YUSOSEN!
(SUNOSAKI in 1943)
IJN SUNOSAKI: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2005-2017 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 7
25 March 1942:
Yokohama. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' dockyard as hull number 103, a 4,465-ton aviation gasoline tanker.
28 December 1942:
Launched and named SUNOSAKI.
1 February 1943:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Niimi Kazutaka (40)(former CO of TOHO MARU) is posted as Chief Equipping Officer.
15 May 1943:
Yokohama. Completed and registered in the IJN as a transport in the Yokosuka Naval District. Attached directly to the Combined Fleet. Captain Niimi is the Commanding Officer.
7 June 1943:
At 1428, SUNOSAKI and ASHIZURI departs Yokosuka escorted by patrol boat PB-101.
9 June 1943:
At 0950, arrives at Yura and departs there at 1400. At 1745, arrives at Kobe.
15 June 1943:
At 0900, departs Sasebo for Balikpapan. Together with ASHIZURI that has also left Sasebo, joins convoy TA-504 consisting of KUROSHIO and TIENTSIN (TENSHIN) MARUs escorted by minelayer HIRASHIMA. The convoy sails for Takao at 12 knots.
18 June 1943:
At 1300 arrives at Takao.
21 June 1943:
At about 0900 departs Takao in Z Convoy also consisting of tanker KUROSHIO MARU and naval oiler ASHIZURI escorted by old destroyer WAKATAKE for St Jacques.
9 July 1943:
At 1900, SUNOSAKI departs Palembang.
12 July 1943:
At 0755, minesweeper W-16 departs Balikpapan to meet up with Naval oilers ASHIZURI and SUNOSAKI at Aru Bank. At 2227 the ships all arrive at Balikpapan.
2 September 1943:
SUNOSAKI departs Moji in convoy SA-12 also consisting of tankers RYUEI MARU and YAMAMIZU MARU No. 2, and Naval tanker ASHIZURI.
4 September 1943:
East China Sea. LtCdr Ian C. Eddy’s (USNA ’30) USS PARGO (264) torpedoes and damages RYUEI MARU at 30-06N, 128-02E, but she is able to continue.
14 September 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
5 October 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
13 October 1943:
Arrives at Yokohama. Undergoes repairs.
4 November 1943:
Captain Shimazu Nobuo (42) assumes command. Captain Niimi is reassigned to the Yokosuka Naval District.
12 November 1943:
Departs Yokosuka. Engages in local transport in the home islands.
15 November 1943:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Togo Jiro (41) assumes command.
6 December 1943:
Departs Sasebo. Joins the second echelon of convoy HI-23 that departed Moji on 5 December. The second echelon consists of oilers with SUNOSAKI. TATEKAWA, ITSUKUSHIMA and BOKUEI MARUs and probably TAKASAKI, all escorted by OSE (ex-Dutch GENOTA). Oiler RYUEI MARU and passenger cargo ships AKI and NOSHIRO MARUs are also in the convoy. [1]
17 December 1943:
Arrives at Seletar Naval Base, Singapore.
8 January 1944:
Departs Seletar transporting light oil.
16 January 1944:
Departs Singapore sailing at 14 knots in the special supplementary high speed "Sunosaki Convoy"convoy consisting of SUNOSAKI, cargo passenger ship TSUKUSHI MARU, transport KUNIKAWA MARU and another unidentified ship with an unknown escort.
27 January 1944:
Arrives at Mutsure.
31 January 1944:
Arrives at Osaka. Thereafter, sails to Yokosuka.
25 February 1944:
At Truk.
5 March 1944:
Departs Yokosuka.
8 March 1944:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
9 March 1944:
Departs Tokuyama. Later this day arrives at Moji.
11 March 1944:
Departs Moji. Later this day arrives at Sasebo.
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 Singapore with the Naval tanker SHIOYA.
27 March 1944:
The Sunosaki-convoy arrives at Manila.
29 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. (NB: SHIOYA arrival at Balikpapan is delayed by several hours due to unspecified problem and arrives at Balikpapan on 3 April 1944).
18 April 1944:
Departs Balikpapan in a convoy also consisting of tankers GENYO, KOKUYO and YUHO MARUs, escorted by destroyers OKINAMI, TANIKAZE and URAKAZE and kaibokan KANJU.
26 April 1944:
Arrives at Saipan, Marianas. Transfers some aviation gasoline cargo to small auxiliary tanker KYOEI MARU.
28 April 1944:
Resumes transfer to KYOEI MARU.
29 April 1944:
Departs Saipan in convoy also consisting of tankers GENYO, KOKUYO and YUHO MARUs, escorted by destroyers OKINAMI, TANIKAZE and URAKAZE and kaibokan KANJU.
7 May 1944:
At 1100 arrives at Balikpapan. Loads fuel oil.
13 May 1944:
At 0800 departs Balikpapan in convoy with GENYO and KOKUYO MARUs escorted by destroyers TANIKAZE and URAKAZE.
15 May 1944:
At 1135 arrives at Tawi Tawi, Philippines. SUNOSAKI comes alongside battleship YAMATO.
23 May 1944:
Departs Tawi Tawi for Palau.
26 May 1944:
Arrives at Palau.
7 June 1944:
Departs Davao escorted by kaibokan CD-22.
9 June 1944:
At 1000 arrives at Palau.
11 June 1944:
Departs Palau for Tarakan escorted by kaibokan CD-22.
15 June 1944:
Arrives at Tarakan and stays in readiness until end of June.
18 July 1944:
SUNOSAKI is attached to the Southwest Area Fleet.
1 August 1944:
Damage report: serious damage, hit by torpedo port side chain locker, hull crushed forward of FR15 below main deck, hull cracked forward of FR25 main deck, middle deck from FR15 to FR35 bent and cracked, flooding. No hindrance to engine and steering. Ordered to Manila for emergency repairs.
NE of Borneo. At about 1100, LtCdr Frank G. Selby’s (USNA ’33) USS PUFFER (SS-268) makes a submerged attack on SUNOSAKI north of the Sibutu Passage. Selby fires six torpedoes and claims two hits at 05-08N, 119-32E. USS PUFFER’s crew hears breaking up noises and Selby claims a sinking, but SUNOSAKI does not sink.
21 August 1944:
At 0627, SUNOSAKI departs Bongao escorted by patrol boat PB-103 and auxiliary subchaser TERUKAZE MARU. At 1856 arrives at Jolo. The two escorts stay with SUNOSAKI until her arrival at Manila.
22 August 1944:
At 0633, SUNOSAKI and escorts depart Jolo and at 1625 arrive at Zamboanga.
24 August 1944:
At 1052, SUNOSAKI and escorts depart Zamboanga, but at 1324 returns to Zamboanga because of engine malfunction.
25 August 1944:
At 1025, SUNOSAKI and escorts depart Zamboanga.
26 August 1944:
At 1910, arrives at Cebu.
28 August 1944:
At 0615, SUNOSAKI departs Cebu escorted by patrol boat PB-103. At 1825 arrives at Cabugao.
28 August 1944:
At 0615, SUNOSAKI departs Cebu still escorted by PB-103. At 1825 arrives at Cabugao (11-34-06N, 123-20-52E), off NE coast of Panay.
29 August 1944:
At 0614 departs Cabugao. At 1801 arrives at Bulan, off the north end of Burias Island.
30 August 1944:
At 0750, departs Bulan. At 1535 arrives at Santa Cruz, N coast of Marinduque Island.
31 August 1944:
At 0650 departs Santa Cruz. At 1556 arrives at Puerto Galera, N coast of Mindoro.
1 September 1944:
At 0830 PB-103 departs Puerto Galera escorting oiler SUNOSAKI. At 1630 arrives at Manila. After a month long journey through the Philippines, SUNOSAKI finally arrives at Manila. She is placed in the Dewey Drydock for repairs. [2]
14 September 1944:
Departs Hamilo Cove (14-10-45N, 120-35-28E), Batangas Province, Luzon, just southward to Manila Bay entrance.
21 September 1944:
Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Marc A. Mitscher's (USNA ’10) (former CO of USS HORNET, CV-8) Task Force 38 begins air strikes on shipping in Manila and Subic Bays, Cavite Navy Yard and Clark and Nichols Air Fields near Manila.
Manila. Task Group 38.1, 38.2 and 38.3's planes sink over 20 ships at Manila and damage many more. At Cavite, SUNOSAKI, still in drydock, is hit by bombs that ignite her ammunition store room and cause a fire. The number of casualties is unknown, but Captain Togo survives the attack.
4 October 1944:
Undocked and towed to sea. The wrecked SUNOSAKI is abandoned in Manila Bay near a lighthouse.
10 December 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
[1] Part 1 of convoy HI-23 departed 1 Dec '43 and consisted of oilers OMUROSAN, ICHIU and ASASHIO MARUs and two other ships escorted by NAMIKAZE. Oiler RYUEI MARU and passenger cargo ships AKI and NOSHIRO MARUs were also in the convoy, but which part is unclear.
[2] Built in 1905 in Virginia for the U.S. Navy, the drydock was named after Admiral Dewey of Spanish-American war fame. She was an 18,500-ton floating-type drydock and could accommodate a 20,000-ton battleship. The Dewey Drydock served at Subic Bay for 35 years. In July 1941, she was towed to Mariveles harbor, Bataan. On April 8, 1942, she was scuttled to prevent her falling into Japanese hands. After the fall of the Philippines, the Japanese raised the drydock, but later it was sunk again by the Americans.
Thanks to Matt Jones of USA and Gilbert Casse of France. Thanks also to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
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