Japanese food ship Irako
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese food supply ship, serving during the Second World War.
, in preparation for the anticipated war with the United States
. She was intended to supplement the Combined Fleet
's existing food supply ship Mamiya. Her design was similar to that of Mamiya, but she was smaller. Her warehouse was able to supply 25,000 men over two weeks. A sister ship, Kusumi, was planned in 1942 under the Modified 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme
, but construction was cancelled after the start of the Solomon Islands campaign
.
Construction
She was built in 1937 under the 3rd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme3rd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1937)
The otherwise known as the "Circle Three" Plan was the third of four expansion plans of the Imperial Japanese Navy between 1930 and the start of World War II.-Background:...
, in preparation for the anticipated war with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She was intended to supplement the Combined Fleet
Combined Fleet
The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime....
's existing food supply ship Mamiya. Her design was similar to that of Mamiya, but she was smaller. Her warehouse was able to supply 25,000 men over two weeks. A sister ship, Kusumi, was planned in 1942 under the Modified 5th Naval Armaments Supplement 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...
, but construction was cancelled after the start of the Solomon Islands campaign
Solomon Islands campaign
The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, during the first six months of 1942...
.
Service
- 5 December 1941 : Completed, and assigned to the Combined Fleet.
- After 14 January 1942 : Sailing to and from the Japanese mainland (KureKure, Hiroshimais a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 240,820 and a population density of 681 persons per km². The total area is 353.74 km².- History :...
and YokosukaYokosuka, Kanagawais a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 419,067 and a population density of 4,160 people per km². It covered an area of 100.62 km²...
) to the front (SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, TrukChuukChuuk — formerly Truk, Ruk, Hogoleu, Torres, Ugulat, and Lugulus — is an island group in the south western part of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia , along with Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM's...
and DavaoDavao CityThe City of Davao is the largest city in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Its international airport and seaports are among the busiest cargo hubs in the Philippines....
). - After April 1942 : Sailing to and from the Japanese mainland to SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , 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...
. - After August 1942 : Sailing to and from the Japanese mainland to Truk, 12 times.
- 20 January 1944 : Sustained heavy damaged in an attack by USS SeadragonUSS Seadragon (SS-194)USS Seadragon , a Sargo-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the seadragon.Her keel was laid on 18 April 1938 by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was christened and launched on 21 April 1939, sponsored by Mrs. J.O...
north of Truk 08°04′N 152°40′E. - 5 July 1944 : Assigned to the Southwest Area FleetSouthwest Area FleetThe 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...
. - August 1944 : Repairs were completed, and she was dispatched to Manila BayManila BayManila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
.
Fate
- 2 September 1944 : Arrived at Manila Bay.
- 21 September 1944 : Present during the air raid carried out by Task Force 38, and saved survivors of the destroyer SatsukiJapanese destroyer Satsuki (1925)was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:...
. - 22 September 1944 : Sailed to Coron BayCoron IslandCoron Island is the third largest island in the Calamian Group of Islands in northern Palawan in the Philippines. The island is part of the larger municipality of the same name. It is about southwest of Manila, is known for several Japanese shipwrecks World War II vintage. The island is part of...
. - 24 September 1944 : Damaged during an air raid by aircraft of Task Force 38 at 11°59′N 120°02′E, and scuttled.
- 30 November 1945 : Decommissioned.
Ships in class
| Ship # | Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| 74 | Kawasaki, Kōbe Shipyard | 30 May 1940 | 14 February 1941 | 5 December 1941 | Scuttled on 24 September 1944 at Coron Bay. | |
| 5408 | Cancelled on 5 May 1944. | |||||
Books
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.34 "Japanese Auxiliary ships", Ushio Shobō (Japan), December 1979, Book code 68343-34
- Collection of writings by Sizuo Fukui Vol.10, Stories of Japanese Support Vessels, Kōjinsha (Japan), December 1993, ISBN 4-7698-0658-2
- Senshi SōshoSenshi SōshōThe , also called the , is a military history of Imperial Japan's involvement in the Pacific War from 1937 to 1945. The history was compiled and is currently kept by the War History Office of Japan's Ministry of Defense in Tokyo, Japan...
Vol.31, Naval armaments and war preparation (1), "Until November 1941", Asagumo Simbun (Japan), November 1969 - Senshi Sōsho Vol.88, Naval armaments and war preparation (2), "And after the outbreak of war", Asagumo Simbun (Japan), October 1975