Tokusetsu-Yusokan
IJN T.103 Class Landing Ship Tank
By Bob Hackett
with Sander Kingsepp
(Landing Ship Tank by T. Yuki)
IJN LST T.104:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2014 Bob Hackett
5 February 1944:
Numbered T.104.
12 February 1944:
Osaka. Laid down at Osaka Zosenjo as Hull No. 4.
5 February 1944:
Numbered T-104.
25 March 1944:
Launched.
25 May 1944:
Completed. Attached to the Kure Guard Office, Combined Fleet. Lt Maeda is the Commanding Officer.
24 June 1944:
Departs Kure for Yokosuka and arrives that day..
26 June 1944:
Departs Yokosuka for Iwo Jima.
1 July 1944:
Chichi Jima. T.104 embarks 85 men of the 21st Specially Established Machine Cannon Unit and three Type 96 25mm twin mount automatic cannons, Model 1 Mark 3, six Type 96 25mm single mount automatic cannons, Model 3, 3000 rounds of tracer shells and 9000 rounds of cannon shells.
2 July 1944:
Arrives at Iwo Jima and disembarks the 21st Specially Established Machine Cannon Unit and their equipment.
4 July 1944:
Chichi-jima. T-104 engages in surface-to-air combat and suffers minor damage.
18 July 1944:
At 1700, T-104 and T-152 depart Yokohama in convoy No. 3718B also consisting of IJN fast transports T-4 and KYUSHU, RYUKO, TSURUGA and YAYOI MARUs escorted by destroyers HATAKAZE and MATSU, torpedo boat CHIDORI, auxiliary minesweepers KEINAN MARU and TAMA MARU No. 6 and subchaser CH-52.
22 July 1944:
At 1400, arrives at Chichi-Jima.
15 August 1944:
Yokohama. T-104 loads IJA tanks.
28 August 1944:
T-104 sorties from Yokohama to Iwo Jima.
29 August 1944:
Arrives at Iwo Jima.
2 September 1944:
Off Chichi Jima. T-104 is damaged by aircraft of Task Group 38.4.
5 September 1944:
T. 104 is re-classified a 2nd class Yusokan.
11 September 1944:
T-104 sorties from Yokohama to Iwo Jima.
12 October 1944:
T-104 departs Yokosuka for Tateyama for fueling.
14 October 1944:
Departs Tateyama.
16 October 1944:
Arrives at Iwo Jima.
22 October 1944:
Departs Iwo Jima and arrives at Yokosuka.
16 November 1944:
Departs Yokosuka for Kure.
19 November 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
25 November 1944:
Departs Kure.
12 December 1944.
T.104 departs Manila for Japan with fast
transport T.12 and LST. T.106. [1]
200 miles SE of Takao, Formosa. At 2135, Cdr (later Admiral/CINCPACFLT)
Bernard A. Clarey's (USNA '34) USS PINTADO (SS-387) makes SJ radar contact on
three ships at 7,800 yards. At 2137, Clarey begins tracking. At 2258, the
targets are observed as three ships traveling close together making nine knots.
At 2316, the ships increase speed to 14 knots. At 2353, the targets are
observed at 2700 yards to be two large and one medium size ships. At 2355,
PINTADO fires six bow torpedoes at the targets. At 2358, three tremendous
explosions are heard; one torpedo hits the lead ship and two torpedoes hit the
second ship. [1]
13 December 1944:
At 0003, PINTADO fires four stern torpedoes at the
targets, but seems to gets no hits, however, at 0008 three tremendous explosions
are heard and one of the first two ships disappears from radar. Fast transport
T-12 sinks at 20-34N, 118-45E. [1]
15 December 1944:
Off Masinloc, near San Fernando, Philippines. At
about midnight that day, PINTADO torpedoes and sinks T.104 at 19-30N, 118-40E.
10 February 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Author's Note:
[1] LST T.106 most probably was also damaged by PINTADO on 12 Dec ‘44; she was sunk on 15 Dec ‘44 in an air attack off Masinloc
-Bob Hackett
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