Japanese escort Shimushu

"Shimushu" was lead ship of its class, the foundation of all of Japan's "Kaibokan" coast defense ships.

"Shimushu" participated in the landings in Thailand, escorting the 55th IJA Infantry Division to landings at Nakhon on 8 December 1941. "Shimushu" also escorted various other invasion convoys to Malaya, Sumatra, and Palembang. "Shimushu", using her sonar, located the British battlecruiser HMS|Repulse|1916|6 on 29 January 1942, being the first ship to locate her wreck after she sank.

The "Shimushu" participated, and was the sole escort, in the HI-40 convoy disaster, in which all six oilers that were escorted by her were torpedoed and sunk on 19-24 February 1944 by the USS|Grayback|SS-208|6 and the USS|Jack|SS-259|6. After that convoy disaster, the Naval General staff discontinued assigning only one escort to convoys and organized larger convoys with more escorts.

"Shimushu" participated in the TA No. 2 and 3, the Japanese effort to hold Leyte island, and claimed downing one of the five B-25s lost in the first wave. On 25 November 1944 "Shimushu" was torpedoed by the USS|Haddo|SS-255|6 and lost her bow, and was repaired by 20 January 1945.

"Shimushu" spent more than a year on repatriation duty and was ceded to the Soviet Union on 5 July 1947.

References

* http://www.combinedfleet.com/Shimushu_t.htm