Japanese Oilers

YUSOSEN!

(TAINAN MARU in wartime)
IJN TAINAN MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2016 Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall
Revision 3

1942:
Laid down by Ishikawajima Zosensho, Tokyo for Nittetsu Kisen K.K. as a Peacetime K ore carrier. While on the stocks converted to a tanker.
3 February 1943:
Completed and named TAINAN MARU. [1]
5 February 1943:
Departs Tokyo and later that day arrives at Yokosuka.
8 February 1943:
Departs Yokosuka.
11 February 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
23 February 1943:
Departs Kure.
24 February 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama.
26 February 1943:
At 1700, departs Tokuyama.
27 February 1943:
Off Fukajima joined by cable minelayer TSURUSHIMA and minelayer YURIJIMA who escort her south.
E 28 February 1943:
The escorts are detached at 29N.
13 March 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
23 March 1943:
Departs Singapore.
25 March 1943:
Arrives at Miri.
26 March 1943:
Departs Miri.
30 March 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
31 March 1943:
At 1830, departs St Jacques in convoy No. 484 with NITTATSU MARU and five unidentified merchant ships escorted by torpedo boat SAGI.
6 April 1943:
At 1730, arrives at Takao.
9 April 1943:
At 1200, departs Takao in convoy No. 250 with NITTATSU MARU and five unidentified merchant ships escorted by torpedo boat SAGI.
14 April 1943:
At 1100, arrives at Moji.
17 April 1943:
Arrives at Yokohama.
18 April 1943:
Transfers from Yokohama to Kawasaki.
21 April 1943:
Transfers from Kawasaki to Tokyo.
28 April 1943:
Transfers from Tokyo to Yokohama.
30 April 1943:
Transfers from Yokohama to Tokyo.
1 May 1943:
Departs Tokyo in convoy No. 7430 also consisting of KOTAI and SHINSHU (4182 grt) MARUs and one unidentified ship escorted by torpedo boat MANAZURU.
4 May 1943:
Arrives at Wakamatsu.
5 May 1943:
Departs Wakamatsu.
22 May 1943:
Arrives at Miri.
4 June 1943:
Departs Miri.
8 June 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
10 June 1943:
Departs St Jacques and later that day arrives at Saigon.
18 June 1943:
Departs Saigon and later that day arrives at St Jacques.
21 June 1943:
At 1600, departs St Jacques, Indochina in convoy No. 404 also consisting of IJN auxiliary tankers KONSAN, KYOKUYO and RONSAN MARUs, IJA transports HAVRE (5652 grt) and SHINKYO (5204 grt) MARUs and four unidentified merchant ships escorted by kaibokan MATSUWA.
27 June 1943:
Arrives at Takao, Formosa (now Kaoshiung, Taiwan).
1 July 1943:
At 0930, departs Takao in D convoy also consisting of HAVRE (5652 gt), SHINKYO, KONSAN, TEIFU (ex-French BOUGAINVILLE), CHOJO, SHONAN (5859 gt), TAJIMA MARUs and one unidentified merchant ship escorted by old destroyer SANAE.
6 July 1943:
At 2000, arrives at Moji. Later arrives at Tokuyama.
9 July 1943:
Departs Tokuyama.
10 July 1943:
Arrives at Wakamatsu.
19 July 1943:
Departs Wakamatsu. At 0600, departs Moji in N convoy consisting of HAVRE (5652), HOKUYO, RONSAN MARUs and Fleet oiler TSURUMI and four unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer ASAKAZE.
24 July 1943:
At 1100, arrives at Mako and departs later the same day in convoy No. 310 also consisting of TAKETSU (BUTSU) MARU and one unidentified ship without escort. TAKETSU (BUTSU) and TAINAN MARUs sail together in the second part of the convoy.
31 July 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
2 August 1943:
Departs St Jacques and later that day arrives at Saigon.
7 August 1943:
Departs Saigon.
11 August 1943:
Arrives at Miri.
13 August 1943:
Departs Miri.
17 August 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
20 August 1943:
Departs Singapore in convoy No. 614 also consisting of RONSAN MARU and two unidentified ships without escort.
23 August 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
30 August 1943:
Departs St Jacques in convoy No. 422 also consisting of KONSAN and TAIRIN MARUs and thirteen unidentified merchant ships escorted by subchaser CH-19.
E 1 September 1943:
CH-19 is detached from the convoy and returns to Camranh Bay. The convoy later splits into three parts.
7 September 1943:
Arrives at Mako.
11 September 1943:
At 1200, departs Mako in convoy No. 203 also consisting of KONSAN MARU and five unidentified merchant ships escorted by old destroyer KURETAKE.
17 September 1943:
At 1430, arrives at Moji.
19 September 1943:
Arrives at Shimotsu.
24 September 1943:
Transfers from Shimotsu to Osaka.
27 September 1943:
Transfers from Osaka port to Fujinagata Zosen shipyard and undergoes repairs.
23 October 1943:
Repairs are completed.
24 October 1943:
Departs Osaka.
25 October 1943:
Arrives at Wakamatsu.
30 October 1943:
Departs Wakamatsu. At 1600, departs Mutsure in convoy No. 110 also consisting of ASAHISAN, MALTA, HANAKAWA, TERUKAWA, TEIKA (ex-French CAP VARELLA), KIZAN, YOZAN, SANKO, SEIZAN, TEIKON (ex-German WINNETOU), OSHIMA, CHINKAI, TOYO, YULIN, SHINKOKU and SEIWA MARUs escorted by patrol boat PB-2 and auxiliary gunboat KAZAN (HUASHAN) MARU.
4 November 1943:
At 1410, arrives at Takao.
6 November 1943:
Transfers from Takao to Mako.
7 November 1943:
Departs Mako in convoy No. 336 also consisting of TEIKA (ex-French CAP VARELLA), TEIYO, TERUKAWA, KISHU, SEIWA, YULIN, SHORYU, YAMAKO (SANKO) and SEIZAN MARUs without escort.
14 November 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
15 November 1943:
Departs St Jacques.
18 November 1943:
At 0830, arrives at Miri.
20 November 1943:
Departs Miri with YAMAKO (SANKO) MARU escorted by auxiliary patrol boat TOSHI MARU No. 2.
23 November 1943:
Arrives at St Jacques.
24 November 1943:
At 1300, departs St Jacques in convoy No. 444 also consisting of IJA shared passenger/cargo TEIRITSU MARU (ex-French LECONTE DE LISLE), IJN auxiliary transports MANKO (4471 gt), TARUSHIMA and (ex-submarine tender) SANTOS MARUs, IJA shared tanker OGURASAN MARU and three unidentified ships escorted by auxiliary gunboat KAZAN (HUASHAN) MARU. OGURASAN MARU carries a cargo of aviation gasoline.
26 November 1943:
At 0445, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Walter T. Griffith's (USNA ’34) USS BOWFIN (SS-287) torpedoes and sinks OGURASAN MARU carrying aviation gasoline, at 13-25N, 109-30E. 30 crewmen are killed and there are only two survivors. That same morning, at about 1000, BOWFIN torpedoes and sinks TAINAN MARU in the same vicinity. 24 crewmen are KIA.

[1] Not to be confused with IJA transport No. 408 (3,175 GRT, ’97) or civilian cargo ship (C-AK) (1,989, ’42).
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
- Berend van der Wal, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.

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