Convoy Hi-81
Encyclopedia
was the designation for a fleet of Japan
ese transports that carried soldiers bound for Singapore
and the Philippines
during World War II
. The transports were escorted by a large force of surface combatants including the escort carriers Shinyo
and Akitsu Maru
which were sunk in the Yellow Sea
by American
submarine
s. Over the course of a four day convoy battle in November 1944 nearly 7,000 Japanese were killed in action while the Americans sustained no casualties.
Tsutomu Sato
of the Eighth Escort Fleet in the escort ship Etorofu. Shinyo was commanded by Captain
Shizue Ishii and the Akitsu Maru was actually serving as an aircraft ferry in the convoy. The other Japanese vessels known to have taken part in the mission was the seaplane tender
Kiyokawa Maru, the destroyer
Kashi, the escort ships Tsushima
, Daito, Kume, Shonan, CD No. 9 and CD No. 61. There was also the submarine chaser
No. 156, five oilers, Arita Maru, Toa Maru
, Hishidate Maru, Marii Maru, Otowasan Maru and three landing ships, Shinshu Maru, Kibitsu Maru and Mayasan Maru. The landing ships were carrying hundreds of men and supplies of the Imperial Japanese Army
23rd Division from Manchuria
and were directed to separate from the main convoy at Mako
and reinforce the Japanese army engaged in the Philippines Campaign
. The rest of the convoy would then continue on to Singapore.
, Japan on November 14, 1944. Rear Admiral Sato led his fleet southwest into the Yellow Sea
so as to travel south along the occupied Chinese
coast and then that of occupied French Indochina
. After stopping for the night in Ukishima Channel, off the Gotō Islands
, Hi-81 proceeded on but soon came under attack. United States Navy
code breaker
s had informed Vice Admiral
Charles A. Lockwood
of the convoy only a few days prior to November 14 and he sent two submarine "wolfpacks" to the Yellow Sea. One was under Commander
Gordon W. Underwood and the other under Commander Charles E. Loughlin. Underwood's pack included his boat, the , the and the . The other three submarines were Loughlin's , the and .
Commander Loughlin's pack was the first to make contact with the Japanese. At about 11:50 am on November 15, the Queenfish was lined up for a torpedo
attack on the carrier Akitsu Maru and six minutes later the aircraft carrier was hit by two torpedoes.
The torpedoes had hit aft and amidship on the port side, detonating the magazine and causing the vessel to keel over and sink in three minutes at position 33-17'N, 32-00'E. The attack killed 2,046 men. In response Captain Ishii launched some of his twenty-seven depth charge-equipped Nakajima B5N
torpedo bomber
s to search for the Queenfish but she got away. The USS Barb, under Lieutenant Commander
Eugene B. Fluckey
, is credited with making an unsuccessful attack the same on Junyo
though she was not part of Convoy Hi-81 and was in company with three other ships, one a cruiser
. Because of this some American accounts cite Junyo as having been sunk.
After the sinking of Akitsu Maru, on November 16 Rear Admiral Tsutomu headed for Strange Island off the coast of Korea
to shelter there for the day. Meanwhile at Moji
, Convoy left port with orders to catch up with Convoy Hi-81 and remain near it at all times. Mi-27 included five escorts and eight transports led by CD 134. None of these vessels would make it to the battle area in time. At 8:00 am on November 17, the Hi-81 proceeded on for the Shushan Islands near Shanghai
.
At 12:15 one American Boeing B-29 Superfortress was spotted at position 34-08'N, 125-39'E. It dropped a bomb on the convoy but missed and the aircraft was chased away by torpedo bombers from the Shinyo. The B-29 reported the convoy's position to command which helped coordinate submarine attacks. Several hours later at 4:15 pm the landing ship Mayasan Maru exploded directly in front of the Shinyo just as Captain Ishii was landing his last air patrol for the day. It had been hit by at least one torpedo from USS Picuda. Mayasan sank with a loss of 3,437 men killed, most of whom were soldiers. Almost twelve hours later 200 kilometers off Saishu Island, Spadefish surfaced and attacked the Shinyo with six torpedoes. Four struck the carrier on the starboard at 11:03 pm, and it caught fire. At least 1,130 Japanese sailors went down with their ship; only about seventy survived, including Ishii. Kashi immediately dropped several depth charge
s where the Spadefish was thought to be. An oil slick and other debris eventually made the Japanese believe they had sunk Spadefish so the Kashi broke off the engagement, but Spadefish had escaped apparently without serious damage. Only minor cracks were reported to have appeared on the submarine after the alleged "sinking" by Kashi.
Commander Underwood surfaced an hour later for another attack and as soon as his ship was out of the water the submarine chaser No. 156 was spotted. Spadefish fired four torpedoes; three of them hit the little chaser and it was completely destroyed after the initial explosion with all hands. Commander Underwood then submerged again. The Japanese were unaware that the Shinyo had been sunk and that men were in the water until sometime after 2:20 am on November 18 when the commander of Convoy Mi-27 ordered the CD 61 to locate and assist the Shinyo. The Tsushima was also nearby and at 4:26 am her commander reported having sunk an enemy submarine with fifteen depth charges due to the sighting of an oil slick. It later proved to be an inconclusive contact.
The Americans had sunk around 40,000 tons altogether.
Due to the sinking of four ships and the loss of thousands of men, Admiral Sato stopped the convoy in Raffle's Island anchorage near Shanghai to wait for his escorts to finish their rescue operations. It wasn't until November 21 when convoy headed for Mako which they reached two days later. After that the Japanese fleet split in two, one half sailed for Singapore and the other for Luzon
. The portion sent to the Philippines arrived at Manila
on December 2 with much of Mi-27 and the other portion arrived in Singapore on December 4.
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
ese transports that carried soldiers bound for Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The transports were escorted by a large force of surface combatants including the escort carriers Shinyo
Japanese aircraft carrier Shinyo
was an escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, converted from the German ocean liner , which had been purchased by the Japanese Navy. The liner had been trapped in Kure, Japan following the outbreak of World War II in Europe, which prevented any attempt for the ship to return to...
and Akitsu Maru
Japanese aircraft carrier Akitsu Maru
Akitsu Maru was a Japanese escort aircraft carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Army. In some sources Akitsu Maru and her sister ship Nigitsu Maru are also considered to be the first amphibious assault ships.-Design features:...
which were sunk in the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s. Over the course of a four day convoy battle in November 1944 nearly 7,000 Japanese were killed in action while the Americans sustained no casualties.
Background
Convoy Hi-81 was under the command of Rear AdmiralRear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Tsutomu Sato
Tsutomu Sato
Tsutomu Sato refers to:* Tsutomu Sato - politician* Tsutomu Sato - ophthalmologist* Tsutomu Sato - commanding officer of Japanese battleship FusōSee also: Sato...
of the Eighth Escort Fleet in the escort ship Etorofu. Shinyo was commanded by Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Shizue Ishii and the Akitsu Maru was actually serving as an aircraft ferry in the convoy. The other Japanese vessels known to have taken part in the mission was the seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
Kiyokawa Maru, the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Kashi, the escort ships Tsushima
Japanese escort ship Tsushima
Tsushima was an escort ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II....
, Daito, Kume, Shonan, CD No. 9 and CD No. 61. There was also the submarine chaser
Submarine chaser
A submarine chaser is a small and fast naval vessel specially intended for anti-submarine warfare. Although similar vessels were designed and used by many nations, this designation was most famously used by ships built by the United States of America...
No. 156, five oilers, Arita Maru, Toa Maru
Toa Maru
Toa Maru No 2 is a Japanese transport ship sunk by the American submarine USS Searaven off Gizo in Ironbottom Sound on 25 November 1943, during World War II. The hull of the wreck is intact and lying on its starboard side. the ships masts are still although to the hull, however recently the...
, Hishidate Maru, Marii Maru, Otowasan Maru and three landing ships, Shinshu Maru, Kibitsu Maru and Mayasan Maru. The landing ships were carrying hundreds of men and supplies of the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
23rd Division from Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
and were directed to separate from the main convoy at Mako
Mako Guard District
The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in Taiwan before and during World War II. Located in at Mako ), , the Mako Guard District was responsible for control of the strategic Straits of Taiwan and for patrols along the Taiwan and China coastlines and in the South China Sea...
and reinforce the Japanese army engaged in the Philippines Campaign
Philippines campaign (1944-45)
The Philippines campaign of 1944–45, the Battle of the Philippines 1944–45, or the Liberation of the Philippines was the American and Filipino campaign to defeat and expel the Imperial Japanese forces occupying the Philippines, during World War II. The Japanese Army had overrun all of the...
. The rest of the convoy would then continue on to Singapore.
Battle of Convoy HI-81
Convoy Hi-81 left Imari BayImari, Saga
is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan. Imari is most notable because of Imari porcelain, which is the European collectors' name for Japanese porcelain wares made in the town of Arita, Saga Prefecture. The porcelain was exported from the port of Imari specifically for...
, Japan on November 14, 1944. Rear Admiral Sato led his fleet southwest into the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
so as to travel south along the occupied Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
coast and then that of occupied French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
. After stopping for the night in Ukishima Channel, off the Gotō Islands
Goto Islands
The are Japanese islands in the East China Sea, off the western coast of Kyūshū. The islands are a part of Nagasaki Prefecture.- Geography :There are 140 islands in total, including five main islands:,,,, and....
, Hi-81 proceeded on but soon came under attack. United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
code breaker
Code Breaker
Code Breaker is a cheat device developed by Pelican Accessories, currently available for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. Along with competing product Action Replay, it is one of the few currently supported video game cheat devices.-History:...
s had informed Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Charles A. Lockwood
Charles A. Lockwood
Charles Andrews Lockwood was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is known in submarine history as the legendary commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet during World War II...
of the convoy only a few days prior to November 14 and he sent two submarine "wolfpacks" to the Yellow Sea. One was under Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
Gordon W. Underwood and the other under Commander Charles E. Loughlin. Underwood's pack included his boat, the , the and the . The other three submarines were Loughlin's , the and .
Commander Loughlin's pack was the first to make contact with the Japanese. At about 11:50 am on November 15, the Queenfish was lined up for a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
attack on the carrier Akitsu Maru and six minutes later the aircraft carrier was hit by two torpedoes.
The torpedoes had hit aft and amidship on the port side, detonating the magazine and causing the vessel to keel over and sink in three minutes at position 33-17'N, 32-00'E. The attack killed 2,046 men. In response Captain Ishii launched some of his twenty-seven depth charge-equipped Nakajima B5N
Nakajima B5N
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgwater, H.C. and Peter Scott. Combat Colours Number 4: Pearl Harbor and Beyond, December 1941 to May 1942. Luton, Bedfordshire, UK: Guideline Publications, 2001. ISBN 0-9539040-6-7....
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s to search for the Queenfish but she got away. The USS Barb, under Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Eugene B. Fluckey
Eugene B. Fluckey
Rear Admiral Eugene Bennett Fluckey , nicknamed "Lucky Fluckey", was a United States Navy submarine commander who received the Medal of Honor during World War II.-Early life and career:...
, is credited with making an unsuccessful attack the same on Junyo
Japanese aircraft carrier Junyo
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was laid down at Nagasaki as the passenger liner Kashiwara Maru, but was purchased by the Japanese Navy in 1941 and converted to an aircraft carrier. Completed in May 1942, the ship participated in the invasion of the Aleutian Islands the following month...
though she was not part of Convoy Hi-81 and was in company with three other ships, one a cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
. Because of this some American accounts cite Junyo as having been sunk.
After the sinking of Akitsu Maru, on November 16 Rear Admiral Tsutomu headed for Strange Island off the coast of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
to shelter there for the day. Meanwhile at Moji
Moji-ku, Kitakyushu
is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the former city of Moji which was one of five cities merged to create Kitakyūshū in 1963. It faces the city of Shimonoseki across the Kanmon Straits between Honshū and Kyūshū....
, Convoy left port with orders to catch up with Convoy Hi-81 and remain near it at all times. Mi-27 included five escorts and eight transports led by CD 134. None of these vessels would make it to the battle area in time. At 8:00 am on November 17, the Hi-81 proceeded on for the Shushan Islands near Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
At 12:15 one American Boeing B-29 Superfortress was spotted at position 34-08'N, 125-39'E. It dropped a bomb on the convoy but missed and the aircraft was chased away by torpedo bombers from the Shinyo. The B-29 reported the convoy's position to command which helped coordinate submarine attacks. Several hours later at 4:15 pm the landing ship Mayasan Maru exploded directly in front of the Shinyo just as Captain Ishii was landing his last air patrol for the day. It had been hit by at least one torpedo from USS Picuda. Mayasan sank with a loss of 3,437 men killed, most of whom were soldiers. Almost twelve hours later 200 kilometers off Saishu Island, Spadefish surfaced and attacked the Shinyo with six torpedoes. Four struck the carrier on the starboard at 11:03 pm, and it caught fire. At least 1,130 Japanese sailors went down with their ship; only about seventy survived, including Ishii. Kashi immediately dropped several depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s where the Spadefish was thought to be. An oil slick and other debris eventually made the Japanese believe they had sunk Spadefish so the Kashi broke off the engagement, but Spadefish had escaped apparently without serious damage. Only minor cracks were reported to have appeared on the submarine after the alleged "sinking" by Kashi.
Commander Underwood surfaced an hour later for another attack and as soon as his ship was out of the water the submarine chaser No. 156 was spotted. Spadefish fired four torpedoes; three of them hit the little chaser and it was completely destroyed after the initial explosion with all hands. Commander Underwood then submerged again. The Japanese were unaware that the Shinyo had been sunk and that men were in the water until sometime after 2:20 am on November 18 when the commander of Convoy Mi-27 ordered the CD 61 to locate and assist the Shinyo. The Tsushima was also nearby and at 4:26 am her commander reported having sunk an enemy submarine with fifteen depth charges due to the sighting of an oil slick. It later proved to be an inconclusive contact.
The Americans had sunk around 40,000 tons altogether.
Aftermath
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. The portion sent to the Philippines arrived at Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
on December 2 with much of Mi-27 and the other portion arrived in Singapore on December 4.