Tabular Record of Movement
©2012-2013 Bob Hackett
Revision 3
E 1905:
Elbing, Danzig, Germany (now Gdansk, Poland). Laid down at Ferdinand Schichau Werft (Schichau Shipyard) as a 8,959-ton passenger-cargo liner for the Norddeutsche Lloyd (NDL) (North German Lloyd) Line.
3 December 1906:
Launched and named KLEIST.
1907:
Completed. KLIEST can carry 1,908 passengers (104 first class, 104 second class and 1,700 in third class.
17 April 1907:
Departs Bremen for Australia via the Suez Canal.
1907-1914:
Transferred to on NDL’s Far East route.
3 June 1907:
Arrives at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia carrying 262 Passengers.
29 July 1907:
Arrives at Southampton, England from Sydney en route to Bremen via Fremantle, Adelaide and Melbourne, Australia, Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Port Said, Egypt.
22 February 1913:
Departs Bremen for New York.
9 April 1913:
Departs Bremen for New York.
E June 1913:
Departs Bremen for Australia via the Suez Canal.
3 September 1913:
Resumes Far East service.
August 1914: World War One:
KLIEST receives a wireless message that Russia and France have declared war against Austria-Hungary and Germany and that Holland and Belgium are mobilizing. Lands her passengers at Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), then steams for the Dutch Indies.
1914-1919:
Laid up for the duration of the war at Padang, Sumatra.
1919:
Taken over by The Shipping Controller, London at the end of the First World War. Managed by the British India Steam Navigatiom Company, Singapore.
1922:
Britain turns KLEIST over to Japan as a reparations ship.
Renamed YOSHINO MARU.
Managed by the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) Line and based at Kobe.
7 August 1922:
Arrives at Sydney.
31 January 1924:
Arrives at Sydney en route to Melbourne.
4 May 1929:
Sold to the Kinkai Yusen, K. K. Line, Tokyo.
9 January–7 December 1935:
In Kinkai Yusen’s service.
1937:
Kobe. Converted to a cargo ship at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.
5 July 1937:
Placed on Kinkai Yusen’s Osaka -Takao route.
7 July 1937: The "First China Incident" and the Beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War:
Hun River, Lukuokiao, China. Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) troops on night maneuvers at the Marco Polo Bridge fire blank cartridges. Chinese troops across the river think they are under attack. They fire live round back, but do not cause injuries. At morning roll call, the Japanese discover a soldier missing and assume the Chinese have captured him. The Japanese demand entry to the Peiping (Beijing) suburb of Wanping to look for the soldier, but the Chinese refuse. The Japanese then shell the city. An undeclared war on China begins.
1937:
Chartered by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) as a troop transport.
28 August 1937:
YOSHINO MARU departs Ujina and arrives at Moji.
29 August 1937:
YOSHINO MARU departs Moji in a convoy also consisting of BAIKAL, MIZUHO, NOSHIRO, PINTUNG, SHINKO and ZENYO MARUs. YOSHINO MARU carries 1,442 men and 212 horses of the 3rd Division’s 18th Infantry Regiment including the 29th Infantry Brigade HQ, HQ, 3rd Company, 5th ~ 8th Companies, 2nd Battalion HQ, Infantry Gun Platoon and 2nd Battalion.
2 September 1937:
Arrives at Wusung, China.
July 1938:
Ujina. YOSHINO MARU suffers an accidental fire. The extent of fire damage is unknown. Later, she undergoes repairs at Mitsubishi, Kobe.
25 October 1938:
Arrives at Shanghai.
25 October 1938:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army.
28 July 1939:
Arrives at Shanghai.
8 September 1939:
Transferred due to merger with Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) Line, Tokyo. Arrives at Moji that same day.
20 October 1939:
Departs Ujina.
24 October 1939:
Arrives at Qinhuangdao.
25 October 1939:
Arrives at Dairen, Manchuria.
31 October 1939:
Arrives at Moji.
1 November 1940:
Departs Ujina.
4 November 1940:
Arrives at Qinhuangdao.
7 November 1940:
Departs Qinhuangdao.
9 November 1940:
Arrives at Tsingtao.
15 November 1940:
Departs Tsingtao.
17 November 1940:
Arrives at Moji, unloads then dearts and arrives at Ujina.
8 December 1940:
Arrives at Camranh Bay, Vichy French Indochina.
20 October 1941
Arrives at Darien, Manchuria:
1 November 1941:
Arrives at Ujina.
7 November 1941:
Departs Ujina.
9 November 1941:
Arrives at Tsingtao.
15 November 1941:
Departs Tsingtao.
17 November 1941:
Arrives at Ujina.
8 December 1941:
Arrives at Camranh Bay.
3 January 1942:
Arrives at Saigon.
4 January 1942:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
8 February 1942:
Arrives at Humen, China.
15 February 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
20 February 1942:
Arrives at Saigon.
21 February 1942:
Arrives at Humen.
14 March 1942
Arrives at Moji, unloads then departs for Ujina.
5 May 1942:
Arrives at Ujina.
7 May 1942:
At 1200, YOSHINO MARU departs Mutsure for Singapore in convoy No. 109 also consisting of passenger-cargo TAIYO MARU and cargo ships
MIKAGE, DOVER and RYUSEI MARUs escorted by auxiliary gunboat PEKING MARU.
The five ships sail in a single row with TAIYO MARU leading. Due to inadequate organization, TAIYO MARU which could easily make 14 knots, is
organized into a nine knot convoy. While steaming westward through the Genkai Sea, the convoy encounters a severe northeastern gale which further
reduces speed.
8 May 1942:
At 1100, while patrolling in the vicinity, destroyer MINEKAZE and auxiliary gunboat TOMITSU MARU join the convoy as additional
escorts.
At 1700, MINEKAZE and TOMITSU MARU are detached from the convoy. At 1900, PEKING MARU signals “danger of enemy sub appearance,
use strict caution, prepare for gun action”.
170 km SW of Me-Shima, Nannyo-Gunto, Nagasaki Prefecture, SW Kyushu. At 1945, LtCdr William A. Lent’s (USNA ‘25) USS USS GRENADIER (SS-210) fires four
torpedoes at TAIYO MARU. Two torpedoes hit her portside in the stern and No. 2 hold that catches fire. Flames reach the stored hand-grenades and illumination
rounds. The forward part of the ship turns into a sea of flames. By 2020, sea water reaches C deck and the ship develops a 35 degree list to portside. About
this time, all hands are ordered to abandon ship. By 2035, the ship is restored to an even level, but starts to submerge rapidly bow first.
80 nautical miles from Me-Shima Lighthouse. At 2040, TAIYO MARU rises vertically and sinks. She was carrying 1,360 skilled oilmen, engineers, and specialists headed for Java and Sumatra.156 of her 263-man crew, 1,044 passengers and four of 53 armed guards/gunners are KIA (total 817).
PEKING MARU sends a distress call , picks up 15 survivors and counter-attacks. She drops a string of depth charges on GRENADIER without effect.
After receiving PEKING MARU´s distress call, MINEKAZE and TOMITSU MARU rush to the scene of disaster. Both ships arrive about midnight and start rescue work. Despite terrible weather conditions, their crews pick up 480 survivors. They are landed at Nagasaki at noon, 10 May ‘42.
A large-scale search for other survivors is conducted by several fishing boats, but no other survivors are found. Official total count for survivors is 543.
12 May 1942:
Arrives at Mako, Pescadores.
15 May 1942:
Departs Takao and arrives at Saigon, Vichy French Indochina (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam).
7 June 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.
June 1942:
Departs Singapore.
21 June 1942:
Arrives at Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar).
24 June 1942:
Departs Rangoon.
29 June 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.
30 June 1942:
Departs Singapore.
1 July 1942:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
8 July 1942:
Departs Hong Kong.
11 July 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
121 July 1942:
Departs Takao.
16 July 1942:
Arrives at Manila.
1 August 1942:
Departs Manila.
6 August 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
7 August 1942:
Departs Takao.
11 August 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.
27 August 1942:
Departs Singapore.
30 August 1942:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
31 August 1942:
Departs Hong Kong.
1 September 1942:
Arrives at Saigon.
20 September 1942:
Departs Saigon.
24 September 1942:
Arrives at Singapore and departs that same day.
25 September 1942:
Arrives at Hong Kong.
26 September 1942:
Embarks patients for transport acccompanied by the 52nd Medical Group. Departs Hong Kong.
6 October 1942:
Arrives at Hiroshima, disembarks patients and departs for Ujina.
7 October 1942:
Arrives at Ujina.
10 October 1942:
Undergoes remodelling to a hospital ship at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, Hiroshima. YOSHINO MARU's entire hull is painted white
with a green horizontal stipe and large red crosses on her sides. Departs Ujina.
21 October 1942:
Arrives at Qinhuangdao
23 October 1942:
Embarks patients for transport acccompanied by the 16th Medical Group. Departs Qinhuangdao.
27 October 1942:
Arrives at Moji .
29 October 1942:
Arrives at Osaka.
4 November 1942:
Arrives at Ujina.
8 November 1942:
Arrives at Dairen.
10 November 1942:
Embarks patients for transport acccompanied by the 16th Medical Group. Departs Dalian.
13 November 1942:
Arrives at Moji.
14 November 1942:
Arrives at Ujina.
18 November 1942:
Departs Ujina.
21 November 1942:
Tokyo. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs notifies all belligerents that YOSHINO MARU is employed as a hospital ship.
1 December 1942:
Arrives at Takao and departs.
1 December 1942:
Arrives at Singapore.
3 December 1942:
Departs Singapore.
10 December 1942:
Arrives at Manila.
13 December 1942:
Departs Manila.
15 December 1942:
Arrives at Takao.
16 December 1942:
Departs Takao.
17 December 1942:
Arrives at Kirun.
19 December 1942:
Departs Kirun.
24 December 1942:
Arrives at Moji.
25 December 1942:
Departs Ujina.
26 December 1942:
Arrives at Dairen and arrives at Moji later that day.
1 January 1943:
Departs Dairen.
3 January 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
4 January 1943:
Departs Osaka.
15 January 1943:
Arrives at Dairen.
17 January 1943:
Departs Dairen and arrives at Osaka that same day.
23 January 1943:
Departs Osaka.
30 January 1943:
Arrives at Dairen.
31 January 1943:
Departs Dairen and arrives at Moji that same day.
5 February 1943:
Arrives at Dairen and departs. Arrives at Ujina that same day.
9 February 1943:
Arrives at Kirun.
11 February 1943:
Departs Kirun and arrives at Moji that same day.
18 February 1943:
Departs Ujina.
26 February 1943:
Arrives at Dairen. Departs and arrives at Moji that same day.
2 March 1943:
Departs Osaka.
6 March 1943:
Arrives at Kirun.
8 March 1943:
Departs Kirun and arrives at Moji later that same day.
15 March 1943:
Arrives at Ujina.
18 March 1943:
Arrives at Dairen.
26 March 1943:
Departs Dairen.
30 March 1943:
Arrives at Ujina.
4 April 1943:
Departs Ujina.
17 April 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
19 April 1943:
Departs Palau with hospital ship MIZUHO MARU.
24 April 1943:
Arrives at Kokopo, New Britain and departs later that same day.
6 May 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
11 May 1943:
Departs Manila.
21 May 1943:
Arrives at Kokopo, New Britain and departs later that same day. Probably calls at Rabaul and departs.
31 May 1943:
Arrives at Palau and departs later that same day.
1 June 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
5 June 1943:
Departs Takao.
7 June 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
9 June 1943:
Departs Manila.
11 June 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
13 June 1943:
Departs Takao.
22 June 1943:
Arrives at Osaka.
1 August 1943:
Departs Moji.
10 August 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
14 August 1943:
Departs Singapore
16 August 1943:
Arrives at St. Jacques, Indochina.
18 August 1943:
Departs St. Jacques.
23 August 1943:
Arrives at Hong Kong .
25 August 1943:
Departs Hong Kong.
29 August 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
11 September 1943:
Departs Moji.
16 September 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
30 September 1943:
Departs Palau.
5 October 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
11 October 1943:
Departs Manila.
15 October 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
16 October 1943:
Departs Palau.
21 October 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul and departs that same day.
26 October 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
27 October 1943:
Departs Palau.
31 October 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
3 November 1943:
Departs Manila.
5 November 1943:
Arrives at Takao.
10 November 1943:
Departs Takao.
157 November 1943:
Arrives at Palau.
17 November 1943:
Departs Palau.
20 November 1943:
Arrives at Wewak, New Guinea.
22 November 1943:
Departs Wewak.
27 November 1943:
Arrives at Manila.
1 December 1943:
Departs Manila.
6 December 1943:
Arrives at Moji.
30 December 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul. Departs for Palau later that same day.
19 January 1944:
Departs Palau.
26 January 1944:
Arrives at Rabaul. Departs for Palau later that same day. 40 nm N Rabaul, she is bombed and suffers a near-miss by an American patrol aircraft at 03-45S 151-42E.
5 February 1944:
Departs Manila.
8 February 1944:
Arrives at Kirun, Formosa (Keelung, Taiwan).
12 February 1944:
Departs Kirun.
16 February 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
12 March 1944:
Departs Osaka.
29 March 1944:
Harlmahera, Moluccas and departs that day.
14 April 1944:
Arrives at Osaka.
21 April 1944:
Tokyo. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs submits a protest to the United States about the bombing of hospital ship YOSHINO MARU.
24 April 1944:
Departs Osaka.
14 May 1944:
Arrives at Manila.
17 May 1944:
Departs Manila.
25 May 1944:
Arrives at Ujina.
27 May 1944:
Departs Ujina.
6 June 1944:
Arrives at Palau.
7 June 1944:
Departs Palau.
-17 June 1944:
Arrives at Ujina.
28 June 1944:
Departs Ujina.
-30 June 1944:
Arrives at Busan, Chosen (now Pusan, S Korea).
3 July 1944:
Departs Busan. Embarks soldiers of the IJA's Kwantung Army.
4 July 1944:
Arrives at Ujina.
7 July 1944:
Tamano. YOSHINO MARU is converted from a hospital ship to a troop transport. She is armed with suites of AA guns and painted grey overall.
July 1944:
Departs Ujina. Arrives at Moji that same day.
12 July 1944:
At 1500, YOSHINO MARU departs Moji in convoy MI-11 consisting of EIKYU, MIHO, ENOSHIMA, MANKO, HACHIJIN, DAKAR, FUSO, TEIRITSU (ex-Vichy French LECONTE DE LISLE), BAIKAL, TOUN and FUKUJU MARUs, BANSHU MARU No. 16 and tankers KOEI, TAKETOYO, AYAYUKI, SHICHIYO, AYAGUMO and HARIMA MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 1 escorted by destroyer SHIOKAZE, kaibokan SHIMUSHU, minesweepers W-28 and W-39, subchaser CH-55 and auxiliary gunboat KAZAN MARU.
YOSHINO MARU is carrying 5,012 soldiers of the Kwantung Army towards Luzon to join the 102nd and 103rd Infantry Divisions forming on Luzon. The
troops include members of three newly created air force independent maintenance units, a radio repair section destined for the Manila Air Depot, replacements
for the 4th Air Army, 22nd Air Signal Unit, a company of the 6th Air Signal Regiment, 1st Field Replacement Command, 151st Airfield Battalion and four other
such airfield battalions and the 133rd Line of Communications Hospital.
18 July 1944:
At 1800, the convoy arrives at Takao and refuels.Destroyer SHIOKAZE is detached. This important convoy is carrying reinforcements
and ammunition for the defense of the Philippines, so the escort is reorganized and strengthened and now consists of kaibokan SHIMUSHU and CD-28, minesweepers W-28, W-38 and W-39, subchaser CH-55 and auxiliary gunboat KAZAN (HUA SHAN) MARU.
20 July 1944:
BAIKAL MARU is detached from the convoy and arrives at Kirun.
21 July 1944:
The convoy arrives at Takao. TOUN MARU is detached from the convoy.
29 July 1944:
At 0500, YOSHINO MARU departs Takao via Manila for Miri, Borneo in convoy MI-11 now consisting of EIKYU, MIHO, ENOSHIMA, MANKO, HACHIJIN, DAKAR, FUSO, TEIRITSU (ex-Vichy French LECONTE DE LISLE) and FUKUJU MARUs, BANSHU MARU No. 16 and tankers HARIMA, KOEI, TAKETOYO, AYAYUKI, SHICHIYO and AYAGUMO MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 1 escorted by minesweepers W-39 and W-28.
EIKYU MARU turns back to Takao that same day because of engine trouble.
30 July 1944:
At 2200, BANSHU MARU No. 16 incurs rudder problems and collides with MANKO MARU, bow-to-bow, both are damaged, but able to proceed.
31 July 1944:
Luzon Strait. A wolfpack patrols the Strait under Captain (later Rear Admiral) Lewis S. Parks (USNA ’25). It consists of LtCdr
(later Vice Admiral/MOH/COMSUBLANT) Lawson P. Ramage's (USNA ’31) USS PARCHE (SS-384)(F), LtCdr (later Captain) David L. Whelchel's (USNA ’30) USS STEELHEAD
(SS-280) and LtCdr John C. Martin's (USNA ’34) USS HAMMERHEAD (SS-364).
280 miles NNW of Cape Mayraira, Luzon. At 0332, LtCdr Ramage's PARCHE torpedoes and sinks KOEI MARU. Although she is carrying a unit of 1,050 IJA
troops, casualties are relatively light, about 150 troops and nine crewmen are KIA. About the same time, oiler OGURA MARU No. 1 is hit by a torpedo, but does
not sink. Five crewmen are KIA.
At 0340, Ramage torpedoes and sinks YOSHINO MARU She carries down 2,442 soldiers, 18 naval gunners and 35 sailors for a total of 2,495 men KIA and 400
m3 of ammunition lost. Among the units she carried were two small headquarters units (22 men each), the 35th and 36th Air Sector Commands.[1][2]
At 0420, Whelchel's STEELHEAD torpedoes DAKAR MARU, but she does not sink. At 0455, Whelchel torpedoes and sinks FUSO MARU. She takes down 1,384
troops and crewmen and a cargo of 36 railway carriages and 1,120-tons of other military supplies.
At 0514, Ramage's PARCHE torpedoes and sinks MANKO MARU. She carries down several hundred naval personnel, 17 escort troops and 20 crewmen and a cargo of ammunition.
All together, the ships take down several thousand military personnel, crewmen and their cargoes of ammunition and other supplies. Thousands of troops
are left floating in the waters of Balintang Channel.
3 August 1944:
At 1730, the remainder of MI-11 arrives at Manila.
Authors’ Notes:
[1] For his actions in the Luzon Strait that night, Ramage was awarded the Medal of Honor.
[2] Both USS PARCHE and USS STEELHEAD received 1/2 credit for sinking YOSHINO MARU.
Thanks go to John Whitman of Virginia and Fontessa-san of Japan for info about troops carried in 1937.
Bob Hackett
