Dai 1 Go-gata Yusokan
IJN No. 1 Class Fast Transport
(No. 1 Class Fast Transport T.5 by T. Yuki)
IJN Transport T.18:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2014-2015 Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp
27 October 1944:
Kure Naval Arsenal Laid down as Ship No. 2918, a 1,500-ton
No. 1 class landing ship.
30 December 1944:
Launched and numbered T.18
Attached to the Maizuru Guard Force.
11 January 1945:
Lt Niwa Masayuki (68)(former gunnery officer of HAMAKAZE) is appointed Chief Equipping
Officer of T.17 and T.18.
7 February 1945:
Lt (LtCdr, posthumously) Otsuki Masaru (67)(former torpedo officer of AOBA) is appointed
Chief Equipping Officer.
12 February 1945:
Completed. Assigned to Combined Fleet. Lt Otsuki Masaru is the Commanding Officer.
4 March 1945:
Attached to Sasebo Naval District.
Early March 1945:
T.18 departs Kure for the Second Special Attack Force’s training base at Hikari.
11-12 March 1945:
Hikari Naval Base. Embarks eight "Kaiten
" human torpedoes (one of them a training craft) and their crews, led by Lt(jg) Kawai Fujio (72).
13 March 1945:
At 1300, T.18 departs Hikari for Sasebo, carrying the Hakuryu ("White Dragon") Kaiten Unit
and its 120-strong base unit.
14-16 March 1945:
At Sasebo. Embarks provisions for Okinawa Special Base Force.
16 March 1945:
T.18 departs Sasebo for Okinawa, escorted by minelayers NUWAJIMA and SAISHU.
17 March 1945:
East China Sea, NNW of Aguni Island, Ryukyus. At 2355 (I), LtCdr Russell Kefauver’s
(USNA ’33) USS SPRINGER (SS-414) makes SJ radar contact on three ships at 22,000 yards.
18 March 1945:
At midnight, SPRINGER commences tracking the rear target, making 11 knots while heading
towards Aguni Island. By 0037, both minelayers detach to proceed to Ishigaki Island, W of Okinawa. Kefauver attempts
to chase them on the surface, but then loses the contact. He decides to attack the remaining vessel. At 0303, Kefauver
fires four bow torpedoes and observes two hits that set T.18 afire. The transport returns fire with her twin mount. At
0346, Kefauver fires another torpedo, but misses. At 0354, SPRINGER comes about and fires three stern torpedoes,
getting at least one hit. T.18 settles, but does not sink. At 0400, T.18 goes down at 26-39N, 127-13E with all 225
hands including her CO, Lt Otsuki.
10 May 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
-Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp
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