YUSOSEN!
(SUNOSAKI in 1943)IJN TAKASAKI:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2007-2018 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Revision 4
16 July 1942:
Yokohama. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ shipyard.
3 May 1943:
Launched and named TAKASAKI.
2 September 1943:
Yokohama. Completed and registered in the Yokosuka Naval District. Attached to the Department of the Navy. Captain Yoshida Rikizou (48) is the CO.
15 September 1943:
Departs Moji for Singapore.
3 October 1943:
TAKASAKI departs Singapore acting as escort for convoy SA-13 consisting of tankers KOZUI and NICHINAN (5175 gt)and NANEI MARUs.
11 October 1943:
The ships arrive at Takao
12 October 1943:
KOZUI MARU and TAKASAKI depart Takao leaving the other two ships behind.
14 October 1943:
LtCdr John A. Moore’s (USNA ’32) USS GRAYBACK (SS-208) torpedoes and sinks fleet tanker KOZUI MARU with the loss of three crewmen, four gunners and 21 passengers, at 27-35N, 127-30E, then eludes counterattacks by TAKASAKI.
At 1645, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from TAKASAKI that reads: "KOZUI MARU received enemy submarine torpedo attack. I am conducting hunter-killer operations.”
At 1659, codebreakers decrypt another message from TAKASAKI that reads: “KOZUI MARU sank.”
At 1902, a decrypted message reads: “Of the crew of 107, 77 embarked in NICHINAN MARU, 30 are missing, 6 killed or wounded. At 1830, left.”
26 October 1943:
At 1300 departs Yokosuka transporting aircraft gasoline to Manila, Singapore and Guam in convoy No. 7026 consisting only of TAKASAKI escorted by patrol boat PB-2. At 1445 TAKASAKI suffers a fuel pump failure but this is repaired by 1505 and the convoy resumes.
27 October 1943:
Off Tomogashima TAKASAKI detaches and steams on alone presumably to Takao.
28 October 1943:
At 1730 PB-2 arrive at Moji.
2 November 1943:
At 1500, TAKASAKI departs Takao in convoy HI-17 consisting of transports ASAMA and KACHIDOKI (ex-PRESIDENT HARRISON) and SAKITO MARUs and tankers OMUROSAN, OTORISAN, OTOWASAN, TATEKAWA, TARAKAN, ITSUKUSHIMA MARUs and landing craft depot ship AKITSU MARU escorted by destroyer FUYO.
11 November 1943:
At 1000, arrives at Singapore.
1 December 1943:
TAKASAKI departs Moji for Singapore in Part 1 of convoy HI-23 consisting of tankers OMUROSAN and ASASHIO MARUs escorted by destroyer NAMIKAZE.
5 December 1943:
The second echelon of convoy HI-23 departs Moji consisting of oilers TATEKAWA, ITSUKUSHIMA and BOKUEI MARUs escorted by fleet oiler OSE (ex-Dutch GENOTA).
Tanker RYUEI MARU and passenger cargo ships AKI and NOSHIRO MARUs were also in the convoy, but which part is unclear.
6 December 1943:
Fleet oiler SUNOSAKI from Sasebo joins convoy HI-23 at sea.
7 December 1943:
TAKASAKI departs Takao in convoy HI-23 consisting of fleet oilers SUNOSAKI and OSE, merchant tankers OMUROSAN, ICHIU, ITSUKUSHIMA, TATEKAWA, RYUEI, BOKUEI, GOYO and ICHIYO MARUs and cargo passenger ships NOSHIRO and AKI MARUs escorted by destroyer NAMIKAZE and kaibokan KANJU.
10 December 1943:
Arrives at St. Jacques, Indochina. The convoy is disbanded.
11 December 1943:
Departs Moji for Singapore.
17 December 1943:
Arrives at Seletar Naval Base, Singapore.
8 January 1944:
At 0900 departs Kobe in convoy No. 8108A consisting also of Naval transport NANKAI MARU escorted by minesweeper W-24, arriving that same day at Kushimoto Wan (Bay), Wakayama Prefecture.
9 January 1944:
Departs Kushimoto Wan arriving at 2030 that same day at Shimizu.
10 January 1944:
Departs Kushimoto Wan arriving that same day at Shimizu.
5 February 1944:
Attached directly to the Combined Fleet
21 February 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo from Singapore.
3 April 1944:
Departs Saipan in the "Takasaki convoy" consisting of fleet oilers TAKASAKI and TSURUMI escorted by patrol boat PB-31.
6 April 1944:
An enemy submarine attacks, but is driven off by depth charges.
14 April 1944:
At 0620, arrives at Tarakan.
17 April 1944:
At 0630, departs Tarakan.
19 April 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.
12 May 1944:
Departs Balikpapan for Saipan with auxiliary gasoline tanker ASHIZURI after delivering 3700 kiloliters of gasoline for the First Air Fleet. The kaibokan MANJU escorts the ships as far as Zamboanga.
20 May 1944:
Arrives at Saipan.
28 May 1944:
Departs Saipan in Takasaki convoy with ASHIZURI, and destroyer MINAZUKI and kaibokans KANJU and MIYAKE as escorts.
30 May 1944:
Arrives at Yap.
1 June 1944:
At 0600 departs Yap for Balikpapan. Auxiliary submarine chaser CHa-27 joins the escort for a time.
5 June 1944:
Sulu Sea, NE of Borneo. LtCdr Frank G. Selby’s (USNA ’33) USS PUFFER (SS-268) torpedoes and sinks TAKASAKI and ASHIZURI with unknown casualties. The tanker OKIGAWA MARU which is entering the Sibutu Passage ahead of the ships escorted by destroyer SATSUKI is undamaged. Later USS PUFFER also torpedoes and damages tanker HISHI MARU No. 2 at 06-44N, 120-54E.
10 July 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors’ Note:
Thanks go to John Whitman of the USA for info on CNO intercepts of Japanese messages and to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
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