saka Shosen K.K.

Founded in 1878 as a shipowning company as Mitsui Steamship Co. In 1884 the

company became Osaka Shosen Kaisha and was trading locally. Overseas services
began in 1890 with a route between Osaka and Busan and in 1908 the first
Japanese emigrants were carried to Brazil A Hong Kong to Tacoma service
commenced in 1909 and a San Francisco route was opened in 1915. In 1916 South
America services were started and a service to New York in 1920. There were
numerous other routes until the commencement of WWII including a round-the-
world service. However, most of the fleet was destroyed during the war. It was not
until the 1950s that OSK resumed world wide trading and in 1964 merged with
other companies to form Mitsui O.S.K. Line which is still operating.

9 July 1943:
Kobe. Laid down at Mitsubishi Jukogyo K. K. as a 5,321-ton Type 1K Standard
Merchant ore carrier for Nippon Yusen K. K. (NYK), Tokyo.
17 September 1943:
Launched and named HIYORI MARU. [1]
26 October 1943:
Completed.
21 December 1943: At 0200, HIYORI MARU departs Kau, Halmahera for Manokwari,
New Guinea escorting convoy No. 2 also consisting of KENWA and TONEGAWA
MARUs escorted by destroyer WAKATAKA. The convoy is carrying the second
echelon of the IJA's 36th Division.
23 December 1943:
Arrives at Manokwari. Unloads troops and cargo.
24 December 1943:
The convoy departs Manokwari.
26 December 1943:
Arrives at Sarmi, New Guinea.
29 December 1943:
The convoy departs Sarmi.
2 January 1944:
Arrives at Kau.
4 May 1944:
At 1400, HIYORI MARU departs Tateyama in convoy 3503 also consisting of KEIYO,
HAKOZAKI, ENOSHIMA, MINO, OSAKA, TAIKOKU, FUKKO, TATSUTAGAWA, SHINFUKU,
FUKOKU, KOHO, KOJUN and SHUNSEN MARUs escorted by destroyers ASANAGI and
MINATSUKI, torpedo boat OTORI, kaibokan OKI, CD-24 CH-52, CH-31 and CH-32 and
auxiliary subchaser SHONAN MARU No. 8.
E 9 May 1944:
CH-52 is detached from the convoy near Chichi-Jima.
10 May 1944: 420 miles NW of Saipan. At 1743, LtCdr Russell Kefauvers USS
TAMBOR (SS-198) torpedoes and damages KEIYO MARU at 19-27N 140-00E.
14 May 1944:
At 14-57N, 144-58E, KOHO SHUNSEN and OTORI MARUs and SHONAN MARU No. 8
are detached for Guam. At 1200, the rest of the convoy arrives at Saipan.
26 July 1944:
At 0600, HIYORI MARU departs Imari Bay in convoy MI-13 also consisting of cargo
ships HIGANE, DURBAN, KIZAN, KUNIYAMA, URAL, SHIROTAE, KOKUSEI, CHINA,
MATSUURA, RISSHUN and ATLAS MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No. 1 and tankers
SHINCHO, TEIKON, TOKUWA, KYOEI and ATAGO MARUs and OGURA MARU No. 2
escorted by kaibokan MATSUWA, CD-14, patrol boat P-38. minesweeper W-18,
auxiliary minesweeper TAKUNAN MARU No. 3, auxiliary gunboat CHOHAKUSAN
MARU and auxiliary patrol boats EIFU, FUYO, KASUGA and NUNOBIKI MARUs.
31 July 1944:
The convoy arrives at Takao. SHIROTAE, CHINA and MATSUURA MARUs are detached
and tankers SHIMPO and ZUIYO MARUs and cargo ship SHINKO MARU join the
convoy. TAKUNAN MARU No. 3 and CHOHAKUSAN MARU are detached from the
escort and replaced by kaibokan KUSAGAKI and YASHIRO and destroyer ASAKAZE.
Naval Transport T. 3 also joins.
4 August 1944:
At 0830, the reconstituted convoy departs Takao.
7 August 1944:
At 2205, LtCdr (later Captain) Enrique D. Haskin's USS GUITARRO (SS-363)
torpedoes and sinks kaibokan KUSAGAKI at 14-50N, 119-57E.
8 August 1944:
At 0900, the convoy arrives at Manila. DURBAN, KIZAN, RISSHUN, KUNIYAMA,
SHINKO and ATLAS MARUs are detached. SHOEI MARU joins the convoy. All of the
escorts are detached except CD-14, patrol boat PB-38 and subchasers CH-30 and
CH-33.
11 August 1944:
At 2100, the convoy departs Manila for Miri.
12 August 1944:
At 0730, LtCdr Frank G. Selbys USS PUFFER (SS-268) torpedoes and damages
SHINPO MARU. She is taken under tow by SHOEI and KYOEI MARUs and beached,
then abandoned. Selby also torpedoes and sinks TEIKON MARU. CD-14 and patrol
boat PB-38 drop 37 depth charges, but PUFFER slips away unscathed.
18 August 1944:
At 1700, the convoy arrives at Miri.
19 August 1944:
HIYORI MARU departs Miri for Kuching, Borneo in convoy MISHI-07 also consisting of
SHINCHO, URAL, KOKUSEI, HIGANE, SHOEI and KYOEI MARUs and SHINSEI MARU No.
1 escorted by kaibokan CD-14 and patrol boat PB-38.
21 August 1944:
Arrives at Kuching, Borneo to shelter after a torpedo attack on MISHI-07.
24 August 1944:
Departs Kuching.
25 August 1944:
Arrives at Miri, Borneo.
22 September 1944:
At 0800, HIYORI MARU departs Singapore for Miri, Borneo in convoy MI-18 consisting
of KOKUSEI, KIKUSUI, RYOFU, HIGANE, KAISOKU MARUs and UNKAI MARU No. 5 and
NANSHIN MARU NO. 18 escorted by destroyers SHIOKAZE and KURETAKE.
26 September 1944:
Arrives at Miri. The convoy loads cargo then departs for Manila via Brunei. HIYORI
MARU is carrying 122 passengers, crew and gunners, 7,700-tons of bauxite
(aluminum) ore and 10-tons of munitions. [2]
1 October 1944:
The convoy departs Brunei Bay hugging the coast escorted by SHIOKAZE and
KURETAKE and an unidentified smaller escort.
NW Borneo. SW of Kudat, off Gaya Bay, At 2255, LtCdr John C. Martin's USS
HAMMERHEAD (SS-364) picks up a convoy on SJ radar at 12,000 yards that they
make out as five large ships with three escorts. Martin commences tracking.
At 2326, HAMMERHEAD fires her six bow torpedoes at the convoy and begins to
swing around to bring her stern tubes to bear. At 2330, Martin fires his aft
torpedoes.
2 October 1944:
At 0034, HAMMERHEAD torpedoes and sinks HIYORI MARU at 06-28N 116-14E.
Seven troops and 27 crewmen are KIA.
At 0041, HAMMERHEAD torpedoes and sinks ore-carrier HIGANE MARU by the bow
at 06-30N, 116-15E. Six troops and nine crewmen are KIA. HAMMERHEAD also
torpedoes and sinks ore-carrier KOKUSEI MARU at 06-30N 116-18E. 32 troops and
47 crewmen are KIA.
The destroyers do not counter-attack.
Authors Notes:
[1] Also known as NICHIWA MARU.
[2] In mid-September 44, KOKUSEI MARU loaded a cargo of bauxite just S of
Singapore at Bintan Island, NEI. It is probable that HIGANE and HIYORI MARUs also
loaded bauxite at Bintan.