Japanese T,103 Class Landing Ship Tank

Tokusetsu-Yusokan

IJN T.103 Class Landing Ship Tank
By Bob Hackett

with Sander Kingsepp

(Landing Ship Tank by T. Yuki)

IJN LST T.106: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2014 Bob Hackett

5 February 1944:
Numbered T.106.
28 March 1944:
Osaka. Laid down at Osaka Zosenjo.
25 April 1944:
Launched and allotted to the Imperial Army.
30 June 1944:
Completed. Army Lt Hirasa is the Commanding Officer.
July 1944:
T.106 departs Osaka for Ujina.
17 August 1944:
Transports troops between Ujina and Osaka.
24 August 1944:
T-106 arrives at Yokosuka.
5 September 1944:
Transferred to the Imperial Navy. Rerated a 2nd Class Yusokan. Attached to the Yokosuka Guard Force. Navy Lt Goro Naito is appointed Commanding Officer,
10 September 1944:
T.106 departs Yokosuka for Chichi-jima and Iwo Jima.
25 September 1944:
T-106 suffers damage by heavy weather at Iwo Jima.
1 November 1944:
Lt Makoto-kata Nobuo is appointed Commanding Officer.
11 November 1944:
T.106 departs Yokosuka for Kure.
15 November 1944:
Departs Kure for Sasebo.
1 December 1944:
Departs Sasebo for Takao, Formosa (now Kaohsiung, Taiwan).
12 December 1944.
T.106 departs Takao for Manila with fast transport T.12 and LST. T.104.
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. T.106, continues on towards Manila.
15 December 1944:
Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. Task Force 38 carrier-based aircraft bomb and sink T.106 at 15-30N, 119-50E. [2]
10 February 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

Author's Note:
[1] T.106 probably was also damaged by PINTADO on 12 Dec ‘44. [2] Some sources say 15-54N, 119-50E.

-Bob Hackett

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