Japanese Oilers

YUSOSEN!

(Oiler by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")

IJN TARAKAN MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2008-2020 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.
Revision 1

10 May 1943:
Yokohama. Laid ddown at Mitsubishi Jukogyo K.K. Yokohama Zosensho as a 5,136-ton Type 1TM Wartime Standard Merchant Tanker for Mitsubishi Kisen K. K., Tokyo
27 August 1943:
Launched and named TARAKAN MARU.
10 October 1943:
Completed and registered at Tokyo. Her call sign is JGBT. Navy (Resv, unkown rank) Ito Tetsu is apppointed Commaning Officer. Requisitioned by the IJN that same day.
20 October 1943:
Rated as the 25th Navy designated ship.
1 November 1943:
At 1115, convoy HI-17 arrives at Takao, Formosa (now Kaoshiung, Taiwan) from Moji.
TARAKAN MARU, fleet oiler TAKASAKI, passenger ship KACHIDOKI MARU (ex-USS PRESIDENT HARRISON) and two unidentified merchant ships join convoy HI-17 now consisting of passenger ship ASAMA MARU and empty tankers TATEKAWA, OMUROSAN and ITSUKUSHIMA MARUs escorted by destroyer FUYO.
2 November 1943:
Departs Takao.
11 November 1943:
At 1000 arrives at Singapore.
13 December 1943:
Released to her owners.
16 December 1943:
Receives announcement of requisition by the Navy. Transfer location is Kobe. Transfer date is 27 December 1943.
27 December 1943:
TARAKAN MARU is requisitioned by the IJN.
30 December 1943:
Departs Kobe.
31 December 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama. Takes on fuel.
1 January 1944:
Registered as a specially installed transport ship (oil supply) in the Kure Naval District. Departs Tokuyama. Arrives at Moji. Tactically assigned to the Ministry of the Navy as an auxiliary transport, Otsu category, belonging tot he Kure Guard Office. [1]
10 January 1944:
At 1600, TARAKAN MARU departs Moji for Singapore in convoy HI-33 consisting of AOBASAN MARU and tankers YUHO, ASASHIO and ASANAGI MARUs and an unidentified ship escorted by kaibokan ETOROFU.
14 January 1944:
At 1933 arrives at Takao.
16 January 1944:
At 1400, departs Takao.
23 January 1944:
At 1030, the convoy arrives at Singapore.
27 January 1944:
At 1000, departs Singapore in convoy HI-34 consisting of tankers EIHO, ASANAGI, SARAWAK MARUs and three unidentified merchant ships escorted by kaibokan ETOROFU.
4 February 1944:
At 1035, arrives at Takao.
6 February 1944:
At 1030, departs Takao.
10 February 1944:
At 1000, arrives at Moji.
11 February 1944:
Arrives at Mutsure.
12 February 1944:
Departs Mutsure and later that day arrives at Osaka.
19 February 1944:
Departs Osaka.
20 February 1944:
Arrives Moji.
23 February 1944:
Departs Moji.
24 February 1944:
Arrives at Innoshima.
25 February 1944:
Drydocked.
14 March 1944:
Undocked.
16 March 1944:
Departs Innoshima. Arrives at Tokuyama. Takes on fuel.
17 March 1944:
Departs Tokuyama. Arrives at Moji.
19 March 1944:
At 1530, TARAKAN MARU departs Moji in convoy HI-55 consisting of tankers OTORISAN, ASANAGI, RYOEI and TENSHIN MARUs and passenger liner KACHIDOKI MARU (ex-PRESIDENT HARRISON) and six unidentified merchant ships escorted by destroyer HARUKAZE.
24 March 1944:
At 1200, arrives at Takao. The six unidentified merchant ships and HARUKAZE are detached.
26 March 1944:
TARAKAN MARU departs Takao in convoy HI-55 consisting of RYOEI, OTORIYAMA, KACHIDOKI (ex-PRESIDENT HARRISON), ASANAGI, and TENSHIN MARUs escorted by kaibokan MATSUWA and torpedo boat HATO. Soon after departure, RYOEI and TENSHIN MARUs develop unknown problems and return to Takao.
1 April 1944:
Assigned directly to the Combined Fleet.
2 April 1944:
South China Sea, near Anambas Islands. At 0400, a surfaced submarine is discovered. The convoy opens fire and the sub submerges. MATSUWA and HATO drop depth charges, but are unsuccessful. At 0405, LtCdr John C. Broach’s USS HAKE (SS-256) torpedoes and damages TARAKAN MARU at 01-58N, 106-20E, but she is able to continue.
At 0520, HAKE again torpedoes TARAKAN MARU, this time breaking the tanker in two. The forward part sinks, but the stern with the engine room remains afloat. TARAKAN MARU makes for Singapore at slow speed escorted by torpedo boat HATO. The rest of the convoy speeds ahead and, by 1900, arrives at Singapore.
3 April 1944:
At 1700, TARAKAN MARU and HATO arrive at Singapore.
April-August-1944:
Awaits repairs.
August-September 1944:
Undergoes repairs at Seletar Naval Base, Singapore by the IJN's No. 101 Repair Unit. TARAKAN MARU is fitted with a temporary bow and a temporary bridge is fitted on her boat deck.
4 September 1944:
Repairs are completed.
Late September 1944:
Sea trails are completed.
2 October 1944:
At 1700, TARAKAN MARU departs Singapore for Moji in convoy HI-76 consisting of oilers NICHIEI, NICHINAN (5175 gt), RYOEI, FUJISAN (1944), KUROSHIO and TOHO (1944) MARUs, ex-seaplane tender KIMIKAWA MARU and cargo ship TEIHOKU MARU escorted by escort carrier SHINYO and kaibokan MANJU, KANJU, MIYAKE, KURAHASHI and CD-28 and torpedo boat HIYODORI.
8 October 1944:
South China Sea. At 0100, LtCdr Henry D. Sturr’s USS BECUNA (SS-319) torpedoes and damages KIMIKAWA MARU at 14-12N, 115-53E. KIMIKAWA MARU, hit by two torpedoes, remains navigable. She is detached from the convoy and heads for Manila, Philippines escorted by HIYODORI and CD-28. At 0248 kaibokan MANJU carries out an anti submarine sweep.
10 October 1944:
After receiving reports of an American task force striking Okinawa, convoy HI-76 diverts to Samah (also known as Sana or Sanya), Hainan Island, China.
E 11 October 1944:
Arrives at Yulin, Hainan Island. TARAKAN MARU’s temporary bow is found leaking. Undergoes more repairs.
15 October 1944:
At 1500, the convoy arrives at Samah.
16 October 1944:
At 0745, the convoy departs Samah, but the heavy seas cause cracks in TARAKAN MARU's hull and the ship begins flooding. Returns to Samah for urgent repairs.
4 November 1944:
Departs Yulin for Takao. While at sea, TARAKAN MARU begins continuous flooding. She is forced to return to Yulin for more repairs.
5 January 1945:
At 0400, TARAKAN MARU departs Yulin for Hong Kong in convoy YUSA-FU 2 consisting of CHOKO and KATSUURA MARUs escorted by torpedo boat HATSUKARI and auxiliary patrol boat NUNOBIKI MARU.
6 January 1945:
75 miles NE of Hainan. LtCdr Paul E. Stimpson’s USS SEA ROBIN (SS-407), on her first war patrol, makes a radar assisted night surface attack on the convoy. At 0208, Stimpson torpedoes TARAKAN MARU at 19-45N, 111-25E. Hit port side by a torpedo, she quickly floods. At 0244, in poor weather conditions, Abandon Ship is ordered. At about 0300, TARAKAN MARU sinks. High seas cause her lifeboats to drift. It takes HATSUKARI seven hours to rescue the survivors, but 12 crewmen go MIA.
10 March 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

Authors Notes
[1] There were two categories of Yusosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
- Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

Thanks to Berend van der Wal of Netherlands and Gilbert Casse of France. Thanks also go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
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