SOKAITEI!

© 2009 Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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22 December 1931:
Sakurajima. Laid down at Hitachi Ship Building.

20 May 1933:
Launched and numbered W-14.

30 September 1933:
Completed and registered in the Kure Naval District.

10 June 1941:
Takao, Formosa. Assigned to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hirose Sueto's (former CO of AOBA) 2nd Base Force, Third Fleet.

26 November 1941:
Departs Sasebo.

29 November 1941:
Arrives at Takao.

7 December 1941:
Departs Takao. Participates in the capture of Banda Island.

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

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

31 December 1941:
Departs Takao escorting an unidentified convoy.

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 MineSweepDiv 11’s W-14, W-13, W-15, W-16, MineSweepDiv 30’s W-17and W-18, SubChasDiv 31’s CH-10, CH-11 and CH-12, patrol boats P-36, P-37 and P-38 and other auxiliary ships.

10 January 1942:
Arrives at Tarakan. Engages in mine sweeping and patrol of the peripheral sea area.

7 December 1941:The Attack on the Philippines:
Takao, Formosa. Departs Takao. Participates in the capture of Batan island. 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. W-14 and W-13 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.

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

-Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall.

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