Japanese T,101 Class Landing Ship Tank

Tokusetsu-Yusokan

IJN T.103 Class Landing Ship Tank

(T.101 Class Landing Ship Tank by Takeshi Yuki)

IJN LST T.146: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2017 Bob Hackett

5 February 1944.
Numbered T.146. Alloted to the Imperial Army (IJA)
24 September 1944:
Urasaki Zosensho. Laid down Kawanami Kogyo, K. K. as a 950-ton T. 103-class landing ship tank.
30 November 1944.
Launched.
30 December 1944:
Completed. Completed as an Army boat.
25 January 1944:
Transferred to the Imperial Navy (IJN). Numbered T.146. Transport ship. Classified as a Transport Vessel, Second Class, Type 101. Based at Yokosuka Naval Base. Assigned to the 2nd Transport Corps. Lt Nomoto Nozomi is appointed Commanding Officer.
27 January 1944:
Sasebo. Lt Nomoto arrives on board.
29 January 1944:
Departs Kushigamahama and arrives at Kure. Anchors at No. 9 floating buoy.
30 January 1944:
At 1000, loads 25 tons of fresh water.
1 February 1944:
At 0800, loads sushi articles.
3 February 1944:
At 1000, loads light oil and alcohol.
6 February 1944:
1430 First anchorage on the anchor area
1 1 February 1944:
At 1300, loads 20 tons of fresh water.
14 February 1944:
Loads volatile oil. Begins installation work of machine gun bulletproof boards.
21 February 1944:
At 0845, loads various articles. Completes installation of machine gun bulletproof boards.
23 February 1944:
Loads 20 tons of fresh water and loads Sake items,
24 February 1944:
At 0800, loads 50 tons of heavy oil.
25 February 1944:
Loads 3 tons of coal.
27 February 1944:
At 0845, shelters in port (probably due to storm).
28 February 1944:
Departs Kure and arrives at Imabari.
1 March 1945:
Departs Imabari and arrives at Aioi.
2 March 1945:
Assigned to a Sasebo troop unit.
5 March 1945:
At 1100, conducts drills at Harima Shipyard
15 March 1945:
Aioi. At 1255, undocked. Conducts various trials.
16 March 1945:
Departs Aioi Bay and arrives at Saito.
17 March 1945:
Departs Saito and arrives at Sasebo. Anchors at No. 7 floating buoy.
18 March 1945:
At 1030, changes to No. 8 floating buoy.
19 March 1945:
At 0940, loads 20 tons of fresh water.
20 March 1945:
At 1030, anchors at No. 15 floating buoy.
21 March 1945:
Loads transportation items. At 2130, loads 2 tons of coal. Temporarily changes to the third quay.
22 March 1945:
From 1300~1515, loads 170 tons of heavy oil. Receives an order to prepare for an emergency transport mission from Sasebo to Miyakojima and Ishigakijima after 24 March.
24 March 1945:
At 0900, loads products. At 1015, loads 7 tons of fresh water. At 1300, loads ammunition.
25 March 1945:
Ordered to wait at Sasebo. Assigned to the 31st Transport Corps. At 0800, loads transport goods. At 1315, anchors at No. 5 floating buoy.
31 March 1945:
Sasebo. T.146, Lt Nishimura Tsunao's LST T.145 and Lt Niwa Masayuki fast transport T.17 receive orders to depart Sasebo later this day. The formation is designated O-Shima Transport Unit. Lt Niwa is appointed the CO of the unit. At 1800, the three combat transports depart Sasebo for Amami-O-Shima, Ryukyus escorted by Lt Kusumi Naotoshi's kaibokan CD-186, Lt Kimura Mitsuo's subchaser CH-17 and Lt Ijichi Shoichi's CH-49. The LSTs are carrying various supplies and T. 17 is carrying two Type D “Koryu” midget submarines. The convoy makes a brief stop in Tera-Shima Anchorage (SW of Sasebo) later that evening and continues before midnight. CH-17 is detached en route to chase a submarine but joins again later.
2 April 1945:
Early in the morning, the convoy arrives at Amami-O-Shima. Just after T. 17 disembarks her midgets, the ships are attacked by carrier planes from Rear Admiral (later Admiral/Chm, JCS) Arthur W. Radford’s (USNA '16) Task Group 58.4. T.17 is hit by two bombs and sinks. T. 145 and CD-186 also are hit and sink. TG 58. 4’s planes damage T. 146 and CH-49 at 28-07N, 129-09E.
4 April 1945:
T.146 and CH-17 depart Seso anchorage in the evening. T.146 is carrying the survivors from T.17 and CD-186.
6 April 1945:
T. 146 departs Amami-O-Shima for Sasebo escorted by subchaser CH-17.
7 April 1945:
At about 0700, they encounter Vice Admiral Ito Seiichi’s Surface Special Attack Force consisting of battleshipYAMATO escorted by DesRon 2's light cruiser YAHAGI, DesDiv 17's ISOKAZE, HAMAKAZE and YUKIKAZE, DesDiv 21's KASUMI, HATSUSHIMO and ASASHIMO, DesDiv 41's FUYUZUKI and SUZUTSUKI. A brief exchange of signals ensues.
9 April 1945:
T.146 and CH-17 arrive at Sasebo.
22 April 1945:
T. 146 and CH-17 depart Sasebo.
28 April 1945:
Fukue Shima, Goto archipelago. T. 146 and CH-17 hug the coastline. A wolfpack consisting of USS SPRINGER (SS-414), USS TREPANG (SS-412) and USS RATON (SS-270) reconoiters Tomei Harbor. At 0515, LtCdr Russell Kefauver’s (USNA ’33) USS SPRINGER sights both ships, but cannot close nearer than 6,500 yards.
S of Goto Islands, off Cape Ose, Cdr Allen R. Faust's (USNA ’36) USS TREPANG successfully approaches and fires six torpedoes at the two ships. One torpedo hits and sinks T. 146 at 32-24N, 128-0E. [1]
25 May 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Author's Note:
[1] That same day, at 0830, USS SPRINGER torpedoes and sinks CH-17 at 32-25N, 128-46E

-Bob Hackett

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