Japanese Transports

ZATSUYOSEN!

(KISARAGI MARU sistership of YAYOI MARU as seen at Rabaul in Sep ‘45)

IJN YAYOI MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2015 Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall

September 1934:
Innoshima. Laid down by Osaka Tekkosho K.K. shipyard for Kinkai Kaisoku Kisen K.K. as a 495-tons cargo ship.
May 1935:
Launched and named YAYOI MARU.
19 June 1935:
Completed and registered at Osaka.
31 March 1939:
Arrives at Anqing, China.
1 April 1939:
Departs Anqing.
April 1939:
Arrives at Wuhu, Yangtze River.
18 April 1939:
Departs Wuhu.
15 June 1939:
Arrives at Jinkow (now Zhenjiang), eastern China.
16 June 1939:
Departs Jinkow.
E August 1939:
Arrives at Nanking (now Nanjing).
29 August 1939:
Departs Nanking.
18 August 1941:
Requisitioned by the IJN as a general requisitioned transport (Ippan Choyosen) attached to the Kure Naval District. Departs Kure that same day.
E September 1941:
Calls at Saeki, Kyushu. Departs later.
6 September 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
8 September 1941:
Departs Kure.
September 1941:
Calls at Yokosuka. Departs later.
18 September 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
24 September 1941:
Departs Kure.
E September 1941:
Calls at Sasebo. Departs later.
4 October 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
11 October 1941:
Departs Kure.
E 13 October 1941:
Arrives at Murozumi, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Departs later.
14 October 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
22 October 1941:
Departs Kure.
E 23 October 1941:
Arrives at Sukumo, Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku. Departs later.
26 October 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
7 November 1941:
Departs Kure.
E 8 November 1941:
Arrives at Saeki. Departs later.
10 November 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
14 November 1941:
Departs Kure.
November 1941:
Calls at Hashirajima, Yamaguchi Prefecture and at Saeki.
23 November 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
24 November 1941:
Departs Kure.
November 1941:
Calls at Kobe and Osaka.
30 November 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
8 December 1941:
Departs Kure.
E 10 December 1941:
Arrives at Osaka. Departs later.
16 December 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
23 December 1941:
Departs Kure.
E 24 December 1941:
Arrives at Yoshida, Shizuoka Prefecture. Departs later.
26 December 1941:
Arrives at Kure.
29 December 1941:
Departs Kure.
E 30 December 1941:
Arrives at Saeki. Departs later.
10 January 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
15 January 1942:
Departs Kure.
January 1942:
Calls at Yura, Wakayama Prefecture and at Osaka.
19 January 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
24 February 1942:
Departs Kure.
E February 1942:
Arrives at Osaka. Departs later.
20 March 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
6 June 1942:
Departs Kure.
June ~ August 1942:
Calls at Onomichi and Ujina, Hiroshima Prefecture and at Saeki.
10 August 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
19 August 1942:
Departs Kure.
E August 1942:
Arrives at Osaka. Departs later.
6 September 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
7 September 1942:
Departs Kure.
E September ~ October 1942:
Calls at Onomichi and Tokuyama, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
15 October 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
16 October 1942:
Departs Kure.
E October ~ November 1942:
Calls at Ujina and Sasebo.
15 November 1942:
Arrives at Kure.
16 November 1942:
Departs Kure.
November 1942:
Calls at Saeki, Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku and arrives later at Kure.
1 December 1942:
Departs Kure.
December 1942:
Calls at Onomichi and arrives at Kure.
9 December 1942:
Departs Kure.
E January 1943:
Calls at Hashirajima.
15 January 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
17 February 1943:
Departs Kure.
February 1943:
Calls at Saeki and Hososhima, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu.
23 February 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
25 February 1943:
Departs Kure.
February 1943:
Calls at Tadotsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Shikoku and at Hojo, Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku.
1 March 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
4 March 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 5 March 1943:
Arrives at Kobe. Departs later.
6 March 1943:
Arrives at Osaka. Enters Harada Zosensho K.K. shipyard’s drydock.
6 ~ 20 March 1943:
Undergoes maintenance and repairs.
21 March 1943:
Undocked. Departs Osaka.
22 March 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
17 April 1943:
Departs Kure.
April 1943:
Calls at Osaka and Kobe.
23 April 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
2 June 1943:
Provisions auxiliary ammunition ship ARATAMA MARU.
3 June 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 4 June 1943:
Arrives at Tokuyama. Departs later.
5 June 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
7 June 1943:
Departs Kure.
14 June 1943:
Arrives at Saeki. Departs there later in the day.
16 June 1943:
Arrives at Hososhima. Departs there later that day.
20 June 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
21 June 1943:
Departs Kure.
22 June 1943:
Arrives at Saeki.
25 June 1943:
Departs Saeki.
E 23 June 1943:
Calls at Hososhima. Departs later.
27 June 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
15 July 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 16 July 1943:
Calls at Onomichi. Departs later.
17 July 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
29 July 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 30 July 1943:
Calls at Saeki. Departs later.
4 August 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
19 August 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 20 August 1943:
Calls at Saeki. Departs later.
25 August 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
24 September 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 25 September 1943:
Calls at Saeki. Departs later.
29 September 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
2 October 1943:
Departs Kure.
5 October 1943:
Arrives at Saeki.
9 October 1943:
Departs Saeki and arrives at Yawatahama, Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku later that same day.
11 October 1943:
Departs Yawatahama and arrives at Kure later in the day.
15 October 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 16 October 1943:
Calls at Onomichi. Departs later.
17 October 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
19 October 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 20 October 1943:
Calls at Onomichi. Departs later.
21 October 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
27 October 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 28 October 1943:
Calls at Onomichi. Departs there and arrives at Kure later in the day.
4 November 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 5 November 1943:
Calls at Onomichi. Departs later.
6 November 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
26 November 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 27 November 1943:
Calls at Onomichi. Departs later.
30 November 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
1 December 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 2 December 1943:
Calls at Sasebo. Departs later.
20 December 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
26 December 1943:
Departs Kure.
E 27 December 1943:
Calls at Onomichi. Departs later.
28 December 1943:
Arrives at Kure.
3 January 1944:
Departs Kure.
E 4 January 1944:
Calls at Onomichi. Departs later.
9 January 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
15 January 1944:
Departs Kure.
E 16 January 1944:
Calls at Sasebo. Departs later.
22 January 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
4 February 1944:
Departs Kure.
E 5 February 1944:
Calls at Saeki. Departs later.
11 February 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
17 February 1944:
Departs Kure.
E 18 February 1944:
Calls at Onomichi. Departs later.
9 March 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
22 March 1944:
Departs Kure.
E 23 March 1944:
Calls at Saeki. Departs later.
27 March 1944:
Arrives at Kure.
31 March 1944:
Removed from the General Requisitioned Transport list.
1 April 1944:
Registered in the IJN as an auxiliary transport (Ko) category attached to the Kure Naval District with Kure as homeport under Navy’s instruction No. 528. Assigned to Vice Admiral (Admiral posthumously) Nagumo Chuichi’s (36) Central Pacific Area Fleet. [2]
8 April 1944:
Begins conversion to military duty at the Kure Naval Yard.
3 May 1944:
The conversion is completed.
9 May 1944:
Departs Kure.
21 May 1944:
Arrives at Yokohama.
2 June 1944:
Departs Yokohama in convoy No. 3602 also consisting of auxiliary storeship HOKKAI MARU and possibly others with unknown escort.
E 6 June 1944:
Arrives at Chichi-Jima, Ogasawara Gunto (Bonins).
20 June 1944:
At 1402, departs Chichi-Jima in convoy No. 4620B also consisting of IJN requisitioned transports (B-AK) HASSHO and KUMANOSAN MARUs, IJA transports SURUGA, and KANESHIGE (KINJO) MARUs, UNKAI MARU No. 7 and TOKAI MARU No. 4 and auxiliary storeship HOKKAI MARU escorted by subchaser CH-52, auxiliary minesweepers SEKI MARU No. 3, TAMA MARU No. 6 and TOSHI MARU No. 8, and auxiliary subchaser CHa-20.
24 June 1944:
At 0030, LtCdr Frederick H. Wahlig's (USNA ’33) USS GROUPER (SS-214) torpedoes and sinks KUMANOSAN MARU at 34-45N, 139-30E. Seven of 109 passengers onboard and a single crewman are killed. At 1430, the convoy arrives at Yokosuka. Departs later.
30 June 1944:
Arrives at Yokohama.
8 July 1944:
Departs Yokosuka and arrives at Yokohama later that day.
18 July 1944:
At 1700, departs Yokohama in convoy No. 3718B also consisting of auxiliary transport KYUSHU MARU and IJA transports TSURUGA and RYUKO MARUs escorted by destroyers HATAKAZE and MATSU, torpedo boat CHIDORI, fast Navy transports/landing ships T-4, T-104 and T-153, subchaser CH-52 and auxiliary minesweepers KEINAN MARU and TAMA MARU No. 6.
22 July 1944:
Arrives at Chichi-Jima.
24 July 1944:
At 1300, departs Chichi-Jima escorted by auxiliary minesweeper KEINAN MARU.
25 July 1944:
At 1300, arrives at Iwo Jima, Ogasawara Gunto.
28 July 1944:
At 2300, departs Iwo Jima still escorted by KEINAN MARU.
30 July 1944:
At 1030, arrives at Chichi-Jima.
4 August 1944:
Departs Chichi-Jima. Later that day about 22 nautical miles NW of Mukojima, Ogasawara Gunto, TF-58 carrier-based aircraft bomb and heavily damage YAYOI MARU. One crewman is KIA. The transport is set ablaze and later abandoned by her crew.
5 August 1944:
The drifting wreck sinks at position 28-33N, 141-48E.
10 November 1944:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 1258.
________________________________________

Authors notes :
[1] Not to be confused with civilian standard 2E Type cargo ship (C-AK) (873 GRT, ’43).
[2] There were two categories of Zatsuyosen. (Ko) category with an IJN Captain as supervisor aboard and (Otsu) category without.
Thanks go to Gengoro S. Toda of Japan.
Gilbert Casse and Peter Cundall.

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