ZATSUYOSEN!

(YOSHINOGAWA MARU, prewar)

IJN YOSHINOGAWA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2014-2017 Gilbert Casse, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

Revision 1

E 1940:
Osaka. Laid down by Sanoyasu Dock K.K. shipyard for Toyo Kaiun K.K. as a 1,422-tons cargo ship.

2 December 1940:
Launched and named YOSHINOGAWA MARU

29 June 1941:
Completed and registered in Tokyo.

19 April 1942:
Requisitioned by the IJN.

20 April 1942:
Yokosuka. Starts conversion to military duty.

26 April 1942:
Rated general requisitioned transport but rerated auxiliary transport that same day.

30 April 1942:
Registered that day in the IJN as an auxiliary transport attached to the Yokosuka Naval District with Yokosuka as home port under Navy’s instruction No. 763.

8 May 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.

7 May 1942:
Arrives at Kure. Departs later that day.

15 May 1942:
Tactically assigned to the 8th fleet as an auxiliary transport (Otsu) category. [1]

1 June 1942:
Departs Yokosuka in an unnumbered southbound convoy also consisting of auxiliary storeship CHOKO MARU escorted by hydrographic survey ship KOMAHASHI. At an unknown location later that day, KOMAHASHI is detached and returns to Yokosuka.

29 September 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul.

21 December 1942:
Departs Truk, Central Carolines in convoy with KAIHEI MARU. The convoy was possibly escorted part way by subchaser CH-16.

25 December 1942:
Arrives at Rabaul, New Britain.

9 January 1943:
About 22 nautical miles E of Bougainville Island, Solomons. During the night, LtCdr (later Cdr) William H. Brockman’s (USNA ’27) USS NAUTILUS (SS-168) sights a convoy consisting of two merchant ships escorted by a patrol boat (PB-39). Soon after, YOSHINOGAWA MARU sights USS NAUTILUS and unsuccessfully attacks the submarine. At 0300, Brockman attacks and hits the auxiliary transport. Attempts to tow YOSHINOGAWA MARU fail and she later sinks at 06-10S, 156-00E with the loss of eight crewmen. IJN requisitioned (B-AK) KISARAGI MARU rescues the survivors.

20 April 1943:
Removed from the Navy’s list under instruction No. 765.

Authors' Note:
[1] 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, Bob Hackett and Peter Cundall

Back to IJN Transports Page