E March 1945:
Reserve LtCdr Nakamura Fukujuro is appointed Chief Equipping Officer.
26 April 1945:
Completed and registered in the IJN. LtCdr Nakamura is the Commanding Officer. The same day attached to the Kure Naval District and assigned to the anti-sub training force of the Kure Guard Unit.
28 April 1945:
Departs Tama for Kure. Later this day arrives at Kure where Takane is provisioned and ammunitioned.
April -May 1945:
Undergoes training and conducts anti-submarine exercises in Nanao Bay.
1 May 1945:
Reserve Lt Okubo Tadataka is posted Chief Mine Officer.
5 May 1945:
After completion of training, TAKANE is attached to to the Maizuru Naval District in the newly formed 51st Division.
12 May 1945:
Departs Kure for Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture. Later this day calls at Moji.
17 May 1945:
Departs Moji. While transiting Kammon Strait together with three unknown consort ships, the #3 ship is hit by a mine and becomes unnavigable. Later this day TAKANE separates from her consorts and temporarily anchors off Senzaki, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
18 May 1945:
Departs Senzaki. Later this day anchors off Taisha, Shimane Prefecture.
19 May 1945:
Departs Taisha.
20 May 1945:
Arrives at Nanao. Thereafter TAKANE undergoes almost daily an intensive anti-sub and anti-air training.
3 July 1945:
Attached to the 12th Coast Defence Unit belonging to Vice Admiral Tayui Minoru´s 1st Escort Fleet. CD-14 is the unit´s command ship. The same departs Nanao for Maizuru.
4 July 1945:
TAKANE arrives at Maizuru.
15 July 1945:
Departs Maizuru escorting cruiser SAKAWA. Later this day TAKANE and SAKAWA arrive at Nanao.
17 July 1945:
TAKANE departs Nanao. Later this day arrives at Maizuru.
22 July 1945:
At 1900 training cruiser KASHIMA and kaibokans CHIKUBU, UKURU and TAKANE depart Maizuru. Later CHIKUBU and UKURU are detached.
23 July 1945:
KASHIMA and TAKANE arrive and anchor N of Nanao.
28 July 1945:
At 1835, the Teiritsu Maru convoy consisting of TEIRITSU MARU (ex-Vichy French LECONTE DE LISLE) and two other cargo ships depart Nishi-Maizuru Anchorage bound for Rashin escorted by TAKANE and one other kaibokan. At 1907, when arriving at the entrance of Maizuru Bay, at 35-32N, 135-20E, 213 degrees 1,650 meters from Bakuchi-misaki Lighthouse, TEIRITSU MARU hits a moored Japanese mine in her port side engine room. Four crewmen are KIA. While shifting rudder trying to reach the nearby shore, TEIRITSU
MARU´s engines stop. At 1930, driven by inertia, TEIRITSU MARU´s bow runs aground south of the Army jetty at Bakuchi-misaki. Thereafter, flooding continues, but all passengers and troops are safely landed. About 2230, TEIRITSU MARU´s stern is partly submerged. Later, her complete stern is under water. In the meantime, the convoy turns back to Maizuru Bay.
29 July 1945:
At dawn, the remaining two cargo ships again depart Maizuru Bay for Rashin escorted by TAKANE and one other kaibokan.At 1300, TAKANE´s escort duty is finished and she returns to Maizuru. At 1930, TAKANE temporarily anchors off Obama Harbor, Fukui Prefecture.
July 1945:
Near Tsugaru Strait. Engages in anti-aircraft and anti-submarine protection of convoys.
30 July 1945:
Iwo Jima. At 0645, an OA10 (ARMY PBY) Consolidated "Catalina" 44-33905, call sign 'Playmate 29', piloted by 1st Lt John Rairich takes off. Later, four USS YORKTOWN (CV-10) Grumman F6F "Hellcat" night fighters take off and join up as escorts. The group has to cross Honshu twice in the course of their lifeguard mission.
At 0800, TAKANE departs Obama Harbor for Maizuru. At 0900, TAKANE receives an order to join CD-14 and CD-158 for an anti-sub sweep because an enemy submarine had appeared off Noto Peninsula (NB: CD-14 and CD-158 had departed Maizuru on 28 July 1945 for anti-sub sweep). TAKANE alters course and follows CD-14 and CD-158.
After 0959, the three escorts are attacked by a mixed squadron of Grumman F6F "Hellcats" and Vought F4U "Corsairs" of Vice Admiral (later Admiral) John S. McCain's Task Force 38. The attacks continue until 1100. First, TAKANE´s lookouts discover six to seven enemy planes 30 degree to port side, angle 70 degree. LtCdr Nakamura at once orders “AA battle stations”. A signalman is ordered to raise the battle flag. The three kaibokan then engage in a fierce AA-battle and claim shooting down four to five enemy planes.
36 crew including TAKANE´s navigation officer Lt Nakazono Naoshi are KIA. Lt Nakazono is shot in the chest while running up to the bridge and dies instantly. More than 40 crew including CO, LtCdr Nakamura Fukujuro are wounded. LtCdr Nakamura´s left ankle is crushed by a shell splinter. The heavy strafing causes countless holes in TAKANE´s hull and superstructure and also ignites a drum filled with gasoline on her port quarter upper deck. The heavy oil tank is holed near the waterline and heavy oil leaks into the sea.About 1330, TAKANE is about 10 nm W of Echizen-misaki, Fukui Prefecture when she receives an order from the CO of the 12th Coast Defence Unit to return to Maizuru due to her
serious damages. She separates from her consort ships and proceeds to Maizuru.
A USS YORKTOWN F4U "Corsair" FG-1D, BuNo. 92037, piloted by Ltjg Donald R. Penn of VBF-88 is brought down by flak in Maizuru harbor. About 1730, near Naryu-saki, Kyoto (Urban) Prefecture, TAKANE discovers a big enemy seaplane floating ahead of her and about to rescue a downed pilot. At once, all hands are called to battle stations and TAKANE closes at full speed for an attack, but TAKANE is attacked by the four F6F "Hellcat" screening fighters. The fight lasts for about 20 minutes. During this time, the seaplane takes off and escapes. However, the AA fire from TAKANE takes down F6F-5, BuNo. 72043, flown by Ltjg Henry H. O'Meara of VF-88 who has to parachute into the sea. The OA10 turns around and lands again to pick him up while the F6Fs continue to strafe.
At about 2015, after this second rescue, Lt Rairich's OA10 PBY takes off again and brings both pilots back to American lines where all personnel are taken off by a boat from destroyer USS NORMAN SCOTT (DD-690). The OA-10A is sunk by gunfire about 2300. This surely ranks as one of the more epic "Dumbo" rescues. [1]
Just after 1900, TAKANE finally arrives at the entrance to Maizuru Bay and carefully passes through the mine field. At about 2000, TAKANE enters Maizuru Harbor where the dead and wounded crewmen are landed and taken to the Navy hospital. Later, TAKANE is taken to the Maizuru Navy Yard for repairs while LtCdr Yoshii Toshio ((59)(former Navigator, AOTAKA) is appointed new CO.
15 August 1945:
Maizuru Navy Yard. TAKANE is still undergoing repairs when Emperor Hirohito (Showa) broadcasts an Imperial Rescript from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo that calls for an end to hostilities.
20 August 1945:
TAKANE departs Maizuru for Kure.
22 August 1945:
Arrives at Kure.
5 October 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
27 November 1947:
Scrapped.
Authors' Notes:
[1] For his actions, USAAF 1st Lt John Rairich received the Navy Cross.
Many thanks go to Erich Muehthaler of Germany for the almost complete rewrite of the TROM in Rev 1. Thanks also go to readers Jim Sawruk, George Kernahan and Matthew Jones for their input to J-Air on this TROM .
-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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