davao escorted by minesweeper W-30.

6 May 1944:
At 1425 arrives at Davao. That same day assigned to Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Takasu Shiro's (35) Southwest Area Fleet.

9 May 1944:
At 0940, SHIOYA departs Davao for Zamboanga escorted by W-30.

10 May 1944:
At 1050 arrives at Zamboanga and departs there at 1600 escorted by W-30.

11 May 1944:
At 1340 arrives SHIOYA and W-30 arrive at Cebu.

12 May 1944:
W-30 is replenished with 28 tons oil from SHIOYA.

14 May 1944:
At 0621, SHIOYA departs Cebu for Balikpapan escorted by W-30.

16 May 1944:
At 1635, SHIOYA and W-30 arrive at Balikpapan.

23 May 1944:
At 0729 SHIOYA departs Balikpapan for Davao escorted by W-30. NB: NASUSAN MARU departs Balikpapan the same day for Tarakan (arrives 25 May) but does not sail with the fast ships.

24 May 1944:
NE of Stroomenkaap (Tanjong Besar), Celebes. At 0534, LtCdr William Calhoun Thompson, Jr.´s USS CABRILLA (SS-282) discovers two vessels at 01-35N, 121-15E. The two vessels are described as a probable seaplane tender converted from an old cruiser or the AS TAKASAKI (SHIOYA) and a new looking destroyer similar to TERUTSUKI class except one gun forward (W-30). At 0552 (JST), a “Dave” type aircraft screen is seen near the ships.At 0613, CABRILLA fires six torpedoes from her bow tubes. At 0614, one torpedo is observed jumping clear of water, large impulse bubbles breaking the surface. CABRILLA immediately goes deep. At 0615, CABRILLA´s crew hear a one timed hit.

At 0724 (JST), W-30 drops 7 depth charges. At 0726 (JST), W-30 drops a further 7 depth charges. At 0739 (JST), SHIOYA drops depth charges. At 0757 (JST), W-30 drops a further 12 depth charges At 0803 (JST), SHIOYA drops further depth charges (total number of depth charges dropped by SHIOYA is eight). At 0847 (JST), USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from the CO of SHIOYA that reads: “SHIOYA was attacked with 4 torpedoes. We dropped depth charges with unknown results. No damage to convoy. We continue to press the attack.”

At 0920 (JST), USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from the CO of SHIOYA that reads: “From one hour commencing at 0713 we attacked an enemy submarine with the cooperation of planes in position 01-45N, 121-04E.” [1]

25 May 1944:
At 1445, SHIOYA and W-30 arrive at Davao.

1 June 1944:
SHIOYA departs Davao for Balikpapan escorted by torpedo boat HAYABUSA.

3 June 1944:
SHIOYA and HAYABUSA arrive at Balikpapan. NB: ARASAKI and SEIAN MARU 3,712gt depart Surabaya on 1 June 1944 for Balikpapan arriving there on 3 June 1944.

7 June 1944:
Attached to Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) Nagumo Chuichi's (36) Central Pacific Area Fleet. Departs Balikpapan.

8 June 1944:
W of Menado, Celebes. At about 1600, lookouts aboard LtCdr Willard R. Laughon's (USNA ’33) surfaced USS RASHER (SS-269) spot smoke on the horizon at 30,000 yards. Later, the targets are misidentified as old armored cruiser ASAMA (SHIOYA) and an AMATSUKAZE (KAGERO)-class destroyer patrolling two miles ahead of SHIOYA.

Laughon makes a submerged attack from starboard and fires six torpedoes.Her magazine explodes and the aft part of the ship is obscured by flames up to the stacks. SHIOYA takes on a list to starboard. Laughon takes USS RASHER to 300 feet and evades eight depth charges. He and his crew hear breaking up noises. SHIOYA sinks at 03-15N, 124-03E. 91 crew are KIA. [2]

10 August 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

Authors' Notes:
[1] CNO analysts say SHIOYA was in company of minesweeper W-30.

[2] Later, CNO analysts discussed the 8 June 44 attack by USS RASHER:
“SHIOYA was scheduled to be in position 03-08N, 124-00E at 1930, 8 June under the escort of subchaser CH-5. On 8 June at 2018, CH-5 originated a dispatch to Balikpapan and Davao, infoing CINC Combined Fleet and 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleets. At 082030, CH-5 was addressed in care of Davao Special Base Force. This untranslated traffic probably dealt with the attack on SHIOYA. That SHIOYA was not sunk on 7 June is proved by the fact that at 081248 she was the concealed originator of a dispatch to various fleet commands.”

Thanks to Erich Muehthaler of Germany for additional info in Rev 6. Thanks to the late John Whitman for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages, Matt Jones and Sander Kingsepp for CO information and to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.

- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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