© 1998 Allyn D. Nevitt
IJN Yuzuki: Tabular Record of Movement
Name Translation: Evening Moon
Initial Command Structure:
Ship's captain: Lieutenant Commander Tachibana Hirota [56] (prev. C.O. HARUKAZE). Assigned to Desdiv 23 (KIKUZUKI, YUZUKI, UZUKI), Cardiv 2, First Air Fleet.
23-27 November 1941:
Desdiv 23 escorted troop convoys from Sakaide to Haha-jima.
4-8 December:
Departed Haha-jima, Desdiv 23 with Guam invasion force; then antisubmarine patrolling in that area.
10-12 January 1942:
Desdiv 23 steamed from Saipan to Truk.
23 January:
Desdiv 23 with Kavieng invasion force; then Rabaul-area patrol/escort duties.
9 February:
Desdiv 23 with Gasmata (New Britain) invasion force.
20-23 February:
Desdiv 23 steamed from Kavieng to Truk.
2 March-10 April:
Desdiv 23 escorted Admiral Goto's cover force out of Truk in support of Lae/Salamua, Northern Solomons, and Admiralty Islands invasions.
10 April:
Desdiv 23 reassigned to Desron 6, Fourth Fleet.
3-4 May:
With Tulagi invasion force. Minor damage: in air attack due to strafing: 10 dead, including Lieutenant Commander Tachibana, and 20 injured. Became flagship of Comdesdiv 23 (Commander Shimazui Takemi [47] upon sinking of KIKUZUKI.
10 May:
Lieutenant Commander Tachibana replaced by Lieutenant Commander Mori Koukichi [57] (prev. C.O. KIKUZUKI).
11 May:
Removed Rear Admiral Shima Kiyohide [39] from torpedoed OKINOSHIMA to become his temporary flagship.
13-16 May:
With Ocean-Nauru occupation force; operation suspended due to detection of U.S. carrier force in the area.
21-28 May:
Steamed from Truk via Saipan to Sasebo.
25 May:
Desdiv 23 deactivated; reassigned to Desdiv 29 (OITE, ASANAGI, YUNAGI), Desron 6, Fourth Fleet. Remained flagship of Commander Shimazui, who relieved Captain Setoyama Yasuhide [45] as Comdesdiv 29.
28 May-16 June:
At Sasebo for maintenance.
16-25 June:
Steamed from Sasebo via Saipan to Truk.
29 June-12 July:
Escorted convoy carrying airfield construction crews from Truk via Bougainville to Guadalcanal; then Rabaul-area patrol/escort duties.
10 July:
Desron 6 deactivated; Desdiv 29 reassigned to 2nd Surface Escort Division, Fourth Fleet. On same date, Lieutenant Commander Mori (to Staff, Crudiv 21; later C.O. SAWAKAZE) relieved by Lieutenant Oyamada Shooichi [60].
21 July:
With Buna invasion force.
27-31 July:
Escorted troop convoy from Rabaul to Buna and back; on 30 July helped rescue survivors of sunken transport KOTOKU MARU.
6-7 August:
Departed Rabaul, escorting troop convoy to Buna, aborted due to Guadalcanal landings.
12 August:
With OITE, reconnaissance/bombardment mission from Rabaul to Guadalcanal.
17-21 August:
Escorted troop convoy from Rabaul to Buna and back.
26-31 August:
Departed Truk, then with Ocean-Nauru occupation force; then to Jaluit on 2 September.
5 September:
Arrived Truk from Jaluit, then Central Pacific patrol/escort duties.
1 November:
Lieutenant Oyamada promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
2 January 1943:
Arrived Sasebo, then docked for maintenance.
18 February:
Departed Yokosuka, then resumed Central Pacific patrol/escort duties.
6 March:
Assisted torpedoed transports MITO MARU and KIRIHA MARU; rescued KIRIHA MARU survivors.
1 April:
Desdiv 29 deactivated; reassigned directly to 2nd Surface Escort Division.
3 April:
Assisted torpedoed tanker ARIMA MARU and rescued survivors.
20 October:
Lieutenant Commander Oyamada relieved by Lieutenant Commander Matsumoto Shoohei [59] (prev. C.O. KAMIKAZE).
15 November:
2nd Surface Escort Division reassigned to General Escort Command.
25 November-6 December:
At Yokosuka for maintenance.
30 November:
Assigned to Desdiv 30 (UZUKI), Desron 3, Eighth Fleet.
7 December 1943-22 January 1944:
At Ishikawa Shipyard (7-28 December) and Yokosuka for refitting: included removal of aft torpedo mount and Nos. 2 and 4 main guns in favor of added 25mm machine-guns and replacement of single 7.7mm machine-guns abreast bridge by twin 13mm; improved underwater sound detection equipment installed.
12-17 February 1944:
With MINAZUKI and Subchaser No. 20, escorted Convoy No. 1123 (KOKAI MARU and KOWA MARU) from Truk to Rabaul (final convoy to successfully reach that port). Also carried 70 passengers and machine-gun ammunition.
18 February:
With MINAZUKI, transport run to Qavuvu (New Britain).
20 February:
As flagship of Comdesron 3 (Rear Admiral Nakagawa Ko [42]), led final destroyer transport run out of Rabaul, with MINAZUKI to Qavuvu.
25 February:
Arrived Palau, then patrol/escort duties out of that base.
27 April:
Assisted SAMIDARE in rescuing survivors of torpedoed YUBARI.
1 May:
Desron 3 reassigned to Central Pacific Area Fleet.
29 May-20 June:
At Sasebo for maintenance and refitting: Type 13 radar mounted on mainmast; twin 13mm machine guns abaft aft funnel removed; twin 13mm abreast bridge replaced by single 25mm; four additional single 25mm added from abaft aft funnel to stern.
18 July:
Desron 3 reassigned directly to Combined Fleet.
20 August:
Desron 3 deactivated; Desdiv 30 reassigned to Escort Squadron 31, Combined Fleet. Became flagship of Comdesdiv 30, Captain Sawamura Seiji [49] (prev. X.O. CHOKAI).
8-19 September:
Departed Moji, escorting Convoy HI-75 towards Singapore; then detached with AKITSUSHIMA to Manila.
30 September-16 October:
At Sasebo for maintenance.
30 October-10 November:
Escorted JUNYO and KISO from Sasebo via Mako and Brunei to Manila.
11-17 November:
Escorted JUNYO and TONE from Manila via Mako to Kure.
20 November:
Escort Squadron 31 reassigned to Fifth Fleet.
23-30 November:
Escorted JUNYO from Kure to Manila.
10-12 December:
Led escort of troop convoy TA No. 9 from Manila to Ormoc. Sunk: by U.S. Marine aircraft 65 miles north-northeast of Cebu (11-20 N, 124-10 E); 20 dead; 217 survivors, including Comdesdiv 30 (Captain Sawamura) and Lieutenant Commander Matsumoto (to C.O. KASUMI) rescued by KIRI. For details see TA Operations to Leyte, Part 3
10 January 1945:
Removed from Navy List.
[1] Editorial Note: Divers from USS Chanticleer (ASR-7) discovered and
inspected the sunken Yuzuki on 2 August 1945. They reported she had
settled gently down to the bottom in
only 70 feet of water to come to rest upright on the bottom in nearly perfect condition.
Only one sign of impact was found, a bomb hit between No.2 stack and the radio shack aft.
The radio shack aft was in fact the object of the salvage, and after decoding machines were
brought up, the operations were finished on 4 August.- (Tully)
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