ZATSUYOSEN!
(KOSHO MARU, sistership of SHOHO MARU, prewar Berend Van der Wal collection)
IJN SHOHO MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2020 Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall
15 March 1941:
Osaka. Laid down by Namura Zosensho K.K. shipyard as a 1,365-tons cargo ship, part of a special builders design based on the Peacetime Standard Ship (D) Type Program, but smaller in size, for Shofuku Kisen K.K.
8 September 1941:
Launched and named SHOHO MARU. [1]
27 July 1942:
Completed and registered at Tokyo with a GRT (registered gross tonnage) of 1,365-tons and a NRT (registered net tonnage) of 742-tons. Her call sign is JARR. [2]
2 September 1942:
At 1030, departs off Futtsu, Tokyo Bay in a convoy also consisting of HAKKO, YAMAFUKU, SHICHISEI, SHOUN, SHIBAZONO and TETSUYO MARUs and KARI GO escorted by minelayer SARUSHIMA. The ships sail at 9 knots for the Inland Sea.
6 December 1942:
Departs Kobe, Inland Sea in East Convoy No. 37 also consisting of FLORIDA, MIKAGE and TATEYAMA MARUs, and NISSHO MARU No. 18 escorted by torpedo boat MANAZURU. SHOHO MARU is bound for Tokyo.
5 April 1943:
At 1400, departs Kobe in convoy No. 8405 also consisting of KOKI and KURETAKE MARUs and HAKUTETSU MARU No. 15 escorted by minesweeper W-24.
6 April 1943:
Arrives at Ago Bay.
7 April 1943:
Departs Ago Bay and returns there later this day.
8 April 1943:
Departs Ago Bay.
8 April 1943:
Arrives off Yaizu coast. Departs there later that day.
9 April 1943:
Arrives at Tokyo. Later transfers to Yokohama.
28 April 1943:
Departs Tokyo Bay in convoy No. 7428 also consisting of SAISHU, SHOEI (3099 grt) and YOZAN MARUs escorted by patrol boat PB-101(ex- HMS THRACIAN). SHOHO MARU is bound for Nagasaki.
29 April 1943:
At 0540, off Omae Zaki YOZAN MARU is detached.
9 August 1944:
Registered in the IJN as a general requisitioned transport (Ippan Choyosen) attached to the Kure Naval District. Assigned to the Navy.
20 November 1944:
At 1203, departs Saei (Tsoying), near Takao, Formosa (now Kaohsiung,Taiwan) in convoy TAMA-32B also consisting of CHOKI and KISHIN MARUs and NISSHO MARU No. 18 escorted by minesweeper W-39, submarine chasers CH-18 and CH-38, auxiliary subchasers CHa-176 and CHa-177 and auxiliary netlayer KIRI MARU No. 1. At 1630, arrives at Fangling (Fengliao).
21 November 1944:
At 1700, because of threat of air attack, returns to Saei.
22 November 1944:
At 0950, departs Saei again. At 1637 arrives at Namwan.
24 November 1944:
At 0607, departs Namwan.
25 November 1944:
At 0518, LtCdr John B. Hess's (USNA 37) USS POMFRET (SS-391) torpedoes and sinks SHOHO MARU at 20-20N, 121-40E, W Sabtang Island in Luzon Strait. 16 passengers, 8 gunners and 39 crewmen are killed.
10 January 1945:
Removed from the Navys list.
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Authors notes :
[1] Not to be confused with civilian tanker (10,058 GRT 45), civilian cargo ships (1,356 GRT, 18) and (870 GRT, 44), government passenger ferry (3,460 GRT, 24), auxiliary transport (1,936 GRT, 37), IJA transport No. 875 (2,723 GRT, 41), IJA shared tanker No. 5158 (834 GRT, 44) or civilian tug (430 GRT, 40).
[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.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.
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