SOKAITEI!

© 2007-2015 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 3

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12 July 1941:
Hong Kong. Laid down as HMS SEAFORD at the Taikoo Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. shipyard.

September 1941:
Renamed HMS WAGLAN while under construction.

8 December 1941:
At the beginning of hostilities, HMS WAGLAN is about 30 percent complete.

26 December 1941:
Captured by the Japanese after the fall of Hong Kong, British Crown Colony.

E 20 March 1943:
Launched and numbered W-102.

31 July 1944:
Reserve Lt Okazaki Hiroshi is appointed Chief Equipping Officer.

28 September 1944:
Completed and commissioned in the IJN at Hong Kong. LtCdr Okazaki Hiroshi is the Commanding Officer.

7 October 1944:
At 1800 departs Hong Kong with auxiliary patrol vessel KAINAN MARU escorting convoy HO-509 consisting of SORACHI, KAIKO, KATSUURA and TOKO MARUs and KAYU GO north as far as 24-31N.

8 October 1944:
At 1500 arrives back at Hong Kong.

26 October 1944:
At 0247 departs Hong Kong with torpedo boat HATSUKARI escorting TA-509 (also called TA-507) consisting of SORACHI, KINE, BISAN (ex MING SANG), TOSAN (ex SOOCHOW), YULIN, KISHU, CHOKA and BINGO MARUs.

28 October 1944:
At 1500 arrives at Takao.

1 November 1944:
At 0745 departs Takao escorting TOZAN MARU (ex British SOOCHOW). At 1744 arrives at Mako.

2 November 1944:
At 0340 departs Mako still escorting TOZAN MARU. At 1705 arrives at Amoy.

4 November 1944:
At 0015 departs Amoy escorting TOZAN MARU.

5 November 1944:
At 1815 arrives at Kirun.

8 November 1944:
At 0952, W-102 departs Kirun (Keelung) to Takao, Formosa escorting the Rinji (Special/Emergency) convoy consisting of HOKUYU and KORYU MARUs.

9 November 1944:
At 0730, KORYU MARU is detached for Mako, Pescadores. At 1100, TOEI MARU joins the convoy. Arrives at Takao at 1720 that day.

13 November 1944:
At 0755, W-102, auxiliary subchaser KASUGA MARU and auxiliary netlayer KAINAN MARU depart Takao escorting convoy HO-204 consisting of KISHU, HOKUYU and TOEI MARUs and HAKUSHU MARU No. 2 to Hong Kong.

15 November 1944:
At 1427 arrives at Hong Kong.

19 November 1944:
At 1345, W-102 departs Hong Kong escorting convoy TA-904 consisting of SHINSEI and GYOSHO MARU, OKINOYAMA MARU No. 5 and KAYU GO (callsign XOHA). At 1917, KAYU GO suffers engine troubles due to poor fuel and at 2200 returns to port.

21 November 1944:
In bad weather, OKINOYAMA MARU No. 5 is unable to keep up and returns to Hong Kong.

23 November 1944:
At 0615 arrives at Anping and departs there at 0720. At 1330, the rest of the convoy arrives at Takao.

25 November 1944:
At 1000 departs Takao.

26 November 1944:
At 1000 arrives at Kirun.

28 November 1944:
At 0726, W-102 departs Kirun escorting convoy KITA-6 consisting of SEIZAN, HAKKA and KOAN MARUs.

29 November 1944:
At 1557, arrives at Saei and leaves at 1740, arriving at Takao at 1840.

1 December 1944:
At 0755, W-102 departs Takao escorting convoy HO-103 consisting of SHINSEI, KACHAOSAN and KANSHU MARUs to Hong Kong.

3 December 1944:
At 1100, arrives at Hong Kong.

15 December 1944:
At 1500, W-102 departs Hong Kong escorting convoy YU-502 consisting of SHINSEI and CHEFOO MARUs.

17 December 1944:
At 1800 arrives at Sana (Samah) (SHINSEI MARU having detached for Yulin).

18 December 1944:
At 1737 departs Sana with kaibokan CD-33, CD-52 and CD-130 and auxiliary gunboat KAZAN (HUASHAN) MARU escorting convoy MI-26 consisting DAISHU, EININ, ENRYAKU, YAMAKUNI and HIKACHI (NISSHO) MARUs.

23 December 1944:
At 1153 the convoy arrives at Saei and departs there at 1745. At 1838 the convoy arrives at Takao.

24 December 1944:
At 1521 departs Takao. At 2053 arrives at Anping

25 December 1944:
At 0605 departs Anping. At 1405 arrives at Mako.

29 December 1944:
At 0825 departs Mako.

31 December 1944:
At 0800 arrives at Kirun.

9 January 1945: The Invasion of Luzon, Philippines:
Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Thomas C. Kinkaid (USNA ’08) lands troops of LtGen Walter Krueger's Sixth Army at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon.Vice Admiral (Admiral posthumously) John S. McCain's (USNA ’06) Task Force 38 supports the invasion with attacks on Formosa, Ryukyus and the Pescadores Islands. In the Formosa Strait, TF 38's planes damage W-102 and auxiliary subchaser NITTO MARU No. 22 off Keelung.

24 January 1945:
At 1410 departs Kirun.

25 January 1945:
At 2130 arrives at Kinmon (Quemoy) Island.

26 January 1945:
At 0700 departs Kinmon (Quemoy). At 1940 arrives at an unknown destination.

28 January 1945:
At 0930 arrives at Hong Kong.

30 January 1945:
At 1800 departs Hong Kong escorting convoy SHI-003 consisting of OKINOYAMA, CHOKO and KATSUURA MARUs.

2 February 1945:
At 1855 KATSUURA MARU runs aground north of Haitan Island in 25-40N 119-49E and later fire breaks out and the ship is later declared a total loss. Casualties are unknown.

3 February 1945:
N of Haitan Island, China. W-102 is damaged severely by unknown causes at 25-40N, 119-50E. Remains in vicinity of islands repairing damage for much of the month.[1]

17 February 1945:
At 1011 departs Haitan Islands. At 1550 arrives off Tungsha Island.

18 February 1945:
At 1810 torpedo boat HATSUKARI enters the anchorage.

19 February 1945:
At 0704 departs Tungsha anchorage. At 1104 arrives at Tinghai Bay.

21 February 1945:
At 0702 departs Tinghai Bay.

23 February 1945:
At 1814 arrives at Ssu Chiao Shan.

25 February 1945:
At 1050 departs Ssu Chiao Shan.

27 February 1945:
At 1825 arrives at Shanghai.

March 1945:
Repaired at an Shanghai.

15 August 1945:
LtCdr Okazaki notifies his crew of the end of hostilities.

30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

1 December 1945:
Assigned to the Allied Minesweeping Service and used to clear mines.

20 November 1947:
Ceded to the United Kingdom.

31 March 1948:
Tokyo. Scrapped at the Uraga Dockyard Co.

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Authors' Note:
[1] Some sources claim the agent of damage was American aircraft.

Thanks to Gilbert Casse of France, Sander Kingsepp of Estonia and Matthew Jones of Mississippi, USA.

-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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