RIKUGUN YUSOSEN

(ENJU MARU, prewar)

IJA/IJN ENJU MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement

© 2017 Bob Hackett

E1918:
Québec, Canada. Laid down by Canadian Vickers Ltd., Québec as Yard No. 70, a 5,439 ton cargo ship for the Canadian Government Merchant Marine, Ottawa. [1]

1919:
Launched and named SS CANADIAN MILLER.

1919:
Completed.

1928:
Sold to Canadian National Steamships Ltd., Montreal.

1933:
Sold to Onassis Aristoteles Socratis. Renamed ONASSI SOCRATIS.

1939:
Sold to Soc. Maritime Miraflores, Panama City, Panama. Renamed MIRAFLORES.

1941:
Sold to Okada Gumi K. K., Osaka. Renamed ENJU MARU.

E 1943:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army (IJA) as a Haitosen Army/Civilian (A/C-AK) shared employment cargo ship and allotted Army No. 5006.

25 February 1943:
ENJU MARU departs St Jacques, Indochina in unescorted convoy No. 561 also consisting of GYOKO,NORFOLK, RIKKO and TAISHO MARUs and tanker OGURA MARU No. 1

28 February 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.

9 March 1943:
At 1000, ENJU MARU departs Singapore for St Jacques vichy French Indochina, (Vung Tau, Vietnam). in combined convoy Rinji/No. 673 also consisting of NORFOLK MARU and tankers EIYO and TACHIBANA MARU with an unknown escort.

4 April 1943:
Arrives at Takao, Formosa (Taiwan).

E 1943:
Released by the IJA back to her owners.

27 October 1943:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Navy (IJN) as a B-AK.

11 December 1943:
At 0900, ENJU MARU departs Takao for Moji in convoy No. 226 also consisting of ATLAS, OYO, HIDA, AMERICA, HANAGAWA and NEIKAI MARUs escorted by parol boat PB-36.

17 December 1943:
Convoy No. 226 arrives at Moji, less ENJU MARU detached at Okinawa due to engine trouble.

29 July 1944:
ENJU MARU departs Yokosuka for Tateyama in convoy No. 3729 also consisting of HOKKAI, KYUSHU, SHOGEN and TONEGAWA MARUs and UNKAI MARU No.7 escorted by Rear Admiral Takahashi Ichimatsu's (40) (former CO of TSUGARU) 2nd Convoy Escort Group's flagship destroyer escort MATSU, destroyer HATAKAZE, kaibokan CD-4, Navy fast transports T.2 and T.4 and subchasers CH-51 and CH-52. Arrives at Tateyama and then departs for Iwo Jima.

That same day, light carrier ZUIHO, escorted by destroyer FUYUTSUKI, sorties from Yokosuka to provide air and anti-submarine cover for the convoy.

1 August 1944:
Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands. Convoy No. 3729 arrives at Futami Harbor, Chichi Jima. Upon arrival some of the cargo ships depart for Iwo Jima. Bad weather causes delays in unloading. ZUIHO and FUYUTSUKI, after maintaining position near the Izu Shichito Islands, make for the West Inland Sea.

4 August 1944:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Navy (IJN) as a cargo ship (B-AK).

4 August 1944: Operation "Scavenger" – Aerial Bombardment of Iwo Jima and the Ogasawara Islands:
About 0930, an air raid warning is received from Tokyo. All ships proceed to sea in convoy No. 4804. From 1030 on, the convoy is attacked by three waves of aircraft of Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Joseph J. Clark's (USNA '17) (former CO of USS YORKTOWN, CV-10) Task Group 58.1. The first wave attacks the convoy 20 miles NW of Chichi Jima. Destroyer HATAKAZE suffers rudder damage. At about 1100, kaibokan CD-4 is near-missed by bombs fore and aft to starboard. She suffers slight damage with two men KIA. The Japanese claim shooting-down several aircraft.

In the second raid, ENJU MARU is sunk with the loss of 21 passengers and 52 crewmen. The third strike occurs between 1600 and 1630, during which the majority of the ships succumb to torpedo attacks from both sides of the convoy. CD-12 incurs some damage. After organizing the rescue of the convoy's survivors, flagship MATSU l eads the still intact escort group and TONEGAWA MARU, the lone surviving cargo ship, northwards.

Off the coast of Iwo Jima, carrier planes from USS BUNKER HILL (CV-17) and USS LEXINGTON (CV-16) sink T.133 at 24-47N, 141-20E. Casualties are unknown.

Author's Note:
[1] Some sources claim her grt as 5374-tons.

Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.

Bob Hackett

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