Japanese Army Auxiliary Transports

RIKUGUN YUSOSEN

(NYK Liner TSS HAKONE MARU, prewar)

IJA Transport HAKONE MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2016-2017 Bob Hackett
Revision 1

12 July 1920:
Nagasaki. Laid down at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. as Yard No. 346, a 10,423 ton passenger -cargo-ship for Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), (Tokyo)
25 July 1921:
Launched and named HAKONE MARU.
31 October 1921:
Completed. HAKONE MARU can carry 118 first-class passengers, 55 second class and about 134 third class passengers.
April 1922-March 1923:
HAKONE MARU is on NYK's Yokohama ~ North European route with ports of call at Kobe, Moji, Shanghai, Hong Kong B.C.C., Singapore, Malacca, Penang, Colombo, Suez, Port Said, Marseilles, London and Antwerp. Penang, Malacca and Moji are omitted on return voyages.
28 March 1924:
HAKONE MARU departs Southampton, England for Japan with en route calls at Singapore and Hong Kong,
August 1926-March 1927:
HAKONE MARU is on NYK's Yokohama ~ North European route with ports of call at Kobe, Moji, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malacca, Penang, Colombo, Aden, Suez, Port Said, Marseilles, Gibraltar, London, Antwerp. Return voyages now from Middlesborough, calling at Naples, omitting Aden, Penang, Malacca and Moji.
January 1930-March 1931:
HAKONE MARU is on NYK's Yokohama ~ London route with ports of call at Yokohama, Kobe, Moji, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Suez, Port Said, Marseilles, Gibraltar, London. Calls at Yokkaichi, Osaka, Aden and Naples on most voyages. Calls at Naples, omitting Aden, Penang, Moji, Osaka and Yokkaichi on return voyages.
17 March 1931:
Sir Charles Eliot, British Ambassador in Japan from 1918 to 1926, dies on board HAKONE MARU and is buried at sea later that day about half-way between Penang, Malaya and Colombo, Ceylon, (Sri Lanka) India.
18 May 1932:
Gulf of Aden. On her maiden voyage, M. S. GEORGES PHILLIPPAR, a 17,359- ton ocean liner of the French Messageries Maritimes line catches fire. HAKONE MARU arrives at the scene and helps rescue passengers from the fire and ultimate sinking of the ship with the loss of 54 lives.
10 June 1933:
HAKONE MARU departs Yokohama for London with ports of call at Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Moji, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Saigon, Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Aden, Suez, Port Said, Naples, Gibraltar and Marseilles.
30 July 1933:
Arrives at London, England.
5 April 1934:
HAKONE MARU departs port of Singapore for Penang. As the ship is crossing the strait of Malacca, Japanese tennis star Jiro Sato kills himself aboard ship. Sato was captaining the Japanese Davis Cup Team as it headed to Europe to play Australia.
April-October 1935:
HAKONE MARU is on NYK's Yokohama ~ London route with ports of call at Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Moji, Shanghai, Hong Kong, London. Moji and Nagoya omitted on return voyages.
March 1938-March 1939:
HAKONE MARU is on NYK's Yokohama ~ London route with ports of call at Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Mozi, Keelung, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Aden, Suez, Port Said, Naples, Marseilles, Gibraltar, London. Aden, Penang, Mozi, Osaka and Nagoya omitted on return voyages.
February 1940:
HAKONE MARU arrives at Naples, Italy from Singapore.
February 1940:
HAKONE MARU departs Naples for Liverpool, England with en route ports of call at Marseilles, Gibraltar and Casablanca.
January 1939:
HAKONE MARU departs Naples for Shanghai, China. The ship carries many Jewish refugees escaping Nazi Germany and other countries.
30 September 1940:
HAKONE MARU is en route to the United States from Lisbon, Portugal, when she is ordered by the British to halt at Bermuda. The ship then proceeds to Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The ship originally was proceeding to Liverpool, but went to Lisbon instead because of war conditions and regulations regarding the British Isles.
20 August 1941:
HAKONE MARU is detained in Bombay (Mumbai), India, but is released and departs for Singapore with about 60 evacuated Japanese where she was to embark an additional 104 Japanese for Japan. HAKONE MARU is later detained at Singapore pending assurance for the reciprocal treatment of British subjects to be evacuated from Japanese territory. The ship is allowed to sail on 21 September.
26 September 1941:
Manila. The Japanese Foreign Minister advises the Japanese Consul that HAKONE MARU will soon call at Manila and Davao. The Foreign Office requests to be advised of the number of Japanese withdrawing from that district as well as other details of the evacuation. In an agreement with British Ambassador Robert Craigie in Tokyo, safe transit for HAKONE MARU, sailing through the Persian Gulf en route to Bombay, is assured. In exchange, English ships, sent to Japan and China for the evacuation of British and Allied nationals, are granted similar facilities.
1 June 1942:
HAKONE MARU departs Tokyo Bay in an unnumbered convoy also consisting of transport YAMADORI MARU escorted by destroyer SAWAKAZE.
2 June 1942:
Arrives at Osaka.
28 August 1942:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Navy (IJN) as a shared employment cargo-troop transport (B-APK)
7 September 1942:
At 0830, HAKONE MARU departs from Futtsu in a west bound convoy also consisting of ISSEI and TEIHOKU (ex-Vichy French PERSEE) MARUs escorted by destroyer OKIKAZE.
19 October 1942:
Released by the IJN back to her owners for charter.
E 1943:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army (IJA) as a shared employment army/civilian cargo-troop transport (A/C-APK). Alloted IJA No. 5003.
29 April 1943:
At 1500, HAKONE MARU departs Moji in convoy No. 152 also consisting of ATAGO, BIYO, HAKUBASAN, KENSHIN, JUYO, SEIAN and SHOKO MARUs and KYOEI MARU No. 5 escorted by destroyer KARUKAYA
3 May 1943:
At 1910, arrives at Mako, Pescadores.
12 May 1943:
HAKONE MARU departs St Jacques in convoy No. 579 also consisting of ATAGO and OTOWASAN MARUs without escort.
15 May 1943:
Arrives at Singapore.
20 May 1943:
At 0900, HAKONE MARU departs Singapore escorted by destroyer KARUKAYA.
22 May 1943:
At 1455 arrives at Batavia (Jakarta), Java, NEI (Indonesia).
17 July 1943:
At 0800, HAKONE MARU departs Moji in convoy No. 177 also consisting of transports ARIMASAN and DURBAN MARUs, oilers HOYO, TACHIBANA and TAKETSU MARUs and three unidentified ships escorted by torpedo boat SAGI. Soon after departure, cargo ship TAKETSU MARU joins the convoy.
22 July 1943:
At 1320, arrives at Takao, Formosa. Later that day, arrives at Mako, Pescadores. Still later, departs for Singapore. 29 September 1943:

At 0900, HAKONE MARU departs Moji in convoy TE-01 consisting of ICHIYO, NAMPO, NIPPO MARUs and three unidentified merchant ships escorted by kaibokan SADO.
3 October 1943:
At 1136 arrives at Takao.
November 1943:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army as a Haitosen shared employment troop transport (A/C). Alloted IJA No. 5003.
26 November 1943:
HAKONE MARU departs Takao for Moji in convoy No. 222 also consisting of HAWAII, HOTEN, ROKKO and SHUNKO (SUNKO), MARUs, tankers TACHIBANA, NITTATSU, SEINAN MARU and OGURA MARU No. 2 and landing craft depot ship AKITSU MARU escorted by torpedo boat TOMOZURU.
27 November 1943:
N Formosa Strait. SE of Foochow, China. At 0930, three China based 14th Air Force North American B-25 "Mitchell" medium bombers attack the convoy. They badly damage HAKONE MARU at 25-04N 119-40E. TOMOZURU is also strafed and damaged.
HAWAII and NITTATSU MARUs assist HAKONE MARU. NITTATSU MARU attempts to tow HAKONE MARU, but at 1715, she sinks. No casualties are sustained. Undamaged HAWAII MARU picks up about 900 survivors. The convoy continues north to Shanghai where the rescued IJA soldiers from HAKONE MARU are landed.

Author's Notes:
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.

Bob Hackett

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