Ex-French Merchants in Japanese Service

KAKYAKUSEN

(TEIKO MARU former D’ARTAGNAN)

Transport TEIKO MARU: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2009-2013 Bob Hackett, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.
Revision 3

1923:
Bordeaux. Laid down at Ateliers & Chantiers De La Gironde shipyard as a 15,105 ton passenger/cargo ship for Messageries Maritimes.
23 April 1924:
Launched and named D’ARTAGNAN.
July 1925:
Completed and placed in service on Messageries Maritimes Far East routes until 1936.
9 September 1925:
Departs Marseilles for Beirut, Lebabon and returns to Marseilles at an unknown date.
18 September 1925:
Departs Marseilles for Madagascar, Saigon, Manila and Shanghai.
February 1926:
Arrives at Syria.
October 1931:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
1936:
Becomes part of the Indochina Line.
10 August 1938:
D’ARTAGNAN departs Marseilles.
1938:
In service on Messageries Maritimes’ Indo-China route.
3 September 1939-World War II Begins:
After the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declare war on Nazi Germany.
6 September 1939:
Requisitioned by Marine Nationale (French Navy) and used as a transport.
9 September 1939:
Sails in convoy from Marseilles to Beirut with four unidentified ships.
18 September 1939:
Returns to Marseilles with the same ships and another unidentified liner.
22 September 1939:
D’ARTAGNAN is transporting troops in convoy L1. In total darkness, convoy L1 crosses convoy L3 moving in the opposite direction. Transport CHENONCEAUX collides with transport MARIETTE PASHA and causes deaths and damage. D’ARTAGNAN manages to avoid a collision with destroyer HMS VULTURE.
November 1939:
Repatriates nearly 5,000 colonial soldiers from Indochina to France.
25 June 1940: Franco-German Armistice:
At the time of Armistice, D’ARTAGNAN is at Saigon and integrated in Vichy’s fleet. She is first assigned to Marseilles-Madagascar-Saigon route and later to the Saigon-Manila-Shanghai route.
29 July 1941:
Under the Franco-Japanese "common defence" agreement signed at Vichy by Deputy-Premier Admiral Darlan and Japanese Ambassador Kato, Indochina is "integrated" in "common defence." The Japanese are allowed to use Saigon as an advance base for operations in South-East Asia.
October 1941:
Shanghai. Undergoes a fire that puts D’ARTAGNAN out of commission.
November 1941:
Saigon. Immobilized.
April 1942:
Saigon. Requisitioned by the IJN under the Right of Angary.
6 May 1942:
Chartered by Teikoku Senpaku Kaisha (Imperial Steamship Co.) wholly owned by the Japanese government. Renamed TEIKO MARU. Repaired and reconditioned.
3 June 1942:
Operated by the Nihon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) Line as a transport. Assigned signal letters JKDR.
15 June 1942:
Charter rates are agreed upon between the Japanese and the Vichy French-Indochina Navy. TEIKO MARU’s rate is 144,998.40 Japanese Yen per month.
26 June 1942:
Departs Saigon for Yokohama.
July 1942:
Yokohama. Enters dock at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
2 September 1942:
Teikoku Senpaku Kaisha concludes its charter of TEIKO MARU. Requisitioned by the IJA and assigned Army boat No. 975.
28 February 1943:
Departs Moji.
3 March 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
8 March 1943:
Departs Takao.
13 March 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
23 March 1943:
Departs Singapore carrying 1358 troops and 43 passengers. At 2145 while passing close to the Anambas Islands sights an enemy submarine which fires two torpedoes that pass ahead of the vessel. The ship fires two shots and drops 2 depth charges and escapes.
25 March 1943:
At 1143 in 08-40N 109-42E while sailing at 12 knots sights an enemy submarine and steering towards the submarine drops two depth charges and fires 6 shots. The ship suffers no damage.
28 March 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
1 April 1943:
Departs Manila.
8 April 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
15 April 1943:
Departs Singapore.
20 April 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
25 April 1943:
Departs Manila.
30 April 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
9 May 1943:
Departs Singapore.
14 May 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
21 May 1943:
At 1600, TEIKO MARU departs Manila in the MB convoy consisting of TEIHOKU MARU (ex French PERSEE) with one unidentified escort. Sails at 12 knots.
26 May 1943:
At 1200, arrives at Singapore.
6 June 1943:
Departs Singapore.
11 June 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
17 June 1943:
Departs Manila.
22 June 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
4 July 1943:
Departs Singapore.
8 July 1943:
TEIKO MARU departs St Jacques in the "J" convoy also consisting of tankers OMUROSAN, KIRISHIMA and KUROSHIO MARUs and transports KINUGASA, KACHIDOKI (ex US- PRESIDENT HARRISON), AKI, and MIIKE MARUs escorted by destroyer WAKATAKE.
E 10 July 1943:
TEIKO MARU is detached for Manila
12 July 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
18 July 1943:
At 0600 departs Manila alone.
19 July 1943:
TEIKO MARU sights a submarine surfacing at 12-05N, 114-18E.
29 July 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
11 August 1943:
Departs Singapore.
16 August 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
27 August 1943:
Departs Manila.
8 September 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
22 September 1943:
TEIKO MARU departs Singapore for Moji in convoy SA-12 also consisting of transport USSURI MARU and tankers SEISHIN and KIRISHIMA MARUs escorted by subchaser CH-19 and fleet oiler ASHIZURI.
25 September 1943:
Alerted by nearby USS BILLFISH (SS-286) on her first war patrol, LtCdr (later Cdr) Joseph H. Willingham's (USNA ‘26) USS BOWFIN's (SS-287) lookouts sight the convoy. At 1310, BOWFIN, also on her first war patrol, torpedoes and sinks tanker KIRISHIMA MARU at 09-53N 112-10E. 14 crewmen and 11 passengers are KIA. CH-19 counterattacks, but is unsuccessful.
27 September 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
6 October 1943:
Departs Manila.
11 October 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
24 October 1943:
Departs Singapore.
29 October 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
5 November 1943:
Departs Manila, possibly carrying the refurbished IJA 2nd Division.
10 November 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
27 November 1943:
Departs Singapore.
7 December 1943:
At noon, TEIKO MARU departs Cap St. Jacques for Takao in convoy No. 447 also consisting of GINYO MARU and tankers CHIHAYA and HOKUAN MARUs escorted by kaikoban MATSUWA.
10 December 1943:
At 2000, TEIKO MARU is detached from the convoy and heads for Manila.
13 December 1943:
At about 0500, LtCdr Frank G. Selby’s (USNA ’33) USS PUFFER (SS-268) attacks TEIKO MARU unsuccessfully at 14-29N, 119-59E. At 1200, arrives at Manila.
14 December 1943:
Departs Manila.
24 December 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
25 December 1943:
Departs Singapore.
30 December 1943:
At 1400, arrives at Singapore and proceeds to Seletar Naval base.
16 January 1944:
Arrives at Saigon.
17 January 1944:
Departs Saigon.
23 January 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
26 January 1944:
Departs Singapore.
2 February 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
16 February 1944:
At 0730, TEIKO MARU carrying 660-tons manila rope, salt, cottonseed, 140-tons troops equipment and 906 IJA/IJN troops (857 IJA troops, 48 IJN personnel, 1 part time IJA employee) departs Manila for Miri, Borneo in convoy MAMI-02 also consisting of tankers KIKUSUI (ex Dutch IRIS) and SAN DIEGO MARUs and five unidentified ships escorted by destroyer KURETAKE.
21 February 1944:
TEIKO and KIKUSUI MARUs are detached and head for Singapore.
22 February 1944:
South China Sea, 120 miles NW of Kuching, Borneo. At 1545, LtCdr Frank G. Selby’s (USNA ’33) USS PUFFER picks up a two-stack camouflaged transport and a small destroyer zigzagging at six minute intervals and moving west.
At 1704, Selby fires four stern torpedoes at the transport. At 1706, he hears two explosions: one is observed about midway between the transport’s bow and forward stack; the other is unseen. Selby observes the ship almost dead in the water, listing ten degrees to port its steering gone. USS PUFFER closes in and her crew begins taking pictures. The escort, though undamaged, flees without attempting to drop depth-charges.
Lifeboats are lowered and the Japanese abandon ship. It soon become clear that the ship will not sink from the damage it has sustained. At 1724, Selby fires his No. 1 and No. 2 tubes. The torpedoes hit the ship in the bow and stern. TEIKO MARU begins to roll to port and settles by the stern. At 1735, TEIKO MARU sinks at 03-10N, 109-15E. 192 Japanese soldiers and seven crewmen are KIA. Also lost are 800-tons of cargo.
1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

Authors' Note:
[1] Toa Kaiun ships had dual names based on the same characters. So Ka-zan in Japanese reads Hua-Shan in Chinese. Ships calling at China ports were known by their Chinese names and by their Japanese names when in Japan.
Thanks go to John Whitman and Gengoro S. Toda for new data in Rev 1
Bob Hackett, Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.

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