RIKUGUN YUSOSEN
(SEKINO MARU)
IJA Cargo NICHIUN MARU:
Tabular Record of
Movement
© 2017 Bob Hackett
1941:
Hiroshima. Laid down at Osaka Iron Works Co., Ltd. Innoshima Plant as a 2, 728-ton cargo ship.
July 1941:
Launched and named NICHIUN MARU.
24 September 1941:
Completed.
24 May 1942:
NICHIUN MARU departs Tateyama in an unnumbered northbound convoy also consisting of auxiliary storeship SAPPORO MARU, IJA transports AMAHO and FUKOKU MARUs, IJN transport SHINSEI MARU No. 18 and IJN HEIWA MARU (B-APK) escorted by survey ship KOMAHASHI and minelayer UKISHIMA. Later that day, KOMAHASHI is detached off Katsuura and returns to Yokosuka.
31 May 1942:
Arrives at Paramushiro, Kuriles.
21 June 1942:
NICHIUN MARU departs Yokosuka in a northbound convoy to Hokkaido also consisting of cargo/transports ANZAN, FUKI, KENSHIN, KANAYAMASAN and TATEYAMA MARUs and EIKO MARU No. 2 GO. escorted by minesweeper W-18.
24 June 1942:
Arrives at Otaru, Hokkaido.
31 December 1942:
NICHIUN MARU departs Saeki in Military Movement No. 8's “R” convoy also consisting of FUKUYO, TASMANIA and TETSUZAN MARUs, Naval fleet oiler KAMOI and tanker TOHO MARU escorted by
minelayers NATSUSHIMA and NASAMI.
1 January 1943:
Requisitioned by the Imperial Army (IJA) and allotted IJA No. 853. The escorts are detached at 29N.
January 1943:
Arrives at Kolombangara, New Georgia, Solomon Islands.
28 January 1943:
NICHIUN MARU departs Kolombangara for Rabaul escorted by subchaser CH-22.
29 January 1943:
Off New Georgia, SE of Bougainville Island. At about 1600, LtCdr Robert J. Foley's (USNA '27) USS GATO (SS-212) fires two torpedoes and gets one hit that sinks NICHIUN MARU by the bow at 6-21S, 156-4E.
Casualties are unknown. Foley evades CH-22 and slips away.
Author's Note:
Thanks go to Erich Muehlthaler of Germany.
Bob Hackett
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