Dai 1 Go-gata Yusokan

© 2014-2015 Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp

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4 January 1945:
Kure Naval Arsenal Laid down as Ship No. 2920, a 1,500-ton No. 1 class landing ship.

24 February 1945:
Launched and numbered T.20

1 March 1945:
Lt Miwa Yunoshin (66)(former gunnery officer of ISOKAZE) is appointed Chief Equipping Officer.

23 April 1945:
Completed. Attached to Kure Naval District. Assigned to the 31st Naval Transportation Unit. Lt Miwa Yunoshin is the Commanding Officer.

27 April 1945:
Departs Kure, carrying eight "Kaiten " human torpedoes intended for the unit at Aburatsu harbor, Kyushu. Arrives at Aburatsu that evening.

28 April 1945:
Unloads her cargo, departs Aburatsu for Kure.

29 April 1945:
Returns to Kure.

3 May 1945:
Kure. Embarks eight "Kaiten" human torpedoes for the "Kaiten" unit in Hikari, returns after one among them is found to be defective. Departs later that day, arrives at Hikari the following day, unloads her cargo and returns to Kure.

6 May 1945:
Kure. Embarks eight "Kaiten" human torpedoes for the "Kaiten" units in Hikari and Susaki, Shikoku. Makes a stop at Hikari and arrives at Susaki on that same day, unloading her cargo.

20 May 1945:
Otsujima, Tokuyama Bay. Embarks unspecified cargo (possibly "Kaiten" human torpedoes), later departs for Hikari.

22 May 1945:
Arrives at Hikari, unloads her cargo. Embarks eight "Kaitens" (four of them training craft) and departs for Yokosuka.

25 May 1945:
Arrives at Yokosuka.

29 May 1945:
Departs Yokosuka to ferry "Kaitens" to Hachijo Jima, Izu Archipelago, returns to Yokosuka.

Early June 1945:
Departs Yokosuka to ferry "Kaitens" on her second supply run to Hachijo Jima, returns to Yokosuka on 15 June.

16 July 1945:
Departs Yokosuka for Kure, carrying four "Kairyu" type midget submarines, stops at Shimizu, Yura and Kamikamagari Jima Island (Inland Sea) en route.

19 July 1945:
Arrives at Kure.

21 July 1945:
At Kure. Embarks eight "Kaitens" in addition to four "Kairyus" that are already aboard.

24 July 1945: The Final Destruction of the Imperial Japanese Navy:
Kure. After 0930 T.20 is repeatedly attacked and receives minor damage.

After 1740 four "Kairyu" type midget submarines are landed.

28 July 1945:
At Kure. During the Third Fleet's next attack on Kure T.20 fires back at the attacking aircraft without receiving any damage.

5 August 1945:
Departs Kure on a transport mission, but strikes a mine off Otsujima, receiving minor damage.

6 August 1945:
Returns to Kure, laid up.

15 August 1945:
At Kure. Survives the war. Surrendered to the Allied Occupation Forces. [1]

26 August 1945:
Designated as transport vessel, 1st Reserve.

6-15 October 1945:
Drydocked at Uraga for repairs.

18 October 1945:
Departs Uraga for Guam.

20 October 1945:
Arrives at Guam, departs for Uraga soon thereafter.

26 October 1945:
Returns to Uraga.

1 December 1945:
Removed from the Navy List. Designated as special transport/repatriation vessel. Assigned to the Allied Repatriation Service. [2]

Undergoes repairs at Ishikawajima shipyard until 15 December.

20 December 1945:
Designated as special transport/repatriation vessel No. 20. Departs Uraga for a repatriation voyage stopping at Guam, Yap, Palau, and Keelung.

26 December 1945:
Arrives at Guam, departs for Yap Island, Carolines, that same day.

28 December 1945:
Arrives at Yap, departs for Palau that same day.

29 December 1945:
Arrives at Palau, departs for Guam that same day.

30 December 1945:
Arrives at Guam.

2 January 1946:
Departs Guam for Keelung, Taiwan.

8 January 1946:
Arrives at Keelung, departs for Uraga on the 13 January.

17 January 1946:
Returns to Uraga.

20 January-10 February 1946:
Underegoes repairs at Ishikawajima shipyard.

13 February 1946:
Departs Uraga for a repatriation voyage stopping at Guam, Saipan, and Okinawa.

18 February 1946:
Arrives at Guam, departs for Saipan that same day.

21 February 1946:
Arrives at Saipan, departs for Okinawa that same day.

26 February 1946:
Arrives at Saipan, departs for Uraga that same day.

28 February 1946:
Returns to Uraga.

6 March-10 April 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Kobe.

17 April 1946:
Departs Osaka for a repatriation voyage stopping at Rabaul (26-27 April) and Guam (1-2 May).

6 May 1946:
Returns to Uraga. Undergoes repairs until 19 May.

8 June 1946:
Departs Uraga for a repatriation voyage stopping at Shanghai (12 June) and Kagoshima (14-18 June), then returns to Shanghai (21-24 June) and Kagoshima (28 June).

14 July 1946:
Departs Kagoshima for Korojima (near Tsientsin).

17 July 1946:
Arrives at Korojima, departs for Hakata ten days later.

30 July 1946:
Arrives at Hakata.

9 August 1946:
Departs Hakata for Korojima, arriving on the 12 August.

14 August 1946:
Departs Korojima for Hakata.

17 August 1946:
Returns to Hakata.

28 August-10 September 1946:
Undergoes repairs at Tamano Shipyard.

25 September 1946:
Formosa (Taiwan) Straits. While performing repatriation duties, the former T.20 runs aground and is wrecked near Jibei Island, Penghu. Deemed a comprehensive total loss, she is abandoned there.

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Author's Notes:
[1] No data were found for T.20's wartime movements from Apr to Sep '45. Readers with access to any such data are requested to post the information on the Discussion and Questions board or j-aircraft.org's IJN Ship Message Board

[2] Allied occupation forces were responsible for the return of six million Japanese military personnel and civilians from Japan's defunct far-flung Empire. In addition, there were over a million Korean and about 40,000 Chinese prisoners and conscript laborers and approximately 7,000 Formosans and 15,000 Ryukyu Islanders to be repatriated.

Some Allied and many former IJN warships, from aircraft carriers to kaibokan, were used to facilitate the enormous repatriation effort. Japanese vessels and crews were used to the fullest extent possible to conserve Allied manpower and accelerate demobilization. Each ex-IJN ship first had to be demilitarized; guns removed or, in the case of large warships, barrels severed, ammunition landed, and radar and catapults removed, if fitted. Repatriation of the Chinese on Japanese ships began early in October from Hakata, but U.S. guard detachments had to be placed on many ships to prevent disorder because the Japanese crews could not control the returnees.

Japanese-run repatriation centers were established at Kagoshima, Hario near Sasebo, and Hakata near Fukuoka. Other reception centers were established and operated at Maizuru, Shimonoseki, Sasebo, Senzaki, Kure, Uraga, Yokohama, Moji and Hakodate. Allied line and medical personnel supervised the centers. Incoming Japanese were sprayed with DDT, examined and inoculated for typhus and smallpox, provided with food, and transported to their final destination in Japan.

-Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp

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