ZATSUYOSEN!
(Tozan Maru prewar)
IJN TOZAN MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2014 Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
E 1925:
Sakurajima. Laid down by Osaka Ironworks K.K. shipyard for Nisshin Kisen K.K. as a 2,089-ton cargo ship.
7 April 1926:
Launched and named TANGSHAN MARU in all western registers. As with most
Nisshin Kisen ships her name is read as TANGSHAN MARU by Chinese and
foreign interests, but as TOZAN MARU in Japan.
3 May 1926:
Completed and registered in Tokyo. Her Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT)
and Net Registered Tonnage (NRT) respectively are 2,089-tons and
1,284-tons. [1]
E 1926 ~ 1934
Three times per month: calls at Shanghai ~ Seito (Tsingtao), China and Tianjin Region, China.
April 1934
Departs Tianjin Region and arrives at Canton, southern China.
1937:
Her GRT and NRT are respectively changed to 2,103-tons and 1,293-tons. [1]
9 April 1938:
Arrives at Chefoo (now Yantai), northern China. Departs later that day.
22 April 1938:
Arrives at Chefoo. Departs later that day.
28 April 1938:
Arrives in Chefoo outer harbor.
29 April 1938:
Departs Chefoo outer harbor and arrives at Chefoo inner harbor.
19 May 1938:
Departs Chefoo.
5 June 1938:
Arrives at Chefoo.
6 June 1938:
Departs Chefoo.
1 July 1938:
Arrives at Chefoo.
2 July 1938:
Departs Chefoo.
21 July 1938:
Arrives at Chefoo. Departs later that day.
10 September 1938:
Arrives at Chefoo.
11 September 1938:
Departs Chefoo.
1 September 1939:
Her owners are changed to Toa Kaiun K.K.
6 October 1939:
Departs unidentified location.
26 November 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN.
10 December 1941:
Registered in the IJN as an auxiliary gunboat attached to the Sasebo
Naval District with Sasebo as homeport under instruction No. 1624.
Starts conversion to military duty at Tama Zosensho K.K. shipyard. IJN
Reserve Captain Mori Ran is appointed CO.
27 December 1941:
The conversion is completed.
December 1941:
Officially referred by the IJN as TOZAN MARU. [2]
31 December 1941:
Tactically assigned to Vice Admiral’s Tanimoto Umataro’s (35) Sasebo Naval District, Guard Force, Local Defense Squadron.
30 January 1942:
Departs Sasebo. Returns to port later that day.
12 January 1942:
Departs Sasebo. Returns to port later that day.
15 January 1942:
Reassigned to Sasebo Naval District, Guard Force under secret
instruction No. 80 and to Local Defense Squadron under secret
instruction No. 14. Assigned to train Chinkai Naval District Guard Force
units under Secret instruction No. 31.
26 January 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
30 January 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
4 February 1942:
Departs Sasebo and arrives at Gonoura, Iki Island later in the day.
5 February 1942:
Reassigned to train Chinkai Naval District Guard Force units under Secret instruction No. 32.
6 February 1942:
Departs Gonoura and arrives at Sasebo later that day.
10 February 1942:
Departs Sasebo and arrives at Fukue, Goto Islands later in the day.
13 February 1942:
Departs Fukue and arrives at Ainoura, Nagasaki Prefecture later that day.
14 February 1942:
Departs Ainoura and arrives at Sasebo later that same day.
16 February 1942:
Temporarily becomes flagship. Assigned to protect a convoy set to Tomie
Wan (Bay) scheduled 17 ‘Feb about 0800 under secret instruction No. 34.
Departs Sasebo and arrives at Tomie later in the day.
17 February 1942:
Departs Tomie. Flag is returned to auxiliary cruiser UKISHIMA MARU.
18 February 1942:
Assigned to anti-submarine sweeping starting 19 ‘Feb under secret telegram No. 218.
21 February 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo. Departs later that same day.
25 February 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
February 1942:
Rated as fourth unit in the 2nd gunboat squadron, 1st division.
5 March 1942:
Temporarily becomes flagship. Departs Sasebo and engages in gunnery drill.
7 March 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo and returns the flag.
11 March 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
20 March 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
26 March 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
4 April 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
10 April 1942:
Attached to the Southwest Area Fleet, 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet as third ship, 2nd gunboat squadron, 1st Division.
18 April 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
19 April 1942:
Arrives at Mutsure-Jima.
27 April 1942:
Departs Mutsure-Jima escorting convoy No. 104 consisting of seven unidentified merchant ships.
3 May 1942:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores.
4 May 1942:
Departs Mako escorting convoy No. 204 consisting of five unidentified merchant ships.
10 May 1942:
Arrives at Mutsure-Jima.
17 May 1942:
Departs Mutsure-Jima escorting convoy No. 144 consisting of three unidentified merchant ships.
23 May 1942:
Attached to the 2nd gunboat squadron, 1st Division. Arrives at Mako that same day.
28 May 1942:
Departs Mako escorting convoy No. 309 consisting of three unidentified merchant ships.
3 June 1942:
Arrives at St. Jacques, French Indochina (now Vung Tau, Vietnam).
6 June 1942:
Attached to the 2nd gunboat squadron, 1st Division as fifth ship.
Departs St. Jacques escorting convoy No. 409 consisting of seven
unidentified merchant ships.
13 June 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
17 June 1942:
Departs Mako escorting convoy No. 314 consisting of IJA transports TAISHO and SATSUMA MARUs.
23 June 1942:
Arrives at St. Jacques.
29 June 1942:
Departs St. Jacques escorting convoy No. 416 consisting of auxiliary oiler SHOYO MARU and eight unidentified merchant ships.
5 July 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
27 July 1942:
Departs Mako escorting convoy No. 240 consisting of four unidentified merchant ships.
28 July 1942:
Arrives at Kirun, Formosa (now Keelung, Taiwan).
3 August 1942:
Departs Kirun.
4 August 1942:
Arrives back at Kirun. Enters drydock.
11 August 1942:
Undocked. Departs Kirun.
12 August 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
14 August 1942:
Departs Mako escorting convoy No. 328 consisting of four unidentified merchant ships.
20 August 1942:
Arrives at St. Jacques.
23 August 1942:
Departs St. Jacques escorting convoy No. 430 consisting of five unidentified merchant ships.
29 August 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
7 September 1942:
Departs Mako escorting convoy No. 333 consisting of eight unidentified merchant ships.
13 September 1942:
Arrives at St. Jacques.
17 September 1942:
Departs St. Jacques escorting convoy No. 436 consisting of six unidentified merchant ships.
23 September 1942:
Arrives at Mako.
27 September 1942:
At 1230, departs Mako escorting convoy No. 286 consisting of auxiliary
oiler SHOYO MARU, IJA transport RASHIN MARU and five unidentified
merchant ships.
30 September 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
1 October 1942:
TOZAN MARU is removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 1827.
She is again registered that same day in the IJN as an auxiliary
transport, (Otsu) category attached to the Sasebo Naval District with
Sasebo as homeport under instruction No. 1828. [3]
October 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
3 October 1942:
Arrives at Mutsure-Jima. Departs later that same day.
4 October 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
5 October 1942:
Scheduled to be reclassified as auxiliary transport.
8 October 1942:
Officially reclassified as auxiliary transport.
27 October 1942:
Scheduled to transport landing craft No. 4646 and No. 4647 under Sasebo Naval District secret instruction No. 400.
30 October 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
31 October 1942:
Hit by an unidentified submarine dud torpedo at 33-00N, 126-25E. No damage is sustained.
1 November 1942:
Arrives at Shanghai.
7 November 1942:
Departs Shanghai.
11 November 1942:
Arrives at Wakamatsu, Fukuoka Prefecture.
19 November 1942:
Departs Wakamatsu.
20 November 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
28 November 1942:
Departs Sasebo and joins convoy No. 194 also consisting of IJA
transports MATSUKAWA, HAWAII and GYOKO MARUs and one unidentified
merchant ship escorted by destroyer SHIOKAZE.
3 December 1942:
Arrives at Takao (now Kaohsiung), Formosa.
6 December 1942:
Departs Takao.
9 December 1942:
Arrives at Samah, Hainan Island, southern China.
18 December 1942:
Departs Samah.
23 December 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
25 December 1942:
Departs Takao and arrives at Mako later that day.
26 December 1942:
Departs Mako in convoy No 213 also consisting of auxiliary transport TARUSHIMA MARU without escort.
31 December 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
8 January 1943:
Departs Sasebo.
11 January 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
18 January 1943:
Departs Takao and arrives at Mako later in the day.
19 January 1943:
Departs Mako in convoy No. 222 also consisting of three unidentified merchant ships without escort.
24 January 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo.
31 January 1943:
Departs Sasebo.
5 February 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
8 February 1943:
Departs Takao.
9 February 1943:
Arrives at Kirun.
12 February 1943:
Departs Kirun.
18 February 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
20 February 1943:
Departs Kure.
22 February 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo.
27 February 1943:
Departs Sasebo and joins convoy No. 131 that departed Moji 26 ‘Feb
consisting of IJN requisitioned cargo ships (B-AK) SHOZUI and MANTAI
MARUs, IJA transports KINKA, REIYO and SHONAN MARUs, government cargo
ship (C-AK) BOKO (ex-British SAGRES) MARU and civilian oiler (C-AO)
NITTETSU MARU escorted by patrol boat PB-2.
3 March 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
7 March 1943:
Departs Takao for Moji in convoy No. 238 also consisting of auxiliary
transport KENRYU MARU and three unidentified merchant ships, escorted by
destroyer FUYO.
13 March 1943:
The convoy arrives at Moji. Departs later.
14 March 1943:
Arrives at Kobe.
2 April 1943:
Departs Kobe.
3 April 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
4 April 1943:
Departs Moji.
5 April 1943:
Arrives at Tsukumi, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu.
8 April 1943:
Departs Tsukumi.
9 April 1943:
Arrives at Kobe.
12 April 1943:
Departs Kobe in westbound convoy No. 7412 also consisting of IJA shared
tanker A/C-AO) CHIYODA MARU escorted by hydrographic survey ship
KOMAHASHI. At an unknown point west, probably off Owase, KOMAHASHI
detaches.
13 April 1943:
Arrives at Nagoya.
16 April 1943:
Departs Nagoya in westbound convoy No. 7416A also consisting of IJA
shared tanker A/C-AO) CHIYODA MARU escorted by hydrographic survey ship
KOMAHASHI. At an unknown point west, probably off Owase, KOMAHASHI
detaches.
17 April 1943:
Arrives at Osaka.
21 April 1943:
Departs Osaka in convoy No. 8420 B also consisting of IJA transports
TOKIWASAN and TAISHU MARUs and IJN requisitioned passenger/cargo ship
YAMAKUNI MARU escorted by destroyer NOKAZE.
23 April 1943:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
27 April 1943:
Departs Yokosuka in convoy No. 1427 also consisting of IJN requisitioned
cargo ship (B-AK) TAISEI MARU, IJA transports IKOMASAN, KOKURYU and
SHINWA MARUs and civilian cargo ship (C-AK) RYOGA MARU escorted by
auxiliary gunboat DELHI MARU.
30 April 1943:
Arrives at Ominato, Aomori Prefecture.
4 May 1943:
Departs Ominato.
5 May 1943:
Arrives at Kushiro, Hokkaido.
11 May 1943:
Departs Kushiro and arrives at Akkeshi, Hokkaido. Departs later that day.
15 May 1943:
Arrives at Kataoka, Shimushu-To, Kuriles (now Zaliv Kozyrevskogo, Ostrov Shumshu).
17 May 1943:
Departs Kataoka and arrives at Nagasaki, Kuriles later that day.
22 May 1943:
Departs Nagasaki and arrives at Kataoka later that day.
23 May 1943:
Departs Kataoka.
24 May 1943:
Arrives at Musashi (now Zaliv Vasil’yeva), Paramushiro, Kuriles.
25 May 1943:
Departs Musashi.
26 May 1943:
Arrives at Suribachi, Paramushiro, Kuriles. Departs later.
31 May 1943:
Arrives at Aomori, Honshu.
2 June 1943:
Departs Aomori and arrives at Ominato later that day.
6 June 1943:
Departs Ominato.
7 June 1943:
Arrives at Otaru, Hokkaido.
9 June 1943:
Departs Otaru.
12 June 1943:
Arrives at Musashi.
15 June 1943:
Departs Musashi and arrives at Nagasaki, Kuriles later that day.
18 June 1943:
Departs Nagasaki, Kuriles and arrives at Kataoka later that same day.
25 June 1943:
Departs Kataoka and arrives at Musashi later in the day.
30 June 1943:
Departs Musashi.
3 July 1943:
Arrives at Odomari, Mie Prefecture.
9 July 1943:
Departs Odomari.
11 July 1943:
Kaibokan HACHIJO joins as escort.
12 July 1943:
Arrives at Musashi Wan.
25 July 1943:
Departs Musashi Wan.
28 July 1943:
Arrives at Otaru.
30 July 1943:
Departs Otaru.
31 July 1943:
Arrives at Aomori. Departs there and arrives at Ominato later that day.
3 August 1943:
Departs Ominato and arrives at Aomori later in the day.
5 August 1943:
Departs Aomori and arrives at Hakodate, Hokkaido later that same day.
7 August 1943:
Departs Hakodate.
8 August 1943:
Runs aground W of Erimo-Misaki at 41-57N, 143-12E. Salvage vessel
YODOBASHI, picket boat SHINSEI MARU and minelayer ASHIZAKI are instructed to assist the
stranded transport under Instruction No. 4.
11 August 1943:
Due to unsuccessful efforts to refloat TOZAN MARU, ASHIZAKI and SHINSEI MARU end their rescue mission.
20 August 1943:
TOZAN MARU sinks with a portion of her bridge still emerged.
9 September 1943:
Rescue mission is officially ended under telegram No. 36.
15 October 1943:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 2168.
Authors' Notes :
[1] NRT is a ship's cargo volume capacity expressed in "register tons",
one of which equals to a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3). It is
calculated by subtracting non-revenue-earning spaces i.e. spaces not
available for carrying cargo, for example engine rooms, fuel tanks and
crew quarters, from the ship's gross register tonnage (GRT). Net
register tonnage (NRT) is not a measure of the weight of the ship or its
cargo, and should not be confused with terms such as deadweight tonnage
or displacement.
[2] Not to be confused with IJA transport No. 918 (TOSAN MARU) (8,666
GRT, ’38) or (TOSAN MARU) ex-British SOOCHOW (2,604 GRT, ’20).
[3] There were two categories of Zatsuyosen. (Ko) category with an IJN
Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
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