Japanese Convoy 9 September 1944 Bislig Bay

According to the AG-15 account on this day it sank eighteen cargo ships off Bislig Bay, probably sinking or damaging another fourteen. These damaged survivors were later sunk by USN ships, however....

Official records (including post-war USN reports) Japanese losses amount to only four cargo ships sunk by aircraft. (Kuniyama Maru , Kurenai Maru , Mihaya Maru and Taiyu Maru). Cruisers sent to attack see just five enemy ships burning fiercely and then attack the survivors (15-20 ships of various types according to aircraft reports). One report states that by early afternoon "the American warships had sunk or wrecked a total of 29 cargo ships, sampans and motor launches, completely wiping out the enemy convoy." USS Birmingam ( a cruiser) claims to have sunk three cargo ships as well as motor launches, sampans and luggers. USS Longshaw (a destroyer) however describes the convoy as "small Japanese luggers" and claims to have sunk 20! All agree there were between 29 and 60 ships and boats and that almost all were sunk or driven aground.

I can only assume AG-15 attacked the cargo ships and then the coastal convoy and the result was that all the ships sunk were written up as AK (cargo freighters) cargo vessels and in fact just four were sizeable vessels and that three of those were also hit by the Birmingham (none of the other USN vessels claim to have sunk other than small ships). The average lugger is around 6-tons rather than the 625 t inshore cargo(Sugar Charlie) vessels it desribes them as.

Opinions, corrections gladly accepted.

regards

Keith