SOKAITEI!

(W-13 scanned from Maru Special, V. 50)

IJN Minesweeper W-13:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2005-2007 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

Revision 1

22 December 1931:
Osaka. Laid down at Fujinaga shipyard.

30 March 1933:
Launched and numbered W-13.

20 May 1933:
Lt (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Kenma Osugu (48) is appointed Chief Equipping Officer.

31 August 1933:
Completed and registered in the Kure Naval District. Lt Kenma is the Commanding Officer.

10 June 1941:
W-13 is assigned to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hirose Sueto's (former CO of AOBA) 2nd Base Force of Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo's (36) (former CO of KIRISHIMA) Third Fleet.

10 September 1941:
Lt Imamura Kiyoshi (61) assumes command.

26 November 1941:
Departs Sasebo.

29 November 1941:
Arrives at Takao.

7 December 1941:The Attack on the Philippines:
Takao, Formosa. Assigned to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hirose Sueto's (former CO of AOBA) 2nd Base Force. Departs Takao. Participates in the capture of Batan island.

17 December 1941:
Departs Takao. Escorts the invasion convoy to Lingayen Gulf.

22 December 1941:
Arrives at Lingayen Gulf. Conducts mine sweeping.

31 December 1941:
Departs Takao. Escorts convoys.

5 January 1942:
Arrives at Davao.

7 January 1942: The Invasion of Dutch Borneo:
Rear Admiral Hirose’s Tarakan Occupation Force departs Davao. Hirose's force include Cdr Yamazumi Wakito's (48) MineSweepDiv 11’s W-13, W-14, W-15, W-16, Cdr Kanaoka Kunizo's MineSweepDiv 30’s W-17 and W-18, Cdr Sawamura Seiji's SubChasDiv 31’s CH-10, CH-11 and CH-12, patrol boats P-36, P-37 and P-38 and other auxiliary ships.

The Tarakan invasion convoy includes Army transports TSURUGA, LIVERPOOL, HAVANA, KURETAKE, NICHIAI, HITERU, TEIRYU, HANKOW and EHIME MARUs carrying MajGen Sakaguchi Shizuo’s 56th Mixed Infantry Group and the Kure No. 2 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) and Navy transports KUNIKAWA, KANO, KAGU, KOKUYO and RAKUTO MARUs. The convoy’s escort is provided by Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Nishimura Shoji’s DesRon 4’s light cruiser NAKA with DesDiv 2’s HARUSAME, SAMIDARE, YUDACHI and MURUSAME, DesDiv 9’s ASAGUMO and MINEGUMO, NATSUGUMO and DesDiv 24’s UMIKAZE, KAWASKAZE, YAMAKAZE and SUZUKAZE. The 21st Air Flotilla’s tenders SANUKI and SANYO MARUs provide air cover .

10 January 1942:
Arrives at Tarakan. Conducts mine sweeping and patrols the peripheral sea area

11 January 1942:
Rear Admiral Hirose's Force invades Tarakan, Borneo.

12 January 1942:
Karungan, Borneo. Rear Admiral Hirose’s forces are warned that the Dutch coastal artillery battery at the south end of the island may not be aware of the Dutch offer to surrender. Hirose’s force is cautioned that "it would be dangerous to proceed to the Tarakan pier", but the warning is ignored. Six minesweepers enter the bay and are fired on by the Dutch battery. Lt Miyake Tadayoshi's W-13 and Lt Yoshimoto Yoshikuni's W-14 are hit by 4.7 inch shells and sink with most of their crews. In reprisal, the Japanese execute 219 men of the gun crews.

31 January 1942:
Rerated a Reserve warship, fourth class.

30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

Authors' Notes:
Photo credit goes to Maru Special via J. Ed Low.

-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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