8th Route Army/Nanko Maru #6

[Jerry Asher]

A recent publication of the World Ship Society lists a Nanko Maru #6 of 834 tons as being sunk by gunfire from the Communist 8th Route Army along the coast of the Shandong Peninsula on November 27th, 1944. My initial reaction was that this tied in with the mutiny of the puppet navy at Weihai. However, the dates of that mutiny were really much earlier in the month. Thus a set a questions. Are they related or separate events? Where did this occur?--my assumption is along the northwestern shore around Yantai. As this relates to the 8th Route Army I expect such an event to be well documented in Chinese. Which does relate to other "naval" activities ofthe Communist led forces. I expect there to be some kind of events in the Guangzhou delta, either with ships be scuttled or sabotoged. Would not be too surprised if along the Fujian coast junks and sammpans were used not only for communication but the movement of good sized groups. The New 4th Army and the 8th Route Army both would have made life miserable or death certain of shpwrecked Japanese sailors along the coast north of the Yangzi. Sorry for the rambling, but the Nanko Maru # 6 opens a door generally closed. I'm still unable to get on the combinedfleet site so if one of you would be so kind to pass on to Peter Cundell that entry 1265 is a duplicate of entry 547. MTIA

[Windward]

according to
http://www.ric.hi-ho.ne.jp/senbotusen/s ... enlist.pdf
(a very detailed list of Japanese merchant ship losses during WW2)
page 35,

#6 Nanko Maru, a 834-ton tanker or "type 2TE Wartime Standard Ship (Japanese version of Liberty ships)", was sunk by shore based gunfire on Nov 27 1944, near Gaojiao Cape (Chengshanwei Cape, see map). 8 crew and 2 soldiers onboard were killed. Considering the location (just 30 miles from Weihai), it's very possible that the operation was committed by the mutiny soldiers -- these guys would know when and where Japanese ships would pass by the coast.

http://kondoh-k.at.webry.info/200801/article_2.html
(photo of a 2TE-type tanker)

regards

[sjchan]

Is there a similar list of Japanese warships sunk?

[Windward]

Is there a similar list of Japanese warships sunk?

check here dude,

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 5&t=136149

regards

[sjchan]

Thanks, but the list covers only 1941 onwards. There is a brief list of Japanese ships lost in China prior to 1941 in the volume of Senshi Sosho on Naval Operations in China, but it only include the date, name, type of ship and rough location. No tonnage and personnel lost information. Just wondering if there is a more detailed list of pre-1941 naval loss somewhere? Also, any idea whethere there is a comparable list of ships damaged in actions?

[Windward]

Thanks, but the list covers only 1941 onwards. There is a brief list of Japanese ships lost in China prior to 1941 in the volume of Senshi Sosho on Naval Operations in China, but it only include the date, name, type of ship and rough location. No tonnage and personnel lost information. Just wondering if there is a more detailed list of pre-1941 naval loss somewhere? Also, any idea whethere there is a comparable list of ships damaged in actions?

well, I know the book (it's published in 1974). according to the chronology in that book, Kari was mined near Maolinzhou (Madang line) on June 30 1938, Otori was mined in Pengzehu Lake on July 6, Sagi was mined near Wuxue on Sep 7, Saga on Sep 8 near Jiujiang, and Seta in Yuezhou (Yueyang) on Dec 10. No crew loss recorded so just assume no one died, for it's a very detailed chronology, for example you can find the record of death of captain Nango (pilot) on July 18 during Jiujiang campaign.

anyway you can do some google search for the tonnage

a bonus

http://www.ric.hi-ho.ne.jp/senbotusen/siryo.html

cheers

[sjchan]

A recent publication of the World Ship Society lists a Nanko Maru #6 of 834 tons as being sunk by gunfire from the Communist 8th Route Army along the coast of the Shandong Peninsula on November 27th, 1944. My initial reaction was that this tied in with the mutiny of the puppet navy at Weihai. However, the dates of that mutiny were really much earlier in the month. Thus a set a questions. Are they related or separate events? Where did this occur?--my assumption is along the northwestern shore around Yantai. As this relates to the 8th Route Army I expect such an event to be well documented in Chinese.

Certainly not well documented -- inf fact can't find anything in Chinese regarding this operation at all!

[sjchan]

well, I know the book (it's published in 1974). according to the chronology in that book, Kari was mined near Maolinzhou (Madang line) on June 30 1938, Otori was mined in Pengzehu Lake on July 6, Sagi was mined near Wuxue on Sep 7, Saga on Sep 8 near Jiujiang, and Seta in Yuezhou (Yueyang) on Dec 10. No crew loss recorded so just assume no one died, for it's a very detailed chronology, for example you can find the record of death of captain Nango (pilot) on July 18 during Jiujiang campaign.

Actually I was refering to a list in Appendix 1 of that book; it includes the name and brief info of 15 ships sunk or cripppled as of Oct 1, 1941. But curiously there is no information for actions after that date; of course you have provided links to sources with that information.

The Chinese claimed lots of ships hit by mines due to their minelaying operations throughout the war, but there seems to be little supporting information from the Japanese side after 1941. Wondering if it's the lack of real success on the part of the Chinese, or just that no such records were kept on the Japanese side (seems unlikely due to the comprehensive nature of the Japanese lists).

[Jerry Asher]

So much for my assumptions. May I speculate? As I recall the mutiny at Weihai, the mutineers took ship and beached in an area of Commumist forces? They were not initially trusted by the troops that met them--after all the mutiny took place on an island. It could have been that the captors interrogated them and pushed for data to "prove" that they were not just Japanese puppets. Shipping routes might have been one of those things discussed. The captors might just have enough fire power to put that information to the test. The whole event is suspect however. I know of no other
instance where shore based forces clashed with a ship--let alonge sunk it. Japanese navy and army retaliation would have been fierce to any coastal Chinese involved in overt anti Japanese moves. Along Fujian coast, where coastal villages often could be accessed only by sea the Japanese would have just taken out any village so engaged. On the other hand the Shandong coastline was as much in Chinese hands as in Japanese.

[sjchan]

The Communist troops were extremely poorly eqiupped in terms of artillery, and it is difficult to imagine they had the means to sink a surface vessel by gunfire. Moreover, detailed accounts of the mutiny indicated that the rebels were in the process of moving inland towards the end of November, and there was no indication at all that they provided any information to the Communists. After all, the sinking of a Japanese ship would have been considered a major coup and heavy publicized both during and after the war, so it is highly unlikely that the Communist (or indeed Chinese forces) sank the Nanko Maru.