RIKUGUN YUSOSEN
(Type A Standard Cargo Ship)
IJA DJOKJA MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2012-2017 Bob Hackett
E December 1943:
Koyagishima. Laid down at Kawaminami Kogyo K. K. as a
6,440-ton Type 1A Standard Cargo Ship for Nanyo Kaiun K.K. of Tokyo.
E February 1944:
Launched and named DJOKJA MARU. [1]
March 1944:
Completed and requisitioned by the IJA.
15 April 1944:
At 0600, DJOKJA MARU departs Tokyo for Palau in convoy
Higashi-Matsu No. 6 also consisting of BISAN and JINSAN MARUs bound for Palau,
KAMISHIMA and SHOZAN MARUs bound for Wolei, INARI and TONEGAWA MARUs bound for Guam, AWA, AWAJI, BATAVIA, HAKUBA, HOKUSHIN, KATSUKAWA and TAKAOKA MARUs bound for Saipan, CHOAN MARU No. 2 and MIKAGE MARU No.1 bound for Truk and TATSUAKI and TAMAHOKO MARUs bound for Chichi-Jima.
The convoy is escorted by destroyers HOKAZE, YUNAGI, UZUKI, kaibokan
MIYAKE and CD-6, minesweepers W-20 and W-28, minelayers SARUSHIMA, KYOSAI and
YURISHIMA and subchasers CH-10 and CH-12. 23 April 1944:
At 0600, arrives at
Saipan.
1 May 1944:
While nearing Palau, DJOKJA, BISAN and JINSAN MARUs and
CH-10 run aground on the N tip of Palau atoll, but later all are successfully
refloated.
13 May 1944:
At 0600, DJOKJA MARU depart Palau for Cebu, Philippines
in a convoy also consisting of BISAN (MIYAMA) MARU escorted by subchaser CH-12
and auxiliary subchasers CHa-32 and CHa-60 .
14 May 1944:
At 0219 (I), LtCdr (later Cdr) Walter P. Schoeni's (USNA
’31) USS ASPRO (SS-309) attacks the convoy and fires four torpedoes at BISAN
MARU at 0903, 133-32E, but they all miss.
At 0552, the convoy is again attacked, this time by Cdr John Corbus'
(USNA ’30) USS BOWFIN (SS-287) and Schoeni's ASPRO. BOWFIN fires six bow
torpedoes at BISAN MARU and at about the same time, ASPRO fires four stern
torpedoes at BISAN MARU
BISAN MARU, carrying 715 civilian and 269 military personnel, is hit by
one or more torpedoes and floods. Between 0845-0900, she sinks by the stern. 83
passengers and two crewmen are KIA. DJOKJA MARU rescues survivors. The
subchasers drop 16 depth charges, but both submarines escape. Later, BOWFIN and
ASPRO share credit for the sinking.
15 May 1944:
About 200 miles NW of Palau. At 0314, Schoeni's ASPRO
torpedoes DJOKJA MARU at 10-10N, 131-32E. At 1000, she sinks at 10-10N, 131-48E.
Seven gunners and four crewmen are KIA. The subchasers drop about a dozen depth
charges, but ASPRO safely clears the area.
Author's Note:
[1] Also known as JOKUJA MARU, a romanization of DJOKJA MARU, named after the city of Yogyakarta, Java, which was then called DJOKJA.
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.
- Bob Hackett
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