Convoy Hi-88D - Feb 1945 - Hellship from Singapore to Saigon

I'm making this post to share some the information I've found about one week in my dads life as a FEPOW
(John Scott, Gunner RA 7th Coastal, 1820274). A week he spent on a hellship leaving Singapore bound for Japan.

Details for Convoy Hi-88D
This convoy was the 4th of 10 Hi-88 convoys leaving Singapore for Moji (Japan) during Jan-Mar 1945. This convoy is of interest as one of the vessels (transport Harayasu Maru) carried 2,500 POWs in 4 holds of the ship. One of those POWs was my dad. Details of the convoy obtained from combinedfleet.com.

Japanese Oilers

This vessel is the one referred to in the RA Pilot roll as OVS 2/2/45. NB: other documents/audio records online refer to vessels called “haruyasa maru”, “freidstrummer” and the “both”, these all seem to relate to a convoy leaving Singapore (2/2/45-4/2/45) and arriving Saigon (8/2/45-9/2/45). I can find no record of these ships either existing or being in convoys from/to these locations at these times. The accounts also refer to being attacked while at sea by submarines, again no record of any attack around these dates except for the Harayasu Maru and convoy Hi-88D so I think all of these accounts refer to this convoy. Some details below (NB name misspelt as haruyasa in this site).

WARSHIPSRESEARCH: Dutch passenger-cargo ship Van der Hagen 1909-1942 (Haruyasa Maru 1942-1946, Van der Hagen 1946-1952)

Prior to this the Hi series of convoys were much larger, single convoys, often with a carrier for air defence as well as multiple escorts. Due to increased allied submarine and air attacks the convoys in late 1944 had seen significant losses. A decision was made split convoy 88 up into a series of smaller convoys either for; tactical reasons (spread the total risk across multiple smaller bets) or for operational reasons (not enough transports/escorts) to mount a larger single convoy.
Hi convoys - Wikipedia

2/2/1945
POWs were taken from Changi, and River Valley Road (my dad was one of around 200 from here) on the 2nd Feb 45. List given here (again with spelling as hauryasa).

Japanese Transports Database


4/2/1945
The convoy left Singapore of the morning of the 4th of Feb and headed up the east coast of Malaya. It consisted of three vessels, tankers ENGEN and DAIGYO MARU and transport HARUYASU MARU escorted by three kaibokan; the YAKU and CDs 13 and 31.

Japanese Escorts

5/2/1945
On the 5th of Feb the convoy escorts spotted a submarine but they changed course and avoided it.

6/2/1945
On the afternoon of the 6th of Feb the USN Submarine USS-PAMPANITO spotted smoke (most likely from the Haruyasu Maru) and started to close on the convoy. At the same time it notified the USS-GUAVINA (close-by and part of the same 2 submarine “wolfpack”) of the convoy’s position and she made full speed to intercept Hi-88D.

The Pampanito still exists as a museum in San Francisco
San Francisco Maritime National Park Association - USS Pampanito

Late on that day the Pampanito made an attack on the convoy but missed with all torpedoes.

7/2/1945
Before dawn the USS-PAMPANITO hit and sank the tanker ENGEN MARU. She was then joined by the USS-GUAVINA and she hit and sank the tanker DAIGYO MARU. Multiple attacks were made over the evening of the 6th and the morning of the 7th.

The Patrol reports from both submarines show they were targeting all 3 transports. While they would have gone after the larger tankers first both reports indicate that the fired on the smaller HARUYASU MARU as well but to no effect. Both submarines were attacked (on the surface and under water) by the escorts but no damage was suffered.

There is no indication that the US crews had any idea that there were POWs on any of the vessels. It was just luck, and her smaller size, that saved the HARUYASU MARU even though it was her smoke that gave away the convoy.

The Captain of the Pampanito had sunk a POW ship before and rescued survivors. This was on a previous patrol on that submarine and he missed the next patrol (he was sent back to the US due to the stress of 10 combat patrols) before rejoining the patrol that attacked Hi-88D.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-sinking-of-prisoner-of-war-transport-ships-in-east-asia

The CD-31 rescued survivors from the first sinking and returned to Singapore. The YAKU rescued survivors from the DAIGYO MARU and proceeded to Saigon with CD-13 and the HARUYASU MARU.

8/2/1945
The convoy arrived at Cape St Jacques on the approach to Saigon and dissolved there. The transport proceeded to Saigon.

It’s unclear how the decision was made but once the POWs were offloaded at Saigon they stayed there and were not sent on to Japan (some accounts refer to issues with the ship others to the need for labour in the area). The ship left Saigon for Singapore on the 20th of Feb with a different convoy and CD-13/YAKU escorts were given other tasks on the 9th of Feb.

The 2,500 POWs on the HARUYASU MARU (including my dad) were very lucky to survive the attack by the PAMPANITO and GUAVINA and probably the onward trip to Japan. My dad survived the POW camps in Vietnam and an air attack on a POW train he was on and was liberated in Saigon later in 45.

The Haruyasu Maru survived the war (like my dad) and went back to it’s previous life as the Van Der Hagen after the war.

None of the escorts survived the war and the CD-13 was the last Japanese warship to be attacked and sunk during WW2 when she was torpedoed by the USS-TORSK.

 

Mac has two maps to help in Post 13 in another thread: Gnr J Scott 1820274: RA 7th Coastal Reg: FEPOW seeking info and updated with his post below.

 

Attached an updated map of the attack (positions from submarine patrol reports and other records). Yellow is Pampanita, Blue is Gavina, Black is Convoy Hi-88D.

The two subs met up on the 5th and split the patrol area into two, west (Guavina) and East (Pampanito) of the green line. The Convoy spotted a submarine earlier that day but it's very unlikely it was either of these two given their positions before they met up.

The Two went on to attack another small convoy after the Hi-88D and the Guavina sunk a 3rd ship, this is shown as well but wasn't part of 88D. After this the Pampanito went to Subic Bay (out of torpedoes) and the Guavina continued its patrol for nearly 2 weeks more before going to Subic Bay. Both subs had arrived in this area from Fremantle via the Lombok strait. But that's another story.