IJN OI: Tabular Record of Movement
ゥ 1997-2018 Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp
Revision 7
"Request arrangements be made for installation of radar in KUMA, OI,
KITAGAMI and 19th Destroyer Division (URANAMI and SHIKINAMI). Perhaps this
could be done at Singapore."
4 January 1943:
Departs Kure for Chinkai (now Jinhae), Southern
Korea.
5 January 1943:
Arrives at Chinkai. Joins KITAKAMI already there.
7 January 1943:
OI and KITAKAMI arrive at Fusan (Pusan), Southern
Korea.
9 January 1943: Operation "C" (HEI-GO) - The Reinforcement of New
Guinea:
OI and KITAKAMI depart Pusan with ex-seaplane tenders SANUKI and
SAGARA MARUs. Their first transport echelon in operation "C-1" embarks the
IJA's 20th Infantry division.
14 January 1943:
At 1030, arrive at Palau.
16 January 1943:
At 1600, depart Palau.
19 January 1943:
At 1530, arrive at Wewak, New Guinea. Disembarks
troops.
20 January 1943:
At 0200, OI and KITAKAMI and the convoy depart
Wewak.
23 January 1943:
Arrive at Palau.
24 January 1943:
Depart Palau.
31 January 1943:
The convoy arrives at Tsingtao, China. Embarks the
IJA's 41st Infantry Division.
4 February 1943:
At 1600, OI and KITAKAMI depart Tsingtao with SANUKI
and SAGARA MARUs in the first transport echelon transport echelon of operation
"C-3".
10 February 1943:
At 1100, arrive at Palau.
17 February 1943:
Depart Palau.
20 February 1943:
Arrivs at Wewak. Disembarks troops.
21 February 1943:
At 0100, OI and KITAKAMI depart Wewak followed at
0200 by the two transports.
24 February 1943:
At 0800, arrive at Palau.
28 February 1943:
Depart Palau.
3 March 1943:
Arrive at Truk.
15 March 1943:
OI and KITAKAMI are attached to Admiral Takasu Shiro's
(former CO of ISUZU) Southwest Area Fleet.
20 March 1943:
Departs Truk.
29 March 1943:
Arrives at Surabaya.
3 April 1943:
OI and KITAKAMI depart Surabaya on a troop transport
run.
7 April 1943:
Arrives at Kaimana, New Guinea. Disembarks troops and
supplies.
12 April 1943:
Arrive at Surabaya.
19 April 1943:
OI and KITAKAMI depart Surabaya on a second transport
run.
20 April 1943:
Arrive at Makassar. Refuels.
24 April 1943:
Depart Makassar.
27 April 1943:
Arrive at Kaimana, New Guinea. Disembarks troops and
supplies.
2 May 1943:
Arrive at Surabaya.
7 May 1943:
OI and KITAKAMI depart Surabaya on a third transport run.
11 May 1943:
Arrive at Ambon. Disembarks troops and supplies and
departs.
12 May 1943:
Arrive at Kaimana, New Guinea. Disembarks troops and
supplies.
15 May 1943:
Arrive at Makassar.
19 May 1943:
OI embarks troop at Zamboanga, Philippines.
24 May 1943:
Arrives at Surabaya, Java. Disembarks troops. Remains as
a guardship.
11 June 1943:
Departs Surabaya.
12 June 1943:
Arrives at Makassar.
23 June 1943:
Makassar. OI, KITAKAMI, KINU and KUMA are bombed by
Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" of the 5th Air Force's 319th Bomb Squadron. None
of the cruisers is hit, but some sustain slight damage from near misses. OI and
KITAKAMI depart that day.
30 June 1943:
Arrive at Balikpapan, Borneo. Refuel.
1 July 1943:
OI and KITAKAMI are assigned to CruDiv 16, Southwest
Area Fleet.
4 July 1943:
OI and KITAKAMI depart Balikpapan, Borneo.
5 July 1943:
Arrive at Surabaya, Java. Remain there as guardships.
23 July 1943:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Kawai Shigezo (46)(former
staff operations officer at Yokosuka Naval District HQ) is appointed the CO.
Captain Soma is reassigned as the CO of target ship SETTSU.
30 July 1943:
OI and KITAKAMI depart Surabaya.
1 August 1943:
Arrive at Singapore.
10 August 1943:
Drydocked at the Seletar Naval Base.
24 August 1943:
Undocked.
30 August 1943:
OI and KITAKAMI depart Singapore on a troop transport
mission.
2 September 1943:
Andaman Sea. Arrive at the Nicobar Islands.
Disembarks troops.
3 September 1943:
Depart the Nicobar Islands.
4 September 1943:
Strait of Malacca. Arrive at Penang, Malaya.
Refuel.
6 September 1943:
Depart Penang.
7 September 1943:
Arrive at Singapore.
11 September 1943:
Depart Singapore. Arrive at Lingga.
10 October 1943:
Depart Singapore.
20 October 1943:
Depart Penang. Embarks troops.
22 October 1943:
Andaman Sea. Arrive at Port Blair, Andaman Islands.
Disembarks troops.
22 October 1943:
Depart Port Blair.
25 October 1943:
Arrive at Singapore.
29 October 1943:
Embark troops. Depart Singapore.
31 October 1943:
Arrive at Port Blair. Disembarks troops.
2 November 1943:
Arrive at Penang.
3 November 1943:
Departs Penang.
4 November 1943:
Arrives at Singapore. Unloads supplies.
25 December 1943:
Refit.
4 January 1944:
Departs Singapore. Arrives at Lingga for training
with KITAKAMI.
21 January 1944:
Departs Lingga. Arrives at Singapore.
23 January 1944:
Embarks troops. Departs Singapore. OI and KITAKAMI
accompany AOBA and light cruiser KINU escorted by destroyer SHIKINAMI on a troop
transport run to the Andaman Islands.
25 January 1944:
Andaman Sea. Arrive at Port Blair. Disembarks
troops.
27 January 1944:
Malacca Strait, SW of Penang (04-54N, 98-28E). On
the return leg to Singapore, KITAKAMI is hit aft by two torpedoes fired by Royal
Navy submarine HMS TEMPLAR. SHIKINAMI is detached to escort KINU that takes
KITAKAMI under tow. OI and AOBA continue to Singapore.
2 February 1944:
OI departs Singapore. Arrives at Penang. Embarks
Southwest Area Fleet staff personnel and departs.
10 February 1944:
Arrives at Surabaya, Java.
12 February 1944:
Captain Shiba Katsuo (50)(former CO of HIBIKI) is
appointed the CO. Captain Kawai is reassigned as staff officer of 30th Special
Base Force.
18 February 1944:
Arrives at Singapore. Drydocked.
24 February 1944:
Undocked.
27 February 1944:
Departs Singapore with KINU and destroyers
URANAMI, AMAGIRI and SHIKINAMI to escort TONE, CHIKUMA and AOBA during
Operation "SA No. 1".
1 March 1944: Operation "SA No. 1":
Arrives at Banka; departs the same
day for commerce raiding in the Indian Ocean.
15 March 1944:
Arrives at Batavia, Java.
25 March 1944:
Departs Batavia. Arrives at Singapore the same day.
2 April 1944:
Departs Singapore with AOBA and destroyer AMAGIRI
carrying ammunition.
4 April 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.
5 April 1944:
Departs Balikpapan.
9 April 1944:
Arrives at Tarakan, Borneo. Refuels.
10 April 1944:
Departs Tarakan.
11 April 1944:
Arrives at Balikpapan.
14 April 1944:
Arrives at Singapore.
15 April 1944:
Departs Singapore with AOBA and destroyer AMAGIRI
carrying torpedoes for SubRon 8 at Penang.
18 April 1944:
Departs Penang with AOBA and AMAGIRI. The two cruisers
carry personnel of the 732nd Naval Air Group and base materials.
19 April 1944:
Arrives at Singapore and departs that the same day. The
cruisers carry personnel of the 851st Naval Air Group and base materials for
Davao.
22 April 1944:
OI, AOBA and AMAGIRI proceed up Makassar Strait at 24
knots in calm weather.
23 April 1944:
Makassar Strait. 55 miles S of Balikpapan. Late in the
morning, AMAGIRI, steaming about 600 metres off OI's starboard side, suddenly
strikes a magnetic mine laid earlier by an enemy plane. Her sound-room rapidly
fills with fuel oil from a nearby ruptured tank. Luckily, the crewmen managed to
escape through the blown hatch chased by the rising tide of oil. Many men in the
boiler and engine rooms suffer burns. On the bridge it is believed the ship was
torpedoed, so extra lookouts are posted. AMAGIRI takes on a 19 degree list to
starboard. Fires break out and the No. 1 boiler room has to be abandoned. The
torpedoes in No. 1 mount are jettisoned to prevent induced explosions. Some
progress is made in combating the flames, but the list continues to increase.
AOBA orders AMAGIRI to make for Surabaya, but movement is impossible.
AMAGIRI starts to lose trim forward, then oil spills into the sea and catches
fire. Finally, AMAGIRI's captain orders the navy flag on her rear mast lowered.
Boats ae lowered, but catch fire in the burning oil. AMAGIRI's shafts and
propellers rise from the water. All hands exit over the high side as the
AMAGIRI's stern rises in the air. The survivors are picked-up by AOBA and OI.
13 of AMAGIRI's crew are lost.
24 April 1944:
Arrives at Tarakan.
27 April 1944:
Departs Tarakan. Arrives at Davao. Unloads supplies.
28 April 1944:
Departs Davao for Tarakan.
29 April 1944:
Arrives at Tarakan.
14 May 1944:
Departs Tarakan on a transport run with AOBA and
destroyer SHIKINAMI.
17 May 1944:
Arrives at Palau.
19 May 1944:
Departs Palau with AOBA and SHIKINAMI on a transport run
to Sorong.
22 May 1944:
Arrives back at Palau.
23 May 1944:
Departs Palau with AOBA and SHIKINAMI on a transport run
to Sorong, then via Batjan, Halmahera for Tarakan.
27 May 1944: American Operation "Horlicks" - The Invasion of Biak:
Rear Admiral (later Admiral/CNO) William M. Fechteler's (former CO of INDIANA,
BB-58) Task Force 77 lands Maj Gen Horace H. Fuller's 41st Division on Biak off
New Guinea. That same day, OI arrives at Tarakan and refuels.
30 May 1944:
Departs Tarakan.
1 June 1944:
Arrives at Surabaya, Java. Remains there as a guardship.
6 July 1944:
OI departs Surabaya for Manila.
18 July 1944:
OI and SHIKINAMI depart Manila for Singapore, but
SHIKINAMI develops engine trouble and the two ships return to Manila. At 1500,
after repairs, they depart.
19 July 1944:
South China Sea, 570 miles S of Hong Kong. Cdr (later
Rear Admiral) Reuben T. Whitaker's (former CO of S-44) USS FLASHER (SS-249) is
running on the surface in heavy weather. At 1046, Whitaker's lookouts spot a
cruiser and a destroyer approaching at 18 knots. Whitaker crash dives, then
comes to periscope depth and sets up. When the cruiser is 1,400 yards astern,
Whitaker fires his four stern tubes at OI. At 1111, two torpedoes hit portside
aft. One is a dud, but the other torpedo explodes, flooding OI's aft engine
room.
At 1114, SHIKINAMI counterattacks, dropping 15 depth charges. An hour
later, Whitaker brings FLASHER to periscope depth. He sees OI listing to port,
down by the stern and decides to attack again. At 1326, Whitaker fires four bow
torpedoes from 3,500 yards, but they all miss. Lookouts aboard SHIKINAMI spot
the torpedo wakes and the destroyer counterattacks again. Whitaker takes
FLASHER deep. SHIKINAMI drops 13 more depth charges. FLASHER's crew silently
reload their torpedo tubes.
At 1725, unknown to Whitaker, while he is reloading, OI sinks by the
stern at 13-12N, 114-52E. SHIKINAMI rescues Captain Shiba and 368 crewmen, but
153 crewmen are lost. Captain Shiba is later reassigned to the Naval General
Staff as the chief of its propaganda bureau. [2]
10 September 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.