The was a class of four reefer ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 (IJN), serving during and after the 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...

. 11 vessels were plannned under the Maru 4 Programme

4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1939)

The was one of the armaments expansion plan of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In 1939, the IJN started new naval armaments expansion plan...

, Maru Rin Programme

Temporal Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1940)

The is one of the armaments expansion plan of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In October 1940, the IJN schemed building of the submarines and auxiliary vessels because there was a shortage of them.-Table of vessels:-References:...

 (Ship #261–263) and Kai-Maru 5 Programme

Modified 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1942)

The was one of the wartime armaments expansion plans of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In September 1942, after being defeated in the Battle of Midway, the IJN drew up a new armaments expansion plan. This plan was combined by the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme and the 6th Naval...

 (Ship #5401–5407), however, only 4 vessels were completed.

Construction

In 1939, the IJN planned two food supply ships for China Area Fleet under the Maru 4 Programme

4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1939)

The was one of the armaments expansion plan of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In 1939, the IJN started new naval armaments expansion plan...

. One was the 600 ton Nosaki

Japanese food supply ship Nosaki

The was a food supply ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy serving during the World War II, the only ship of her class.-Background:In 1939, the IJN planned two food supply ships for China Area Fleet under the Maru 4 Programme...

 (initial named Support ship No.4007), the other the 1,000 ton Kinesaki (initial named Support ship No.4006). The Navy then ordered several more ships to the design of the Kinesaki; these became the Hayasaki, Shirasaki and Arasaki. The Navy intended to order several more ships of this design by 1942, but Japan's worsening situation in the war by this stage led to the abandonment of these plans.

Service

The Kinesaki served in the Central Pacific Area

Central Pacific Area Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy established during World War II.-History:The Central Pacific Area Fleet was a short-lived operational headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Navy, established on March 4, 1944...

, the Hayasaki in the Southwest Area

Southwest Area Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy established during World War II.-History:The Southwest Area Fleet was an operational command of the Imperial Japanese Navy established on April 10, 1942 to coordinate naval, air, and ground forces for the invasion, occupation and defense of the...

, the Shirasaki in the Northeast Area

Northeast Area Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy established during World War II.-History:The Northeast Area Fleet was a short-lived operational headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Navy, established on August 5, 1943...

, and the Arasaki in the Southeast Area

Southeast Area Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy established during World War II.-History:The Southeast Area Fleet was an operational command of the Imperial Japanese Navy combining the remaining surface elements of the IJN 8th Fleet with the IJN 11th Air Fleet, the No.5 Special Base Unit...

. They also undertook convoy escort operations. The Kinesaki was sunk on March 1945, while the other ships of the class survived the war.

Ships in class

Ship #	Ship	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
	(ex-Nanshin 南進) (ex-Support ship No.4006)	Ōsaka Iron Works, Sakurajima Factory	7 March 1940 as Support ship No.4006	27 June 1940	30 September 1940	Renamed Nanshin on 25 October 1940. Renamed Kinesaki on 1 April 1942. Sunk by air raid at Amami Ōshima Amami Oshima is a semi-tropical island in the Amami Islands, which is part of the larger Nansei Islands in Japan. Ōshima literally means big island, and it is the largest of the Amami Islands. It lies roughly halfway between the islands of Okinawa and Kyūshū. Briefly part of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, in 1624 it was...  on 1 March 1945.
261		Ōsaka Iron Works, Sakurajima Factory	2 December 1941	21 May 1942	31 August 1942	Decommissioned on 5 October 1945. Surrendered to Soviet Union Soviet Union The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....  on 3 October 1947 at Nakhodka Nakhodka Nakhodka is a port city in Primorsky Krai, Russia, situated on the Trudny Peninsula jutting into the Nakhodka Bay of the Sea of Japan, about east of Vladivostok... .
262		Ōsaka Iron Works, Sakurajima Factory	18 May 1942	5 November 1942	30 January 1943	Decommissioned on 5 October 1945. Surrendered to Republic of China Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...  on 3 October 1947 at Qingdao Qingdao ' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the... , renamed Wu Ling (AKL-311). Decommissioned on 1 May 1970.
263		Hitachi Zōsen, Sakurajima Factory	10 November 1942	27 February 1943	29 May 1943	Decommissioned on 5 October 1945. Surrendered to United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...  on 3 October 1947 at Qingdao, sold to Japan that same day. Renamed Kaiyō Maru and transferred to Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan) The ' a cabinet ministry in the government of Japan responsible for oversight of the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries. Its acronym is MAFF.-History:...  in April 1948. Sold to 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... in April 1967.
5401 5402 5403 5404 5405 5406 5407						Cancelled on 5 May 1944.