History | |
---|---|
Empire of Japan | |
Name | Cha-156 |
Laid down | 15 September 1943 |
Launched | 25 January 1944 |
Completed | 31 March 1944 |
Stricken | 10 May 1945 |
Homeport | Kure |
Fate | Sunk by aircraft, 29 March 1945 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | No.1-class Submarine chaser |
Displacement | 130 long tons (132 t) standard [1] |
Length | 29.20 m (95 ft 10 in) overall |
Beam | 5.65 m (18 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) |
Propulsion | |
Speed | 11.0 knots (20.4 km/h; 12.7 mph) |
Range | 1,000 nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 10.0 kn (18.5 km/h; 11.5 mph) |
Complement | 32 |
Armament |
|
Cha-156 or No. 156 (Japanese: 第百五十六號驅潜特務艇) was a No.1-class auxiliary submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served during World War II.
She was laid down on 15 September 1943 and launched on 25 January 1944. [2] She was completed on 31 March 1944 and assigned to the Saeki Defense Unit, Kure Defense Force, Kure Naval District. [2] On 1 November 1944, she was reassigned to the Kaohsiung Defense Force, Formosa. [2]
On 15 November 1944, she departed Moji, Kitakyūshū destined for Miri, Borneo with fellow No.1-class auxiliary submarine chaser Cha-157, Type C escort ship CD-61, [3] Type D escort ship CD-134, and minesweeper W-101, escorting convoy MI-27 consisting of four tankers (Awagawa Maru, Kyokuun Maru, Osakasan Maru, and Enkei Maru) and six transport/cargo ships ( Edogawa Maru, Shoho Maru, Matsuura Maru, Seisho Maru, Koshu Maru, and Chinkai Maru). [4] Enkei Maru and Kyokuun Maru developed mechanical problems and were forced to return to Moji. [4] The convoy was running parallel to Convoy Hi-81 which had left Imari on 14 November 1944 destined for Formosa to benefit from air cover provided by HI-81's escort carrier Shin'yō which was carrying fourteen Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers of the 931st Air Squadron, Saeki Naval Air Station. [5] The two convoys converged together at times. [5]
On 17 November 1944, in the Yellow Sea off Cheju Island, MI-27 was spotted by the US submarines Sunfish and Peto which were operating in a wolfpack with Spadefish. [4] Sunfish torpedoed and damaged both Edogawa Maru and Seisho Maru while Peto torpedoed and sank Osakasan Maru (killing 142). [4] Nearby, Spadefish spotted Shin'yō of HI-81 and fired six torpedoes four of which hit causing the carrier to burst into flames and sink (killing 1,130). [5] W-101 and CD-61 were disattached from MI-27 to pick up survivors. [5] On 18 November 1944, Sunfish torpedoed and sank the damaged Seisho Maru (killing 448) and the damaged Edogawa Maru (killing 2,083); while Peto torpedoed and sank Chinkai Maru (killing 39). [4] After losing four of the eight ships being escorted, the remainder of convoy MI-27 arrived at Sijiao Island on 19 November 1944. [4]
On 29 March 1945, she was attacked and sunk by Consolidated B-24 Liberators with the Fifth Air Force while docked in the port of Takao, Taiwan at 22°40′N 120°15′E / 22.667°N 120.250°E. [2] [6] She was struck from the Navy List on 10 May 1945. [2]