World War II Database

1. hanesco says:
13 Feb 2016 09:13:54 AM

Those destroyers are either Kagerou-class Hatsukaze, Maikaze or Hamakaze, which were under repair alongside Akizuki and Harusame (here without the bow)

2. Craig R says:
6 Jul 2021 04:43:23 PM

I was recently going through some of my old notes and discovered a comment I'd meant to submit... back in August 2018! Better late than never, I guess.

Anyway, I was doing some research on Nihon Kaigun (the Combined Fleet website) and cross-referenced some of their Tabular Records of Movement (TROMs). I discovered that what's identified here as seaplane tender Sanyo Maru MIGHT actually be transport Nankai Maru.

Sanyo Maru had arrived at Truk on 17 January 1943, with repairs from Akashi beginning on the 21st and ending on 2 February 1943. Sanyo Maru was still at Truk at least until 25 Feb '43, being provisioned by three different ships over those weeks (none of them Akashi).

Nankai Maru arrived at Truk on 24 January 1943 with repairs from Akashi beginning on 1 February 1943 (the day before Sanyo Maru’s repairs were completed). More extensive hull repairs to Nankai Maru from Akashi began 15 February 1943, four days BEFORE bowless destroyer Harusame arrived on the 19th. Nankai Maru's hull repairs continued until 22 Feb '43. Other repairs occurred until 3 March 1943, and she would finally depart Truk on 8 Mar '43.

For what it's worth, both Sanyo Maru and Nankai Maru started out as civilian sisters in the same cargo ship class, the Kinai Maru class. Sanyo Maru had been modified into an auxiliary seaplane tender back in August 1941. Nankai Maru began conversion to a military transport around the same time, officially completed in November of that year.

3.  Craig R says:
14 Jul 2021 03:57:12 PM

A follow-up to my earlier comments about Sanyo Maru/Nankai Maru:

Looking at the photograph itself, the Maru does appear to have tracks and a turntable on its quarterdeck, used for moving floatplanes around on deck. Also, it’s possible that a seaplane catapult is visible along the gunwale (side of the ship along the deck) just aft of the superstructure; next to that on the deck itself are several unidentifiable objects arrayed alongside the catapult. I do not know just where Sanyo Maru’s lone seaplane catapult was mounted, but this seems as likely a place as any. The photographic evidence suggests this ship being the Sanyo Maru after all, which may have been what led to its identification as such on the original photo caption!

Other TROM info about some of the other ships ID’ed in the photo (either in the original caption or by visitor hanesco’s comment from 13 Feb 2016):
Shiratsuyu-class Harusame had been towed (minus its bow) from Wewak to Truk from 17 Feb ’43 to 23 Feb ’43, when it was docked alongside Akashi for fitting of a false bow. The next TROM entry for Harusame has it departing Truk on 21 May ’43 for Yokosuka to have more repairs and to have its ‘X’ turret removed and replaced by an AA mount.
Akizuki (lead ship in her class) was at Truk alongside Akashi from 2 Feb ’43 through 11 Mar ’43, after which she left Truk for Saipan.
Kagero-class Hamakaze is listed as having steamed from Rabaul to Truk for repairs to a direct bomb hit on her forward turret; the next TROM entry from 06-16 Mar ’43 has her escorting towing damaged Asashio-class DD Michishio from Truk to Tateyama before docking at Kure for further repairs. In the photo, the destroyer between Akizuki and Akashi does SEEM to have its forward turret dismantled or removed, so it could indeed be Hamakaze.
Kagero-class Hatsukaze from 30 Jan ’43 to 02 Feb ’43 steamed from Shortlands to Truk for emergency repairs to portside torpedo damage; the next TROM entry isn’t until 08-14 Apr ’43 when she escorted light cruiser Kashima (Katori-class) to Kure and docked for further repairs.
Kagero-class Maikaze is listed as steaming from Shortlands to Truk on 10-12 Feb ’43 for repairs to a flooded engine room from near-miss bomb damage; the next TROM entry from 06-16 Mar ’43 has her escorting Hamakaze, which was towing damaged Asashio-class DD Michishio from Truk to Tateyama before docking at Yokosuka for further repairs.
And about that Asashio-class Michishio… she had been damaged in the 13-14 Nov ’42 Naval Battles of Guadalcanal and towed at differing times to Shortlands, Rabaul and finally Truk, having possibly been towed by Asashio from Rabaul to Truk 24-29 Dec ’42. As mentioned above (twice), Michishio would leave Truk under tow from Hamakaze on 06 Mar ’43. Might the rightmost of those destroyers in the photo be Michishio? I can’t find any information claiming that she was moored alongside Akashi, but the same could be said for the Kagero-class DDs as well. Also, it’s difficult to tell from this one photo, but that destroyer seems to have less deck clutter around its forward funnel, indicative of the Asashio-class. (Kagero-class had torpedo-loading mounts abeam the forward funnel; on Asashio-class, that equipment was abeam the aft funnel.)

I highly doubt that I have time or resources to try to ID the smaller ships in the photo, nor to try to further confirm the Maru’s true identity. This has been fun, though, and I hope that my efforts inspire others to research this (or any other WWII) topic a little further.