RIKUGUN YUSOSEN
(A Standard 2A Class underway)
SHUYO MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
©2018 Bob Hackett
28 December 1943:
Aioi. Laid down Harima Shipbuilding and Engineering, as Yard No. 319, a 6, 933-ton cargo ship for Toyo Kisen K. K. (Oriental Steamship Co.), Tokyo.
6 March 1944:
Launched and named SHUYO MARU.
31 March 1944:
Completed.
E 1944:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army (IJA) as a Haitosen - Army/Civilian (A/C-AK) shared employment cargo ship. Allotted IJA No. 5243.
27 August 1944:
At 0800, SHUYO MARU departs Moji in convoy MI-17 also consisting of transports AMAHI, ARAOSAN, BAIKAL, HOKUREI, NORWAY and SORACHI MARUs, cargo ships DAITEN and NICHIZUI MARUs, tankers NITTETSU and SHIMOTSU MARUs and two unidentified ships escorted by destroyers KURETAKE and SHIOKAZE, kaibokan CD-18, minelayer YURISHIMA and minesweeper W-17.
1 September 1944:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores. SORACHI and NITTETSU MARUs and one unidentified ship are detached. An unidentified ship joins the convoy. Minesweepers W-20 and W-41 and minelayer AOTAKA join the escort.
4 September 1944:
Departs Mako.
6 September 1944:
Arrives at Aparri, Luzon. SHUYO MARU and AMAHI, ARAOSAN, BAIKAL, DAITEN, HOKUREI and NORWAY MARUs and minesweepers W-17, W-20 and W-41 are detached.
16 November 1944:
At 0600, SHUYO MARU departs Keelung for Moji in convoy TAMO-29 also consisting of FUKUJU and MELBOURNE MARUs and two unidentified merchant ships escorted by kaibokan CD-20
and CD-39 and subchaser CH-61.
23 November 1944:
Tsushima Strait. At 0348, LtCdr (later Cdr) Evan T. Shepard’s (USNA ’35) USS PICUDA (SS-382) torpedoes and sinks SHUYO MARU at 34-14N, 128-28E. 60 passengers and 25 crewmen are KIA.
Tsushima Strait. At 0845, after tracking the convoy and making an "end-around", Shepard torpedoes and sinks FUKUJU MARU at 34-10N, 128-58E. 28 of the crew are killed. The escorts counter-attack and drop 23 depth charges on USS PICUDA, but she escapes undamaged.
Author's Note:
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.
Bob Hackett
Back
to IJA Transports
