SOKAITEI!

© 2005-2018 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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21 December 1937:
Tokyo. Laid down at Ishikawajima Shipbuilding.

28 May 1938:
Classified as a type seven minesweeper under instruction No. 416 and named W-10 under instruction No. 88.

13 June 1938:
The call sign becomes JXJD under instruction No. 92.

22 September 1938:
Launched and numbered W-10.

15 February 1939:
Completed and registered in the IJN. Attached to Sasebo Naval District. Attached to the Twenty-first Minesweeper Division under instruction No. 94.

1 May 1940:
In service as a security minesweeper under instruction No. 303.

15 November 1940:
Attached to the Combined Fleet Twenty-first Minesweeper Division Second Fleet First Base Force.

10 April 1941:
Attached to the Combined Fleet Twenty-first Minesweeper Division Third Fleet First Base Force.

1 June 1941:
W-10 is assigned to Third Fleet's 1st Base Force in MineSweepDiv 21 with W-7, W-8, W-9, W-11 and W-12.

21 September 1941:
Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Kitamura Masayuki (45) assumes command of MineSweepDiv 21.

27 November 1941:
Departs Sasebo.

30 November 1941:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores.

1 December 1941:
The call sign changes to JXJP under instruction No. 369.

6 December 1941:
Departs Takao, Formosa (now Kaoshiung, Taiwan) and arrives at Pangliao, Formosa (now Fangliao, Taiwan) later that day.

7 December 1941: Operation "M" - The Attack on the Southern Philippines:
W-10 is in Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo's (36) (former CO of KIRISHIMA) Third Fleet, Philippines Seizure Force, Southern Force in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Nishimura Shoji’s (39) Vigan Invasion Force.

At 1630, departs Mako escorting six transports carrying 2,000 men of the Kanno Detachment of the 48th Infantry Division.

10 December 1941:
Luzon, Philippines. At 0200 the transports land troops at Pandan, near Vigan, but are bombed and strafed by five Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses"and escorting Seversky P-35A "Guardsman" and Curtiss P-40B "Kittyhawk" fighters of the U. S. Army's Far East Air Force.

During the action, Captain Samuel H. Marrett, CO of the 34th Fighter Squadron, makes repeated strafing passes on W-10 with his P-35 until W-10 blows up. The force of the explosion tears a wing off Marret's P-35 and he crashes into the sea. W-10 sinks at 17-32N, 120-22E and transports OIGAWA MARU and TAKAO MARU are so damaged they have to be beached to facilitate salvage. Light cruiser NAKA and destroyer MURASAME are slightly damaged by strafing.

15 March 1942:
Removed from the Navy List under instruction No. 79.

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Authors' Notes:
Photo credit goes to Ships of the World (SOTW) via J. Ed Low. Thanks to Mr. Gilbert Casse of France and Berend van der Wal of Netherlands for general assistance.

-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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