Hakuyo Maru (Japanese: 白鷹丸) was an auxiliary submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
History
She was completed in 1940 at the Osaka shipyard of Endo Zoesensyo K.K. (株式會社遠藤造船所) at the behest of Tanggu Transportation Co., Ltd (株式會社塘沽運輸公司).[2]
On 15 May 1944, she was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy and assigned to the Third Fleet under Captain Meiji Matsuoka (松岡梅治).[3] She was registered in Tianjin.[1] (There is some uncertainty to her origin because she also appears on a list of captured ships in 1944).[4]
On 14 December 1944, her outfitting as a subchaser was completed.[3] She was assigned to provide escort duty for the Imperial Japanese Army.[3] On 9 January 1945, 175,000 soldiers of the US Sixth Army under the command of General Walter Krueger landed at Lingayen Gulf commencing the Battle of Luzon during the Philippines campaign. On 11 January 1945, Hakuyo Maru and auxiliary minesweeper Banshu Maru No. 56 were intentionally scuttled at the south entrance to Manila Bay to help prevent U.S. seaward access to Manila.[3][5][6] She was struck from the Navy List on 30 September 1945.[3]
^Toda, Gengoro S. "白洋丸について (About Hakuyo Maru)". Imperial Japanese Navy (in Japanese). 昭和19年度の徴傭船舶名簿でも拿捕船として記載されております (It is also listed as a captured vessel in the list of chartered vessels in Showa 19 (1944))[permanent dead link]
^"Chapter VII: 1945 - January". Hyperwar - The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy during World War II. Auxiliary minesweeper No.56 Banshu Maru and auxiliary submarine submarine chaser Hakuyo Maru are scuttled as blockships at south entrance of Manila Bay, Luzon.