Japanese Auxiliary Storeships

KYURYOSEN!

(SUMIYOSHI MARU, prewar – Peter Cundall Collection)

IJN SUMIYOSHI MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2019 Gilbert Casse, Berend van der Wal and Peter Cundall

3 December 1933:
Hikoshima. Laid down by Mitsubishi Zosen K.K. shipyard for Tsunegoro Hatakeyama as a deep sea trawler.
1 February 1934:
Launched and named SUMIYOSHI MARU. [1]
28 February 1934:
Completed and registered at Tottori. Her Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) and Net Registered Tonnage (NRT) respectively are 113-tons and 59-tons. [2]
11 April 1939:
Her ownership is changed to Nippon Suisan K.K. and her registered homeport to Tokyo.
1940:
Her NRT is changed to 58-tons. [2]
5 July 1942:
Requisition by the IJN announced.
6 July 1942:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
14 July 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
16 July 1942:
Departs Shanghai, China for Yuet Ching Bay, China.
26 July 1942:
At Yuet Ching Bay, replenishes auxiliary gunboat DAIGEN MARU No. 7 with fresh food.
E 26 ~ 31 July 1942:
Departs Yuet Ching Bay for Wusong, China.
31 July 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat UNKAI MARU No. 10 with fresh food.
1 August 1942:
Registered as an auxiliary stores ship attached to the Sasebo Naval District under instruction No. 1427.
E 1 ~ 3 August 1942:
Departs Wusong for Yuet Ching Bay.
3 August 1942:
At Yuet Ching Bay, replenishes auxiliary gunboat TOSHO MARU with fresh food.
4 August 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat DAIGEN MARU No. 7 with fresh food.
E 4 ~ 13 August 1942:
Departs Yuet Ching Bay for Sijiao Island, China.
13 August 1942:
At Jiangnan (Kiangnan), Shanghai, replenishes auxiliary gunboat UNKAI MARU No. 10 with fresh food.
E 13 ~ 15 August 1942:
Departs Sijiao Island for Ryan Chong (Rui’an, Wenchow, now Wenzhou), China.
15 August 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat NISSHO MARU No. 12 with fresh food. Departs Ryan Chong. Off Le Qing Ao replenishes auxiliary gunboat DAIGEN MARU No. 7 with fresh food. Arrives at Feiyunjiang Chong later that day
16 August 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat TOSHO MARU with fresh food.
E 16 ~ 26 August 1942:
Departs Feiyunjiang Chong, China for Shipu, China.
26 August 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat NISSHO MARU No. 12 with fresh food.
E 26 August ~ 7 September 1942:
Departs Shipu.
7 September 1942:
At Nanji Shan, China replenishes auxiliary gunboat DAIGEN MARU No. 7 with fresh food.
E 7 ~ 9 September 1942:
Arrives at Taichow (now Taizhou) Islands, China.
9 September 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat TOSHO MARU with fresh food.
E 9 ~ 16 September 1942:
Departs Taichow Islands for Sijiao Island.
16 September 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat UNKAI MARU No. 10 with fresh food.
E 16 ~ 18 September 1942:
Departs Sijiao Island.
18 September 1942:
At Dinghai, China replenishes auxiliary gunboat DAIGEN MARU No. 7 with fresh food.
19 September 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat NISSHO MARU No. 12 with fresh food. Arrives at Qi Kou Yang, China.
20 September 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat TOSHO MARU with fresh food. Departs Qi Kou Yang and arrives at Hei Niu Bay, China later that day.
21 September 1942:
Departs Hei Niu Bay and arrives at Fuyao Island, China later that day. Later departs for Sijiao Island.
28 September 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboats HYAKUFUKU MARU and UNKAI MARU No. 10 with fresh food.
E 28 September ~ 1 October 1942:
Departs Sijiao Island for Taichow Islands.
1 October 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat DAIGEN MARU No. 7 with fresh food.
E 1 ~ 4 October 1942:
Departs Taichow Islands for Dinghai.
4 October 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat TOSHO MARU with fresh food.
E 4 ~ 26 October 1942:
Departs Dinghai for Sijiao Island.
26 October 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat UNKAI MARU No. 10 with fresh food.
E 26 ~ 29 October 1942:
Departs Sijiao Island for Shipu.
29 October 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat NISSHO MARU No. 12 with fresh food.
E 29 ~ 30 October 1942:
Departs Shipu for Hei Niu Bay.
30 October 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat DAIGEN MARU No. 7 with fresh food.
E 30 October ~ 9 November 1942:
Departs Hei Niu Bay for Sijiao Island.
9 November 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat HYAKUFUKU MARU with fresh food. Later this day departs Sijiao Island for Wusong (Woosung). Replenishes auxiliary gunboat UNKAI MARU No. 10 with fresh food.
E 9 ~ 13 November 1942:
Departs Wusong for Shipu.
13 November 1943:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboats TOSHO MARU and NISSHO MARU No. 12 with fresh food.
E 13 ~ 24 November 1942:
Departs Shipu for Dinghai.
24 November 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat DAIGEN MARU No. 7 with fresh food.
E 24 ~ 25 November 1942:
Departs Dinghai for Shipu.
25 November 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboats TOSHO MARU and NISSHO MARU No. 12 with fresh food.
E 25 November ~ 4 December 1942:
Departs Shipu for Sijiao Island.
4 December 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat HYAKUFUKU MARU with fresh food.
E 4 ~ 7 December 1942:
Departs Sijiao Island for Taichow Islands.
7 December 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboats and DAIGEN MARU No. 7 and TOSHO MARU with fresh food.
E 7 ~ 18 December 1942:
Departs Taichow Islands for Sijiao Island.
18 December 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboats and UNKAI MARU No. 10 and HYAKUFUKU MARU with fresh food.
E 18 ~ 21 December 1942:
Departs Sijiao Island for Dinghai.
21 December 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat NISSHO MARU No. 12 with fresh food.
E 21 ~ 22 December 1942:
Arrives at Taichow Islands.
22 December 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboats and DAIGEN MARU No. 7 and TOSHO MARU with fresh food.
E 22 ~ 30 December 1942:
Departs Taichow Islands for Sijiao Island.
30 December 1942:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat UNKAI MARU No. 10 with fresh food.
E 30 December 1942 ~ 3 January 1943:
Departs Sijiao Island for Shipu.
31 December 1942:
Attached to Vice Admiral Takasu Shiro’s (35) Southwestern Area Fleet under instruction No. 281.
3 January 1943:
Replenishes auxiliary gunboat SHINKO MARU No. 1 GO with fresh food.
31 March 1943:
Her owners are changed to Nihon Kaiyo Gyogyo Tosei K.K.
1 April 1943:
Attached to Vice Admiral Samejima Tomoshige’s (37) Eight Fleet as an auxiliary stores ship, (Otsu) category. [3]
28 December 1943:
Damaged in collision S of Torishima, Izu Island Chain.
10 May 1944:
Attached to the Yokosuka Naval District.
10 November 1944 :
Sinks. [4]
30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy list under instruction No. 301730.

Authors' Notes:
[1] Not to be confused with tug (152 GRT, ’35), IJA transport No. 595 (1921 GRT, ’36), IJA transport No. 1019 (481 GRT, ’35), wartime std. 2D Type (2,202 GRT, ’45) or many fishing boats that share this name.
[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.
[3] There were two categories of Kyuryosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
[4] Cause and casualties are unknown.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.

- Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.

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