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| IJN No. 103 Class Landing Ship 2nd class Yusokan 870 Tons 264' 1" x 29' 10" x 9' 8" 1 x 76.2mm AA gun 16 x Type 96 AA guns 4 x 13mm AA guns  USAAF Dec 12, 1944  U.S. Army Dec 12, 1944 |
Ship History Built by Hitachi Zōsen. Laid down June 10, 1944 as No. 103 Class Landing Ship with Hull No. 1559. Launched July 8, 1944 as No. 159. Also known as Transport No. 159 (T.159). Completed September 16, 1944 and assigned to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) under the command of Lt Hisashi Shirakawa. Wartime History On September 18, 1944 departs Onomichi and later that day arrives Kure. Over the next five later, loads fuel, armament, ammunition and provisions. On September 25, 1944 assigned to 1st Transport Squadron. On September 26, 1944 departs Kure on sea trials and to test the anti-aircrft guns and docking. On October 2, 1944 departs Kure bound for Hashirajima arriving the next day. On October 5, 1944 departs Hashirajima and the next day arrives Kagoshima and embarks 72 personnel from Second Air Fleet and 100 tons of equipment and departs bound for Formosa (Taiwan). On October 10, 1944 arrives Yamakawa and two days returns to Kagoshima. On October 13, 1944 arrives Naha on Okinawa and the same day moves to Sesoko Island. On October 19, 1944 departs Sesoko Island and embarks 12 sailors from submarine tender Jingei transporting and returns to Naha. On October 24, 1944 at 1:55pm departs Naha bound for Kirun (Keelung) but suffers mechanical failures. The next day, towed by Transport No. 139 (T.139) to Kirun. On October 26, 1944 a tugboat aids the vessel to a mooring and disembarks personnel and cargo. The next day, embarks nine Type 2 Ka-Mi light amphibious tanks, food and ammunition plus 208 personnel and undergoes mechanical repairs. On November 3, 1944 conducts a trial run then departs Kirun. Four days later, ordered to Manila. On November 8, 1944 departs Kirun and the next day arrives Takao. On November 12, 1944 departs Takao as part of convoy TAMA-31B with Manju Maru and four other transports, an Army transport and patrol boats PB-38 and PB-101, minesweeper W-38 and subchaser CH-43 and auxiliary subchaser Showa Maru No. 2 plus another unidentified vessel. On November 15, 1944 anchors off western Formosa before proceeding to the Philippines. On November 19, 1944 at 5:00pm anchors in Santiago Island Strait at the mouth of Lingayan Gulf. That evening, targeted by U.S. carrier planes that cause only slight damage to the convoy that departs the next morning. On November 21, 1944 arrives Manila Bay and lands all Type 2 Ka-Mi amphibious tanks. On December 1, 1944 at 6:00pm departs Manila with T.9 and No. 140, as part of Operation TA No. 7 to land reinforcements at Ormoc Bay on Leyte. On December 2, 1944 during the day, rain squalls allow the convoy to evade American planes and after dark enters Ormoc Bay. On December 3, 1944 around midnight unloads and the next morning returns to Manila. On December 9, 1944 No. 159 and No. 140 embark ten Type 2 Ka-Mi light amphibious tanks plus roughly 400 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) troops at Manila in the afternoon depart as part of Operation TA No. 9 to land reinforcements at Ormoc Bay on Leyte. The convoy including transports Mino Maru, Sorachi Maru and Tasmania Maru with 4,000 soldiers of the 5th Infantry Regiment "Takahashi Detachment" plus food and ammunition. Escorted by DesDiv 30’s Yūzuki, Uzuki and Kiri plus SubChasDiv 21’s CH-17 and CH-37 bound for Ormoc Bay. Sinking History On December 11, 1944 roughly 30 miles off Leyte, the convoy is targeted by forty Corsair fighter-bombers from VMF-211, VMF-218 and VMF-313. In the second low level attack, both Tasmania Maru and Mino Maru are hit and later sink at 11-20N, 124-10E. Afterwards, Sorachi Maru with CH-17 and CH-37 are diverted to Palompon while the rest of the convoy proceeds to Ormoc Bay. In the late evening, No. 140 and No. 159 covered by Yūzuki and Kiri enter Ormoc Bay and land the SNLF troops and their ten tanks in only eight reach the beach. No. 159 landed northwest of Ormoc and was unloading within 1,000 yards of defending U.S. Army, 307th Infantry Regiment supported by M10 tank destroyers emplaced along the beach and opened fire joined by artillery fire from 902d Field Artillery Battalion and gunfire from USS Coghlan (DD-606). When No. 159 attempted to pull out but moved only 50 yards before it burst into flames and was abandoned by the morning of December 12, 1944 and was photographed. Meanwhile, No. 140 farther west near Linao and sustained heavy damage but manages to unload and escape and is escorted by Kiri back to Manila Bay. Shipwreck Ultimate fate unknown, likely broken up for scrap. References NHHC "Japanese Naval and Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II by All Causes" pages 20 (December 12, 1944 listed as sunk by "Army Aircraft Marine Land-Based Aircraft [sic U.S. Army artillery and USS Coghlan"), 121 (index Transport No. 159) Combined Fleet - IJN LST T.159 Tabular Record of Movement U.S. Army in World War II Leyte: The Return to the Phulippines Chapter XIX The Entrances to Ormoc Valley pages 317-318 "During the night the Americans discovered that another enemy vessel, about the size of an LST, had pulled into shore northwest of the town under cover of darkness and was busily engaged in discharging troops and equipment. The tank destroyer guns of the 307th Infantry, emplaced along the beach within 1,000 yards of the vessel, opened fire on it while forward observers from the 902d Field Artillery Battalion directed artillery fire upon the landing area and inland. The enemy vessel attempted to pull out to sea, but after proceeding less than fifty yards it burst into flames and sank. About 150 men, two tanks, a number of rifles, mortars, and machine guns, and a quantity of ammunition had been unloaded before the vessel sank, but most of the supplies, including four ammunition trucks, had been destroyed by American fire while the vessel was unloading." Thanks to Tony Feredo for additional information Contribute
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