Japanese Transports

ZATSUYOSEN!
(IMIZU MARU, sister of WAYO MARU, prewar)

IJN WAYO MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2012-2018 Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall
Revision 2

25 March 1941:
Yokohama. Laid down by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries K.K. shipyard for Toyo Kisen K.K. as a 2,726-ton Peacetime Standard (C) Class cargo ship.
27 August 1941:
Launched and named WAYO MARU.[1]
22 December 1941:
Completed and registered in Tokyo. Requisitioned by the IJN that same day.
27 December 1941:
Registered by the IJN as an auxiliary water tanker attached to the Yokosuka Naval District with Yokosuka as homeport under instruction No. 1743.
31 December 1941:
Tactically assigned to Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Inoue Shigeyoshi’s (37) Fourth Fleet based at Truk, Central Carolines as an auxiliary transport (water tanker) in (Otsu) category. [2]
10 January 1942:
Yokohama. Conversion to military duty is completed at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries K.K. shipyard.
25 January 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat CHOAN MARU No. 2 GO with boiler water.
E January 1942:
Arrives at Truk, Central Carolines. Departs later and arrives at Rabaul, New Britain.
18~19 February 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat KEIJO MARU with boiler water.
23 March 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboats NIKKAI and KEIJO MARUs with boiler water.
25 April 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat NIKKAI MARU with boiler water.
26 April 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboats KEIJO and SEIKAI MARUs with boiler water.
28 April 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat SEIKAI MARU with boiler water.
9 May 1942:
At 1200 departs Mako in convoy No. 206 also consisting of auxiliary transport TATSUWA MARU, auxiliary store ship SHINSEI MARU, auxiliary minelayer TATSUHARU MARU, IJA transports SENZAN, KEIFUKU, NANYO, TAISHO and KINUGAWA MARUs and an unidentified ship supposedly called MEIYU MARU escorted by destroyer SANAE and minelayer TSUBAME. [3]
13 May 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo. [3]
13~14 May 1942:
Comes alongside and recoals auxiliary ammunition ship KOTOKU MARU.
15 May 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat SEIKAI MARU with boiler water.
17 May 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat NIKKAI MARU with boiler water.
31 May 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat NIKKAI MARU with boiler water.
3 June 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat SEIKAI MARU with boiler water.
6 June 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat SEIKAI MARU with boiler water.
E 14 July 1942:
Tactically assigned to Vice Admiral Mikawa Gunichi’s (38) newly created Eighth Fleet based at Rabaul as an auxiliary transport ship (water tanker) in (Otsu) category. [2].
24 July 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat SEIKAI MARU with boiler water.
19 August 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary gunboat NIKKAI MARU with boiler water.
11 September 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary minesweeper FUMI MARU No. 2 with boiler water.
3 November 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary tanker KYOEI MARU with boiler water.
18 November 1942:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary minesweeper FUMI MARU No. 2 with boiler water, raw food and other sundries.
5 December 1942:
Comes alongside starboard side and supplies fleet oiler TSURUMI with 400-tons of boiler water.
30 December 1942:
Comes alongside starboard side and supplies fleet oiler TSURUMI with boiler water.
11 March 1943:
Comes alongside and supplies auxiliary tanker KYOEI MARU with boiler water.
23 November 1943:
Departs Rabaul for Truk in an unnumbered convoy also consisting of auxiliary transport (ex-auxiliary gunboat) NIKKAI MARU escorted by minesweeper W-26, subchaser CH-16,auxiliary subchaser CHa-20 and one unidentified auxiliary subchaser.
26 November 1943:
About 210 nms SSW of Puluwat Island (Endabi Shoto), Central Carolines. LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Brooks J. Harral’s (USNA’32) USS RAY (SS-271) intercepts the convoy. At 1647, Harral fires six torpedoes and scores four hits on NIKKAI MARU at 04-12N, 148-26E. Mortally wounded, NIKKAI MARU breaks in three parts and sinks three minutes thereafter. Casualties are unknown.
28 November 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
4 December 1943:
At 1000 departs Manila (NB: probably error for Truk) with two unidentified ships for Singapore.
15 August 1944:
Tactically assigned to Vice Admiral Hara Chuichi’s (39) Fourth Fleet.
1 September 1944:
Rerated as an auxiliary transport (Otsu) category, attached to the Yokosuka Naval District with Yokosuka as homeport under instruction No. 1022. [2]
2 October 1944:
Yokohama. Hull and engines repairs are completed.
20 October 1944:
Departs Yokohama and arrives at Yokosuka later in the day.
22 October 1944:
Departs Yokosuka.
24 October 1944:
Arrives at Ise Wan (Bay), Mie Prefecture.
25 October 1944:
Departs Ise Wan.
28 October 1944:
Arrives at Moji.
30 October 1944:
Departs Moji.
31 October 1944:
Arrives at Miike, Fukuoka Prefecture.
10 November 1944:
Departs Miike in convoy MOMA-07 also consisting of IJA shared transports (A/C-AK) KENJO, JINYO and (A/C-AC) GYOKUYO MARUs, IJA transports NARUO, FUKUYO, TATSUAKI (TATSUSHO), SHIROUMA (HAKUBA), SHINFUKU MARUs, MINO MARU No. 1 and KONAN MARU No. 1 and IJN requisitioned (B-AK) MIHO MARU escorted by kaibokan CD-8, CD-9, CD-28, CD-54, auxiliary subchaser CHa-24 and an unidentified warship.
11 November 1944:
Near Cape Ose Sea, Goto Archipelago. At 0906, Cdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Charles E. Loughlin’s (USNA ’33) USS QUEENFISH (SS-393) fires four torpedoes and hits MIHO MARU in the bow. Unable to keep up with the convoy, she heads for Sasebo. The escorts drop 55 depth-charges on USS QUEENFISH, but she remains undamaged.
12 November 1944:
248 miles SW of Nagasaki. At 0420, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral/MOH) Eugene B. Fluckey’s (USNA ’35) USS BARB (SS-220) torpedoes NARUO and GYOKUYO MARUs at 31-30N 125-57E. NARUO MARU, hit by one or more torpedoes, blows up and sinks instantly. She was carrying 20,000 shells and army troops. 72 crewmen, 131 gunners and 490 troops are KIA.
GYOKUYO MARU, carrying 456 troops and 110 Shinyo explosive motorboats (EMBs), is hit by a torpedo in the engine spaces. She goes dead in the water and begins to drift. Later, JINYO MARU attempts to tow the cripple, but the towline parts. 46 crewmen, 100 troops and unknown number of passengers are KIA. The 14th EMB looses 100 of the squadron's 188 men and the 15th EMB looses 121 of its 186 men. The remaining passengers are transferred to other ships. The escorts drop seven depth-charges on BARB and inflict slight damage.
At about 0620, LtCdr Robert H. Caldwell’s (USNA ’36) USS PETO (SS-265) torpedoes TATSUAKI MARU carrying naval recruits at 31-46N, 125-40E. One strikes No. 2 hold, a huge explosion occurs. She lists over, then explodes. 65 crewmen, 20 gunners and 125 soldiers of the 18th Sea Raiding Battalion, of the 19th Division, and of Southern Army headquarters are KIA. JINYO MARU rushes to the area from where the attack came and drops depth-charges.
13 November 1944:
At 0950, arrives at the Shushan Islands, E of Shanghai.
14 November 1944:
155 miles E of Shanghai. About midnight, LtCdr Gordon W. Underwood’s (USNA ‘32) USS SPADEFISH (SS-411) fires five torpedoes by radar bearings at GYOKUYO MARU being towed by kaibokan CD-8 towards Shanghai. Hit by several torpedoes, GYOKUYO MARU sinks at 31-04N, 125-58E.
19 November 1944:
At 1200, the convoy arrives at Takao, Formosa (now Kaohsiung, Taiwan) and is dissolved.
23 November 1944:
At 1530, departs Takao in convoy TAMA-32A also consisting of IJA transports AKAGISAN, SORACHI, MINO and SHIROUMA MARUs, IJA shared tanker (A/C-AO) SHOEI MARU, IJA shared transports (A/C-AK) JINYO and NICHIYO MARUs, IJN requisitioned (B-AK) HAGIKAWA MARU, civilian (C-AK) SHONAN MARU civilian patrol craft (C-PCE) BANSHU MARU No. 63 and IJA LST SS No. 6 (KIDOTEI) escorted by destroyer KURETAKE, kaibokan CD-1, CD-3, CD-8, CD-28 and CD-54 and subchasers CH-17, CH-18, CH-37 and CH-38. Anchors along the coast soon after leaving.
24 November 1944:
At 0400, departs Formosan coast.
25 November 1944:
At 2200, arrives at Musa Bay, Fuga Island, Babuyan Archipelago, Philippines.
27 November 1944:
At 0400, departs Musa Bay. At 1645, arrives at Lapoc Bay, Luzon.
28 November 1944:
At 0600, departs Lapoc Bay. At 1800, arrives at N San Fernando, Luzon.
29 November 1944:
At 0600, departs N San Fernando.
30 November 1944:
At 0500, arrives at Manila, Luzon.
16 January 1945:
Departs Zuoying, Takao in convoy TAKI-07 also consisting of auxiliary transport HIROTA MARU escorted by auxiliary netlayer CHOKI MARU and possibly others.
19 January 1945:
Arrives at Kirun (now Keelung), Formosa.
18 February 1945:
At 1400 (ETD) departs Kirun in convoy TAHO-01 also consisting one unidentified merchant ship escorted by destroyer KAEDE, submarine chaser CH-21 and minelayer NIIZAKI. That evening shelters at Niushan Dao.
19 February 1945:
At 0700 departs Niushan Dao.
21 February 1945:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
8 March 1945:
At 0640 departs Yulin escorted by auxiliary ZUIYO MARU.
11 March 1945:
40 nautical miles SW Macao, Portuguese Colony. WAYO MARU is bombed by a Martin PBM-3D “Mariner” flying boat and sinks at 21-31N, 112-25E. 18 crewmen are KIA. ZUIYO MARU rescues survivors and sails on to Hong Kong, arriving two days later.
10 May 1945:
Removed from the Navy list under instruction No. 417.

Authors’ Notes:
[1] Not to be confused with civilian cargo ship (7,114 GRT, ’45).
[2] There were two categories of Zatsuyosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
[3] Although there is no doubt about the translation, these two entries may be incorrect and WAYO MARU actually remained at Rabaul the entire time.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.

Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

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