Rated as a Tsushima Strait Defense Force Unit under secret Chinkai Guard District Order No. 32. 22 January 1942:
Rated as a Tsushima Strait Defense Force Unit under secret Chinkai Guard District Order No. 37. 5 February 1942:
Departs Takeshiki, Mitsushima (now Tsushima, Nagasaki prefecture), Tsushima Island. 9 February 1942:
Arrives at Takeshiki. 10 February 1942:
Departs Takeshiki and arrives at Chinkai later this day. Scheduled for rating as a Busan, Chosen (now Pusan, South Korea) Sea Surface Defense Unit under secret Chinkai Guard District Order No. 41. 12 February 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 16 February 1942:
Secret Chinkai Guard District Order No. 41: Rating as a Busan Sea Surface Defense Unit goes into effect on 17 Feb ‘42 at 1200, under Chinkai Security telegram order No. 29. 17 February 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 21 February 1942:
Departs Chinkai and arrives at Busan later that day. 23 February 1942:
At 1700, departs Busan escorting a convoy consisting of KOGANE, ROKKO, SURABAYA, CHIKUZEN, and TAKEKAWA MARUs and arrives at Takeshiki later this day, where the ship is apparently detached. The convoy continues to Moji at 8.5 knots. 26 February 1942:
Departs Takeshiki. 27 February 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 5 March 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 7 March 1942:
Arrives at Busan. 13 March 1942:
Departs Busan and arrives at Chinkai later that day. 14 March 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 19 March 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 21 March 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 26 March 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 27 March 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 31 March 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 3 April 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 10 April 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 15 April 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 19 April 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 23 April 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 27 April 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 1 May 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 5 May 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 9 May 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 13 May 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 17 May 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 21 May 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 23 May 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 30 May 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 1 June 1942:
Departs Chinkai on a training exercise. 2 June 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 5 June 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 17 June 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. Attached to the Chinkai Sea Guard Force. 21 June 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 25 June 1942:
Rated as a Chinkai Sea Surface Defense Force Unit under secret Chinkai Guard District Order No. 59. 26 June 1942:
Rated as Unit No. 5 under Defense War Telegram No. 89. 3 July 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 11 July 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 14 July 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 16 July 1942:
Departs Chinkai on a training exercise and returns to base later this day. 20 July 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 23 July 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 24 July 1942:
Departs Chinkai on a training exercise and returns there later this day. 29 July 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 1 August 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 7 August 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 10 August 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 16 August 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 19 August 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 25 August 1942:
Rated as a Tsushima Strait Defense Force Unit under secret Chinkai Guard District Order No. 66. 28 August 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 31 August 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 24 September 1942:
Receives Chinkai Guard Force Instruction No. 102:
- Sweep the points ‘Ne’, ‘To’, ‘Ri’ and ‘Mu’ inside the connecting line. Base point is point ‘Ne’. Azimuth direction is 0°. Search interval is 75 nautical miles. [2]
Line up order is minelayer SAISHU, auxiliary netlayers SHUNSHEN MARU, SHOEKI MARU and CHOKI MARU and auxiliary gunboat NISSHO MARU No. 16. Search course 20°, speed 8 knots. E 24 ~27 September 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 28 September 1942:
Arrives at Busan and enters Chosen Jukogyo K.K. dock. 1 October 1942:
Attached to the Chinkai Guard District, Chinkai Guard Force. Rated as Tsushima Strait Defense Force, Second Unit under secret Chinkai Guard District telegram order No. 57. 4 October 1942:
Undocked. Departs Busan and arrives at Chinkai later that day. 7 October 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 15 October 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 18 October 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 27 October 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 29 October 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 11 November 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 14 November 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 26 November 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 30 November 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 10 December 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 12 December 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 21 December 1942:
Arrives at Chinkai. 24 December 1942:
Departs Chinkai. 2 January 1943:
Arrives at Chinkai. 5 January 1943:
Departs Chinkai. 14 January 1943:
Arrives at Chinkai. 17 January 1943:
Departs Chinkai. 26 January 1943:
Arrives at Chinkai. 9 February 1943:
Departs Chinkai. 15 February 1943:
Arrives at Chinkai. 7 March 1943:
Departs Chinkai. 26 April 1943:
Arrives at Chinkai. 14 May 1943:
Departs Chinkai. 26 May 1943:
Arrives at Chinkai. 31 May 1943:
Departs Chinkai. August 1943:
Rated as a Chinkai Sea Guard Force Escort Unit. June 1943:
During this month escorts CHI convoys 71, 76, 77 and 82. July 1943:
During this month escorts CHI convoys 95 and 98. 1 August 1943:
Departs Chinkai escorting convoy CHI No. 24. 4 August 1943:
Arrives at Chinkai. Departs there later. 7 August 1943:
Departs Dairen, Manchuria (now Dalian, northern China) with minelayer NASAMI, auxiliary netlayer KIRI MARU and auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 1 escorting convoy CHI No. 30 part 1 consisting of NAZE and MITSUMIME MARUs, SEIRI GO, TOYO MARU No. 1 and YUBARI MARU No.2. 9 August 1943:
Convoy CHI No. 30 part 2 consisting of SUMIDA, SHOKA, AOKI, YURI, CHIKUZEN and SHORYU MARU’s, TAIRI GO and possibly WAJUN GO join the convoy at 38-18N, 124-38E. Auxiliary netlayer KANKO MARU joins as an additional escort. The convoy probably anchors overnight. 10 August 1943:
Minelayer Nasami detaches. 11 August 1943:
Departs Chinkai. 12 August 1943:
Arrives at Gunsan, Chosen (now South Korea). 13 August 1943:
Departs Gunsan escorting convoy CHI No. 35. 15 August 1943:
Arrives at Gunsan. 16 August 1943:
Depart Gunsan escorting convoy CHI No. 38. 19 August 1943:
Arrives at Gunsan. Departs there later in the day escorting convoy CHI No. 41. 21 August 1943:
Arrives at Dairen. 23 August 1943:
Departs Dairen on an escort mission. 25 August 1943:
Arrives at Dairen. 27 August 1943:
29 August 1943:
Arrives at Ryojun (Port Arthur, later Ryojun, now part of Dalian), Manchuria. 30 August 1943:
Enters drydock. 6 September 1943:
Undocked. 8 September 1943:
Departs Ryojun and calls at Dairen. Departs there escorting convoy CHI No. 62. 10 September 1943:
Arrives at Gunsan. 14 September 1943:
Departs Gunsan. 16 September 1943:
Arrives at Dairen. 20 September 1943:
Departs Dairen on an escort mission. 22 September 1943:
Arrives at Gunsan. 25 September 1943:
Departs Gunsan on patrol. 26 September 1943:
Arrives at Gunsan. Departs there on an anti-submarine sweep later that day. 28 September 1943:
Arrives at Gunsan. 29 September 1943:
Departs Gunsan on an anti-submarine sweep and returns there later this day. 30 September 1943:
Departs Gunsan on patrol and returns there later that day. 18 October 1943:
At 2230, arrives at the disaster location and starts an anti-submarine sweep. 20 October 1943:
At 1200, reports that she hasn’t found enemy. 21 October 1943:
At 0110, while mopping up without attracting any hostility, served as a direct escort for the convoy bound for Seito (Tsingtao, now Qingdao), China. 27 October 1943:
At 37-50N, 124-44E, civilian cargo ship YOSHIURA MARU runs aground. 5 November 1943:
Receives instruction No. 051742: - It is necessary to work as a subordinate and maintain an auxiliary capture netboat and an auxiliary anti-submarine netboat by Omi secret instruction No. 290930. However due to convenience behavior part of construction work is outsourced to work department of the new affiliation. - 1 - Boat Name Maintenance staff - MATSU, TATSU and KASHI MARUs: Yokosuka. - HIRO, SHOSEI and KUDAMATSU MARUs and KOA MARU No. 2 GO: Kure - EIRYU MARU: Ominato - AGATA, KUMANO, KOGA, SHUNSEN, SHOEKI and KANKO MARUs: Sasebo - 2 - Remove netlaying and minesweeper equipment and prepare for transport missions. If necessary, ammunition should be stored in the gun side ammunition housing and ammunition storage should be abolished. - 3 - MATSU, TATSU and KASHIMA MARUs will be equipped with one Type 96 25mm gun. Other ships will be equipped with one Type 93 13mm MG. 10 November 1943:
Attached to Vice Admiral Mikawa Gunichi’s (38) Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet under internal order No. 2381. Assigned to Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Takasu Shiro’s (35) Southwest Area Fleet in Vice Admiral Mikawa Gunichi’s (38) Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet. 7 January 1944:
SHUNSEN, KANKO and SHOEKI MARU depart Sasebo en-route to Takao and Manila. SHUNSEN MARU serves as escort. 16 January 1944:
At 1200, arrives at Takao. 20 January 1944:
At 1000, Departs Takao, Formosa (now Kaohsiung, Taiwan) for Manila, Philippines in convoy No. 787 also consisting of IJA transports NIKKI and SEISHO MARUs, auxiliary netlayers SHUNSEN, and KANKO MARUs, auxiliary transport KOTO MARU No. 2 GO, IJA shared tanker (A/C-AO) CHIHAYA MARU, auxiliary oiler SAN LUIS MARUs and auxiliary survey ship KYODO MARU No. 36 for Manila , with KANKO and SHUNSEN MARUs acting as escorts. 23 January 1944:
At 2130, arrives at Manila. 1 February 1944:
At 1400, departs Manila in convoy No 3105 also consisting of IJA shared tankers (A/C-AO) CHIHAYA and KOKUEI MARUs, auxiliary oilers SAN LUIS and HOKUAN MARUs, IJA transport BENGAL MARU and auxiliary netlayers KANKO and SHUNSEN MARUs escorted by auxiliary subchaser CHa-24 . Netlayers are all carrying cargo. 3 February 1944:
Arrives with the convoy at the southern point of Palawan, Philippines. At 2300, SHOEKI, SHUNSEN and KANKO MARUs are detached from the convoy that continues to Miri. 24 February 1944:
At 0255, departs Staring Bay, Celebes, Netherlands East Indies (now Wawosungu Bay, Sulawesi, Indonesia) escorted by torpedo boat KIJI. 25 February 1944:
At 1811, arrives at Ambon, Moluccas, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). Attached to Vice Admiral (Admiral posthumously) Yamagata Seigo’s (39) Fourth Southern Expeditionary Fleet under instruction No. 708. Attached to Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Takasu Shiro’s (35) Southwest Area Fleet in Vice Admiral (Admiral posthumously) Yamagata Seigo’s (39) Fourth Southern Expeditionary Fleet. 29 May 1944:
Departs Ambon. 30 May 1944:
Arrives at Sorong, New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). 2 June 1942:
Departs Sorong. 3 June 1942:
Arrives at Ambon. 10 June 1944:
Rated as a Fourth Southern Expeditionary Fleet Unit under order No. 20. Rated as an attached unit under Kido Butai Order No. 8. 27 June 1944:
Departs Ambon. July 1944:
Navy (Resv) Lt Ishida Kazuo is appointed CO. 1 July 1944:
Rated as attached under secret Fourth Southern Expeditionary Fleet Order No. 22. Arrives at Kokas, Dutch Papua. 2 July 1944:
Departs Kokas. 4 July 1944:
Auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 5 arrives at Boano (Buano) Strait, Moluccas from Ambon and begins escorting. Arrives at Ambon at 1920. 11 July 1944:
At 0800, departs Ambon escorted by auxiliary minesweeper Wa-104. 15 July 1944:
At 1700, arrives at Kau. 19 July 1944:
At 0800, departs Kau escorted by auxiliary minesweeper Wa-104. 23 July 1944:
At 1700, arrives at Ambon. 25 July 1944:
Rated as an attached unit under Kido Butai Order No. 14. 2 August 1944:
At 2000, departs Ambon escorted by auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 17. 4 August 1944:
Arrives at Kendari, Celebes. 6 August 1944:
Departs Kendari. 8 August 1944:
Arrives at Bitung, Celebes. 9 August 1944:
Departs Bitung and at 1900, arrives at Menado, Celebes (now Manado). 14 August 1944:
At 1800, departs Menado escorted by auxiliary subchasers TAKUNAN MARU No. 5 and SHONAN MARU No. 17. 17 August 1944:
At 1700, arrives at Zamboanga, Mindanao, Philippines escorted by auxiliary subchasers TAKUNAN MARU No. 5 and SHONAN MARU No. 17. 19 August 1944:
At 0600, departs Zamboanga escorted by auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 5 and SHONAN MARU No. 17. 20 August 1944:
At 09-00N, 123-12E auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 17 engages in anti-submarine warfare and drops 12 depth charges. Arrives at Cebu, Philippines escorted by auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 5 and SHONAN MARU No. 17 at 2200. 22 August 1944:
At 2200, departs Cebu escorted by auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 5 and SHONAN MARU No. 17. 25 August 1944:
At 0800, arrives at Manila escorted by auxiliary subchaser TAKUNAN MARU No. 5 and SHONAN MARU No. 17. 2 September 1944:
At 0300, departs Manila escorted by auxiliary cable layer OSEI MARU. 4 September 1944:
At 1500, arrives at Cebu. Auxiliary cable layer OSEI MARU ends escort. 7 September 1944:
Departs Cebu. 15 September 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan, Borneo, Netherlands East Indies (now, Kalimantan, Indonesia). 19 September 1944:
Departs Balikpapan. 22 September 1944:
Arrives at Makassar, Celebes. 27 September 1944:
Departs Makassar and arrives at Pare Pare, Celebes later that day. 1 October 1944:
Departs Pare Pare and arrives at Makassar later this day. 17 October 1944:
Departs Makassar. 22 October 1944:
Arrives at Makassar. 27 October 1944:
Departs Makassar and arrives at Pare Pare later that day. 28 October 1944:
Departs Pare Pare. 31 October 1944:
Arrives at Surabaya, Java, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). 6 November 1944:
Enters drydock at the 102nd Construction Department Unit. 7 December 1944:
Repairs are completed. 14 December 1944:
Departs Surabaya. 19 December 1944:
Arrives at Ambon. Departs for Kendari later this day. 20 December 1944:
Sinks after air attacks by 3 Far East Royal Navy Air Force (FERNAF) B-24 aircraft in the Banda Sea at 06-10S, 127-02E, about 84 nautical miles N Romang Island, Lesser Sunda Islands, Moluccas, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). Casualties are unknown. 10 March 1945:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 232.
Authors' Notes:
[1] 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. [2] An azimuth is the direction measured in degrees clockwise from north on an azimuth circle. An azimuth circle consists of 360°. 90° corresponds to E, 180° is S, 270° is W and 360° and 0° are N. Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan. - Gilbert Casse, Berend van der Wal and Peter Cundall.
