Using Google Translator here is some of the information I was able to get from the Kasado Maru history.
Kasado Maru
After capture and repairs the Kasado Maru was used by the Japanese Army.
The Army returned the vessel, and it was handed over to Toyo Kisen Co., Ltd for maintenance.
Next recorded entry shows 646 immigrants transported to Hawaii.
The vessel next carried immigrants to Santos, Brazil. It seems a couple of voyages were made to Brazil to carry immigrants.
The vessel was then owned by Osaka Shosen, Ltd.
At some point the vessel become a mothership for salmon/trout fisheries
Then it was used as a mothership for crab fisheries
The next significant entry shows the Kasado Maru was in a convoy travelling to the Kurile Islands. The convoy was attacked by the USN submarine USS Skate. The following is from the TROM of the IJN Fubuki class destroyer Usugumo on the Nihon Kaigun Combined Fleet website.
Departed Otaru, escorting convoy towards Kuriles. Sunk: torpedoed by USS SKATE (SS-305) in Sea of Okhotsk, 330 miles west-southwest of Paramushiro (47-43 N, 147-55 E). Two torpedoes broke back; sank in six minutes. 267, including Lieutenant Commander Wakasugi, killed in action; 49 survivors rescued. Editorial Note II - Convoy was KI-504 (Taihi, Umikawa, No.2 Shinko, and Kasado Marus.) A short radio message authored from Usugumo mentions "although avoiding the torpedoes sighted by turning around" the ship was struck anyway. Skate had fired three at Usugumo's starboard side and heard two hits. Skate observed the target had made just such a 180 degree turn after emerging from smoke of the explosions and Usugumo listing 75 degrees to port. Given the radio message correlation, it is tempting to conclude that Usugumo somehow reversed course too quickly back into the path of torpedoes just avoided and was struck on the opposite, ie, port, side. However, this is speculation, and unfortunately the range and timing of torpedo run and hit details are not available to make a calculation. Although the Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy and some online sources report Kasado Maru as damaged and Skate claimed one hit from a second triple salvo fired at a freighter, this remains to be verified. 27th Army HQ at Tennei, Kuriles broadcast a report of the incident at 2131 7 July 1944. It is not unlikely that Usugumo and her convoy had stopped at Tennei just prior as this was a common port of call on such a run. - (Tully)
Note: Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1870-1945 Armed Merchant Cruisers and Coverted Gunboats by Batalov shows the No. 2 Shinko Maru as a converted gunboat with an armament of 2 x 152mm, 4 x 25mm, and 2 x 7.7mm. Assuming this is the same vessel.
The vessel next reports that it encountered an enemy submarine 7 miles off of Kurama Island, Korea. The Kasado Maru fired 2 rounds of 8cm and 40 rounds of 25mm. Interestingly the gun is listed as a 40-caliber cheap 8cm gun.
Naval Weapons of WW2 by Campbell lists this gun as having a maximum range of 11,800 yards. The 25mm gun had a maximum range of 8,200 yards. Each magazine for the 25mm gun held 15 rounds. One would expect the effective range of these guns to be much lower without any effective fire control equipment on board the transport.
My assumption is that upon sighting the submarine the Kasado Maru opened fire on the submarine with at least an aft mounted 8cm gun and rearward facing 25mm guns. The captain of the Kasado Maru using his installed armament to get the submarine to dive and turning away. With the aft mounted gun, the submarine would not surface to pursue the Kasado Maru fearing an attack by the deck gun.
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