Japanese Ships – Colors & Camouflage

[Kull]

As noted earlier, work on the Auxiliary shipsides was paused in order to complete the AK, xAK, xAKL, and xAP groups. That being done, we'll close out each of the "in-process" Auxiliary types, to include a short status summary for each.

AV Types:

This is the 5th of 5 AV Types, the other 4 having been reviewed earlier:

1) Akitsushima: See Post #30
2) Husimi AV: See Post #47
3) Kamoi AV: See Post #52
4) Sanyo AV: See Post #48

5) Kamikawa AV: Six ships in this class. A single bmp file (0050.bmp), not shared. One data base entry (12/41). Cannot upgrade or convert. The pictures and ship models depicting 4 of the 6 do not show evidence of camo. Although two of these ships did have early war camo (Kimikawa Maru & Sagara Maru), it has already been assigned to other AV classes (for reasons explained earlier - see links above to Posts #47 and #48). Motoyuki has modeled all six of these vessels, but most are very similar to the namesake ship, Kamikawa Maru (#1). One of the main takeaways is that 5 of the 6 models (this included) do not have kingposts aft of the superstructure, so they should be removed from the shipside. Colors will begin with the navalized bluish-grey of the early war, transitioning to greyish grey mid-war, and ultimately shifting to merchant green camo (as we see on the Kiyokawa Maru model - #2)

Armament: Per the database, this class has 15cm Navy Guns fore and aft, so both weapons should change from the angled "DP/AA look" to the flat traverse of the navy gun. The AE database has Type 88s and 25mm AA on R&L but the Kiyokawa Maru model indicates they are located parallel to one another at the rear of the superstructure, so only one set will be visible on the shipside.

Here's the foldered plan:

12/6/1941 = Alter armament, delete rear kingpost & change color to bluish-grey (#3)
12/1943 = Change color to "greyish-grey" (#4)
7/1944 = Shift to "merchant green" camo (#5)

[Kull]

AS Types:

This is the 5th of 7 AS Types, the other 4 having been reviewed earlier:

1) Heian AS: See Post #53
2) Jingei AS: See Post #54
3) Kyushu AS: See Post #63
4) Husimi AS: See Post #64

5) Yasukuni Type (2 classes):

- Yasukuni AS: A single ship in this class, Yasukuni Maru, in game on 12/41. A single bmp file (0278.bmp), shared with Yasukuni Maru xAP class. One database entry (12/41). No upgrades or conversions (please note that neither ship can convert to the other class). There is a Motoyuki ship model depicting Dazzle camo (see #1).

- Yasukuni Maru xAP: A single ship in this class, Terukuni Maru, in game on 12/41. A single bmp file (0278.bmp), shared with Yasukuni AS class. One database entry (12/41). No upgrades or conversions. No evidence of camo. This particular ship should not be in-game (much less the only representative of its class) since it was sunk by a mine in 1939 - presumably German - while entering the Thames approaches to London. Obviously that means there's no profile, armament or color information which would otherwise have to be accounted for when developing this shipside.

Yasukuni Maru is another pre-war passenger liner (#2) with typical period amenities such as this stylish lounge (#3) and an intriguing 1934 breakfast menu (#4). The existing AE ship coloration is purplish, but that should change since we know that Yasukuni Maru was converted from xAP to AS in January 1941 at Kure Naval Yard (thus "bluish-grey" at the start). Although I couldn't find photos to verify the camo, Motoyuki says the "camouflage is based on multiple actual ship photos" and represents "Yasukuni maru in about 1943". As to when camo was applied, there is a 1941 photo of Yasukuni Maru and BB Nagato (#5) and another taken in February 1942 at Kwajalein (#6), showing Rio de Janeiro Maru (at right) and Yasukuni Maru (at left). In both pictures, she does not have dazzle camo. I couldn't find any pictures from later in the war, and she was sunk in January 1944.

The next step was to analyze the combinedfleet TROM, which says nothing about paint, but indicates that Yasukuni Maru was damaged in Halsey's Marshalls Raid in February 1942, and returned to Kure for repairs. From April to December, she performed various missions between the Marshalls, Truk and Palau. 1943 was much of the same, except involving New Guinea instead of the Marshalls. There were periodic returns to Japan but none of any length greater than the time spent being repaired at Kure in early 1942. By process of elimination that strongly suggests she gained her camo at that time, and it's likely that Yasukuni Maru was still wearing it at the time of her sinking. For late war colors, greyish-grey is as likely as anything else, so she'll transition to that in early 1944.

Next is the physical appearance of the shipside. Per Motoyuki's model, the rear-mast-and-raised-derrick-boom is fine, but we need to add kingposts just abaft the superstructure (as per the ONI record - #7). As for armament, the 12cm DP guns fore and aft are represented, but the Type 88s will have to shift from behind the superstructure to just in front of it. Also necessary is the 25mm AA, which appears to sit atop the front of the bridge. Everything else looks OK.

Accordingly, here's the foldered plan (for comparison purposes, #8 is the current AE shipside):

12/6/41 = The new bluish-gray 0278.bmp file (#9)
4/1942 = Shift to dazzle camo (#10)
3/1944 = Change to "greyish-grey" (#11)

[Kull]

AS Types:

6) Nagoya AS: A single ship in this class. A single bmp file (0279.bmp), not shared. No upgrades or conversions (an interesting choice, as discussed below). No evidence of camo. Helpfully, there is a Motoyuki model showing Nagoya Maru in 1942 (see #1).

For a class containing a single ship, the ONI report (#2) can be used to confirm the shipside profile (which it does). It also tells us that she had a sister ship, Johore Maru, a Yusen N vessel in AE (a useful piece of information, as we'll soon see).

According to her TROM, Nagoya Maru was requisitioned by the IJN in early 1941 and converted to a submarine tender, to include the installation of all her heavy weaponry, along with "one 1100-mm diameter search light and one 900-mm search light". This is an interesting point since Motoyuki has modeled these on all his AS-type ships, so it's a feature that should be added (albeit at this scale it appears as little more than a few colored pixels). The pre-war conversion means this vessel was most likely painted a navalized bluish-grey at the same time. The TROM does not mention paint schemes, so typically she would go from bluish to greyish, possibly a green camo update, and that would be it.

However, in June 1942 Nagoya Maru was converted to an AKV at Kure (not an option in AE), and served in that role for the rest of the war. Accordingly, since her AE role as an AS is thus incorrect for the majority of her service, that suggests she would be a good destination for one of the unused Yusen-N class Dazzle camo schemes (in this case, two wrongs do make a right!) Since both profiles are similar, the best candidate is the Keiyo Maru (see #3), which also has the benefit of having an unusual two-tone camo pattern.

Per the TROM, Keiyo Maru was converted to an AKV in mid-1941, and served in that role until early 1944. Although the TROM has nothing to say about paint colors, Motoyuki notes that his model is based upon several photos and that it represents "Keiyo Maru in Apr 1943". Looking back through the TROM, there are extended stays at Yokosuka in December 1942 and again in April-May 1943 (all other ports were quick visits). With nothing else to go on besides pre-war photos, a reasonable time frame for the paint schemes would be: Start the war with bluish grey, change to Dazzle in 12/42, and finally shift to a late war silver grey in mid-1944.

Armament: Per the database, this class has 15cm Navy Guns fore and aft, two more R&L, and 13mm AA R&L as well. The model shows all of this quite clearly, including the location of the central 15cm guns right in front of the superstructure and the 13mm AA just atop the bridge. None of this matches the shipside weaponry, so it all has to change.

Which brings us to the foldered plan:

12/6/1941 = Alter armament & change color to bluish-grey (#4)
12/1942 = Shift to dazzle camo (#5)
4/1944 = Change to silver-grey (#6)

[Kull]

AS Types:

7) Buenos Aires AS: A single ship in this class (Rio de Janeiro Maru). A single bmp file (0280.bmp), not shared. No upgrades or conversions (not even to or from the sister xAP class). No evidence of camo.

Rio de Janeiro Maru (#1) was one of several pre-war passenger liners dedicated to South American routes (as the name implies), primarily transporting immigrants. She was a fairly large ship, and (at least for the 1st Class passengers) had luxury features such as this Piano Lounge (#2). Like all Japanese liners of this era, her construction was partially subsidized by the Japanese government in order to incorporate design features that would allow her to be converted quickly to a war time role.

Which is exactly what happened in late 1940, when (according to the TROM) she was registered as an auxiliary transport and had the first AA guns installed, while later, in March 1941 she was converted to a Submarine tender. As there were multiple conversions at an early pre-war date, it seems likely that she would have been painted in bluish-grey. The photo of her in February 1942 (see #6 on the Yasukuni Maru attachment in Post #102) is inconclusive as to colors, but Motoyuki has modeled her "at the start of the Pacific War" in an all-grey color scheme (#3).

So what about Dazzle camo? There's no conclusive evidence for "had it" or "didn't have it", although the TROM notes that she was torpedoed near Borneo and spent the whole of June 1942 drydocked in Singapore, undergoing repairs - which would certainly be the right time, place, and condition for getting a Dazzle paint job. If she did have camo, it's possible that it would still be present at the time of her sinking at Truk, during Operation Hailstone (Feb 1944). I picked up a Truk Lagoon Dive Map in order to correlate photos from that operation with sunken vessels, but unfortunately Rio de Janeiro Maru was located in an isolated position east of Uman (#4), and I couldn't find any photos showing that portion of the strike zone.

There are still about 10 unassigned "ships with Dazzle", so there are options in that regard, but none of them feature the extended superstructure characteristic of true passenger liners, and all previous (and planned) assignments of Dazzle patterns have been either to the actual ship which had it or to one with a very similar profile. Which would not be true here, so I'm inclined to stay away from Dazzle in this case, and instead go with the bluish-greyish-green progression seen with many ships of this sort. (Although eventually I may succumb and create a pretty Dazzle-side.....just because!)

Armament: Per the database, this class has 15cm Navy Guns fore and aft, two more R&L, and both 25mm and 13mm AA R&L as well. Unlike Yasukuni Maru, the model only has about half this armament, and there aren't any photos which indicate where the center weapons would be placed. The shipside has a single DP gun on the poop, so we'll replace that with Navy guns fore and aft, as well as AA atop the bridge.

And so, to the foldered plan:

12/6/1941 = Alter armament & change color to bluish-grey (#5)
9/1943 = Change color to greyish-grey (#6)
9/1944 = Shift to "merchant green" camo (#7)

OK, this finishes the AS Types - on to the AMCs! (Some cool stuff coming up)

[Kull]

AMC Types:

This is the 3rd of 6 AMC Types, the other 2 having been discussed earlier since they share bmps with two classes of xAK:

1) Akagi Maru AMC: See Post #58 (presented in the Yusen-A review)
2) Bankok Maru AMC: See Post #67 (presented in the Toho review)

3) Kongo Maru AMC: Two ships in this class. A single bmp file (0252.bmp), shared with Kyushu Cargo class (xAK-32 ships) and Kyushu AKE class (0 ships). One data base entry (12/41). Can convert to Kyushu Cargo class (same bmp), Kyushu AS (0281.bmp) or Sanyo AV (0049.bmp) in 12/41, to Kyushu AKE (same bmp) or Kyushu AR (0281.bmp) in 4/42, and to Kyushu AK in 6/42 (0318.bmp). All those conversions are "one way" (once a Kongo Maru AMC is converted, it can't come back). 1 of 2 has Dazzle camo (the other, Kongo Maru, was lost before dazzle camo was widely used).

Yikes! What a complicated set of relationships! However, most of the cross-class shipside implications were resolved earlier during the Kyushu review, with this result:
- The early war shipside remains unchanged (as-is purplish 0252.bmp file)
- The late war shipside shifts to the Kyushu AKE profile for armament & greyish-grey color.
Which means the shipside for the interim period is based entirely on this AMC class. Of the two ships, the class namesake was sunk near Lae in March 1942 (#1), (so we can ignore it for color purposes) but the remaining ship, Kiyosumi Maru, had a 2-tone form of Dazzle and was modeled by Motoyuki (#2) as "Kiyozumi maru in the autumn of 1942".

The TROM seems to back that up (although, as is typical, painting schemes are not mentioned), by noting that Kiyosumi Maru was in Singapore for unspecified repairs in September 1942. As we've seen in multiple other instances, this would be the logical time and place to receive her Dazzle paint job. I was unable to locate any war-time photos, so it's currently impossible to determine when or if she was repainted. However, we know this vessel was sunk at Truk during Operation Hailstone, and once again I used the Truk Lagoon Dive Map in order to correlate photos from that operation with this particular ship.

The map shows that Kiyosumi Maru (circled in red) lies in the "Repair Anchorage" between Dublon and Fefan islands (#3). Please take note of the two red arrows on the map, as they depict the orientation of the two photos we'll examine next. The first photo looks to the northwest (#4), and you can clearly see two of the ships marked on the dive map; "A" is the Heian Maru (and yes, this photo answers the earlier question and confirms that she DID have Dazzle camo at this time) while "B" is the large oiler, Tonan Maru #3. The next photo looks back toward the southeast (#5), and the same two ships are marked as "A" and "B". But now for the first time, we can also see Kiyosumi Maru (red arrow). Unfortunately she was not in the first picture because the SE photo was taken into the sun and all the shipsides are shadowy and dark - even the striking Heian Maru camo is barely noticeable. So no, even though we can identify the ship in a late war context, the photo quality is not good enough to determine whether she still has camo.

My apologies if this whole exercise seems to be of little use, but I took you through it on the off chance that somebody out there has access to other Hailstone photos showing this portion of the strike zone. If so, and even if the ships are unnamed, you can see how it's possible to determine which ones they really are.

Anyway, this is as good a date as any to terminate the camo scheme (and all the other AMC-specific profile details) and shift everything over to the Kyushu AKE. But first, let's look at....

Armament: The database calls for 14cm Navy guns fore and aft and another set to the R&L. The model appears to show 3 sets of the side guns, all flush mounted to the deck (most on the forward weather deck). There's also 13mm AA, which appears to be mounted atop the front of the superstructure, along with two large searchlights fore and aft of the funnel. All of this is different from the starting shipside, and will have to be added. And while we're at it, the floatplane can appear as well.

Accordingly, here's the foldered plan:

12/6/41 = The as-is purplish 0252.bmp file (#6)
9/1942 = Dazzle camo, altered guns, and floatplane file (#7)
3/1944 = Change to the late war "greyish-grey", revert guns, and remove floatplane (#8)

[Kull]

AMC Types:

4) Kinryu Maru AMC: A single ship in this class. A single bmp file (0251.bmp), shared with Yusen S Cargo class (AK-10 ships). One data base entry (12/41). On 6/42, the AMC can convert to the Yusen S AK (0317.bmp) configuration (and can't go back). No evidence of camo.

As you can see, this situation is similar to what we just saw with the Kongo Maru AMC class, but a lot less complicated. And once again, the cross-class shipside implications were resolved earlier, this time during the Yusen S review:
- The starting shipside has a small adjustment to armament, but color remains unchanged
- In early 1942, the shipside gets the Sasako Maru Dazzle camo (#1) as per the Motoyuki model
After this however, for the remainder of the war the shipside is based entirely on the AMC class, since the assumption is that all vessels in the Yusen S class will have upgraded to the better version of the AK (much more firepower).

Let's talk about the Kinryu Maru. Per the TROM (and confirmed by Motoyuki), this ship was requisitioned as a transport by the IJN immediately upon completion in late 1938 and had no civilian service. In late 1941, she was converted to an AMC (and modeled as such by Motoyuki - #2) and served in a number of major operations up until the time she was sunk in the Solomons in late 1942. A short career, with nothing particularly remarkable about it. However, her association with the Yusen S class gives us an opportunity to add not just the Dazzle camo of Sasako Maru, but something altogether different, and wholly unique.

In June 1943, the Italian submarine Torelli departed Bordeaux on a secret mission, a journey that would ultimately lead this vessel to serve in both the German and Japanese navies. But for now we are concerned only with her cargo, which, per the TROM, included "Colonel Satake Kinjo, a telecommunications officer returning to Japan after extensive training in Germany, radar engineer Heinrich Foders of Telefunken who has a set of Würzburg AA radar blueprints and two civilian mechanics. Two complete sets of Würzburg radars are also carried for delivery to the IJA and IJN". One of the few instances of direct technology transfer from Germany to Japan at this stage of the war, the Wurzburg was an aircraft detection radar, and although primarily land based, was fitted to several vessels (the Togo is one example - #3) and used in a seaborne capacity to coordinate German night fighters operating over the Baltic. The submarine arrived at Singapore in early September, and soon thereafter one of the Wurzburgs was installed on the Yusen S class transport Kinka Maru for test and evaluation purposes.

Noted Japanese maritime artist Kihachiro Ueda has an excellent painting of the Kinka Maru in late war green camo, and the Wurzburg radar can clearly be seen atop the bridge (#4). WW2 merchant ship modelers and certainly anyone who has perused the records at combinedfleet.com will be quite familiar with the many detailed paintings created by this remarkable artist. But what fewer may know is that Ueda was an anti-aircraft gunner who served on 28 merchant ships, 6 of which were sunk while he was aboard. The last of these was the Kinka Maru, which was attacked and destroyed in November 1944, during which Ueda was so severely injured that he lost the use of his right hand. Yet he recovered, learned to paint and draw with his left, and the rest is pictorial history. More to the point, the Yusen S clone Kinryu Maru - the solitary member of it's class - is the perfect ship to represent this interesting piece of naval history. Keep in mind of course that absent a change to the database, the addition of this visible radar is purely cosmetic.

Note: Ueda is a fascinating character. To give you some sense of the man (#5), I've attached a few excerpts from the book, "Master Modeler - Creating the Tamiya Style".

Armament: Per the database, this vessel has a 15cm Navy gun at the stem, 2 more R&L, and a Type 88 DP at the stern. The model shows this clearly, with the side guns flush mounted to the forward weather deck (as with Kiyosumi Maru). The 13mm AA is mounted atop the front of the superstructure, and once again we see two large searchlights fore and aft of the funnel. Plus a floatplane.

Here's the rather extensive foldered plan:

12/6/41 = The slightly revised purplish 0251.bmp file (#6)
4/1942 = The Sasako Maru Dazzle camo file (#7) (Note: Both of these were included in the Yusen S review, and are just added here for reference)
9/1942 = Physical profile altered to match that of Kinryu Maru (#8)
10/1943 = Add German Radar atop the superstructure (#9)
9/1944 = Change to merchant green camo (same as Kinka Maru) (#10)
1/1945 = Remove the Radar (testing presumed complete) (#11)

[Kull]

AMC Types:

5) Aikoku Maru Type (2 classes):

- Aikoku Maru AMC: Three ships in this class, all in game on 12/41. A single bmp file (0304.bmp), shared with Aikoku Maru xAP class (0 ships). Two database entries (12/41 & 2/42). Can upgrade to the xAP class on 2/42 (the upgrade is "one way" - once an Aikoku Maru AMC is upgraded, it can't come back). No conversions. Two of three have evidence of Dazzle camo, although the styles are rather different.

- Aikoku Maru xAP: Zero ships in this class. A single bmp file (0304.bmp), shared with Aikoku Maru AMC class (3 ships). One database entry (2/42). No upgrades or conversions.

For once, there's a lot of information on the Early War camouflage for the Aikoku Maru AMC class. Motoyuki has modeled all three ships, but we'll look at the two that have Dazzle camo - Aikoku Maru (#1) and Hokoku Maru (#2). Interestingly, the namesake ship has a 2-tone scheme while the other has the more typical three (Black, Dark grey, Light Grey). Normally in a case like this - multiple forms of camo within the same class of ship - you have to choose one of them, and that's that. However, there is another option here. The U.S. Naval Technical Mission Report (page 15 of the linked pdf file) tells us that LtCdr Fukui (the Japanese camouflage expert based in Singapore) "also repainted in September 1942 two ships, Aikoku Maru and Hokoku Maru, whose camouflage had been designed at Kure. Their design was criticized in that the pattern was too small and that it was effective only if seen directly abeam. These faults, Fukui asserted, were characteristic faults of all dazzle painting designed in Japan." (emphasis added)

There's a bit more in the report (and we'll get to it shortly), but that is a VERY interesting nugget of information, especially since the Technical Team findings were quite emphatic that there was no organized system for implementing early war camouflage. Yet here we have a clear statement that Dazzle schemes were "designed" and implemented at one of the major Japanese Naval shipyards! Digging a little deeper, the TROM for Aikoku Maru (and likewise that for Hokoku Maru) shows that each of these two vessels were refitted as AMCs at Kure before the war even began. So not only a Naval shipyard-level implementation, but one that was in place from the very beginning. All the records which detail the hows, whens, and whys of this system were apparently lost or destroyed, but going forward (and looking back), it is helpful to know that Kure Naval Shipyard was definitely another locus for Dazzle camouflage.

So what did the Kure scheme look like and how did it differ from the repainting performed by Fukui in Singapore? Well we don't know for sure. All the photos, paintings and models look just like those portrayed by Motoyuki. On the other hand, the Technical Mission report does say that "Hokoku Maru was in two colors and Aikoku Maru was in three: black, dark grey, and light grey", and these are actually the REVERSE of what we see in the pictorial record. Whether that was before or after Fukui's changes is unknown, but absent pictures it really doesn't matter - we can only use what we have. And in-game, it will look like this:

- The AMC class will start off with Aikoku Maru Dazzle, and in September 1942 it will transition to the Hokoku Maru Dazzle (we could do the reverse and it would be equally valid). Determining the end date for the Dazzle is a bit trickier, since Hokoku Maru was lost early in the war, and the only late war picture of Aikoku Maru is little more than a mushroom cloud (#3) as she blew up in Truk Lagoon during Operation Hailstone. So yes, once again we have a situation where we can identify her location on the map (#4), so if other pictures turn up they might answer the question. Absent that (and as with Kiyosumi Maru earlier), we'll arbitrarily choose this date to transition from Dazzle to a late war greyish grey.

Armament: The database calls for 14cm Navy guns fore (#5) and aft and 3 more sets to the R&L, which matches the shipside. It also calls for Type 88 DP and 25mm AA at the stem and stern along with 13mm AA to the R&L. These are not on the shipside, and the models don't show us where they might fit, other than placing AA guns atop the bridge. They do have two large searchlights to the front and rear of the funnel & a visible floatplane should appear as well.

Profile of AMC vs xAP: The last issue involves the profiles of each class, which are somewhat different since the xAPs have fewer guns and no floatplanes. However, the only advantage of the xAP over the AMC is doubled troop capacity, which is more than offset by the loss of amphibious unload benefits. Accordingly, the player is unlikely to perform the xAP upgrade, so we'll retain the "AMC-only" shipside profile throughout the war.

Which brings us to the foldered plan:

12/6/41 = The Aikoku Maru Dazzle camo & altered profile 0251.bmp (#6)
9/1942 = Replaced with the Hokoku Maru Dazzle camo file (#7)
3/1944 = Change to the late war "greyish-grey" (#8)

[Kull]

AMC Types:

6) Nosiro Maru AMC: A single ship in this class, in game on 12/41. A single bmp file (0288.bmp), not shared. One database entry (12/41). No upgrades or conversions. No evidence of camo.

According to the combinedfleet TROM, Noshiro Maru was requisitioned as an IJA troop ship in 1937, later transitioning to the IJN for conversion to an AMC at Yokosuka in September 1941 (as modeled by Motoyuki - see #1), to include storage and handling capability for two floatplanes. However, she only served in the AMC role until August 1942, after which she was re-rated as a transport and served as such until sunk in late 1944. But from a game perspective, this is another opportunity to utilize the camo scheme from a similar vessel.

Awata Maru is one of 3 ships in the Akagi Maru AMC class, a group which shares the shipside of the Yusen A xAK class (as previously reviewed above). Yet it has a very rare form of camouflage (see the Motoyuki model - #2), a set of zig-zags which are very similar to that worn by the German Battleship Bismarck (#3). We couldn't use it for the other classes, as potentially it could apply to 10 ships, but it's perfectly appropriate for a single-vessel AMC class! Intriguingly, both ships share an extremely similar profile, in which the funnel is placed near the rear of the superstructure and the masts follow an M-K-K-F-K-M sequence (see #4, the ONI report), all of which necessitates changes to the shipside.

Looking through her TROM, Awata Maru was a passenger-cargo ship serving the Japan-Europe routes until 1940 (perhaps the source of the idea for her later camouflage), eventually being requisitioned by the IJN and undergoing an AMC conversion at Kure in October 1941. Her early war service was in northern waters (Kuriles/Aleutians) and we don't have to guess about the timing of her camo, as the TROM tells us she was "painted with a zigzag dazzle camouflage" in October 1942. A year later she was assigned to southern waters and shifted to a transport role.

Armament: The database calls for Type 88 DP guns at the stem and stern as well as 15cm Navy guns and 13mm AA to the R&L. Only the Type 88s match the shipside, so the others will have to be added (although the AA is so low on the superstructure as to be effectively invisible).

Accordingly, here's the foldered plan (for comparison purposes, #5 is the current AE shipside):

12/6/41 = The new bluish-gray 0288.bmp file with altered profile & weapons (#6)
10/1942 = Shift to zigzag camo (#7)
12/1944 = Change to silver grey (#8)

Note: Although this vessel is called "Nosiro Maru" in AE and the ONI report, other records insert the "h" into her name. In-game it does differentiate her from the AE "Noshiro Maru", which is a Std-B Cargo vessel arriving in early 1943.

This completes the AMCs and their many new Dazzle camouflage schemes! Next up are the AG Types, which bring additional camo opportunities.

[Kull]

AG Types:

This is the 5th of 9 AG Types, the other 4 having been reviewed earlier as they share bmps with their associated xAK or xAKL types:

1) Gozan AG: See Post #75
2) Miyati AG: See Post #81
3) Daigen AG: See Post #82
4) Kasu AG: See Post #83

5) Muroto AG: Two ships in this class, both in-game on 12/41. A single bmp file (0091.bmp), not shared. Two database entries (12/41 & 9/42). Can convert to Ehime Cargo, Ehime AKE, & Ehime AD classes (all 3 of which share 0264.bmp) while Ehime Cargo (58 ships) & Ehime AKE (0 ships) can convert to Muroto AG. One real oddity (I haven't noticed this with any other class) is that Muroto 12-41 does NOT upgrade to Muroto 9-42, but has to convert! No evidence of camo.

Muroto and her not-quite-sister Nojima were originally built as IJN coaling auxiliaries, but the Muroto TROM tells us she was converted to a supply ship in 1937 and Nojima's shows that she followed suit in 1941. There's an undated photo in the Muroto ONI report (#1), showing a large cheering crowd at the dock and a full complement of passengers standing under canopies. Based on the TROM, this is probably from late October 1936 when she was "used as an observation ship for the yearly special naval review". It's worth noting because while neither TROM mentions painting, Muroto appears to be a uniform dark grey in this photo. Since these were IJN vessels from the beginning, they probably started the war with the standard dark bluish-grey.

As for camouflage, there is a picture of a camo ship at the Battle of the Bismarck Sea (almost certainly Oigawa Maru - more on her in the next review) plus there's video of the air assaults in progress, and I captured a fuzzy screenshot (see #2) which *might* be a second ship (starting at 2:03 of the video). If it is, that would probably be Nojima, which was sunk during this attack. However, that's a pretty sketchy link, plus there are problems with using Dazzle in this class since a lot of Ehime-type ships will probably convert to Muroto AGs. For the remaining colors, we should expect a shift to greyish-grey in late 1943, and - since these are valuable ships - a final transition to merchant green camo in late 1944.

Armament: The database calls for 12cm DP guns fore and aft (on large pedestal platforms) plus Type 88 DP guns R&L (although the latter aren't visible in any photos and are probably obscured by the superstructure). The 9/42 upgrade adds 25 mm AA to the stem and stern plus 13mm AA to the R&L. There aren't any photos showing this, but it seems logical that some of the AA was placed atop the superstructure.

That said, here's the foldered plan (for comparison purposes, #3 is the current AE shipside):

12/6/41 = The new bluish-gray 0091.bmp file (#4)
10/1942 = Add AA atop the superstructure (#5)
12/1943 = Change to greyish-grey (#6)
11/1944 = Shift to "merchant green" camo (#7)

Note: Although the second vessel in this class is called "Noshima" in AE, most other records refer to her as "Nojima" (including combinedfleet.com and the ONI).

[Nihonkaigun]

Hi Kull!

First, let me complement on your extensive work in this thread.

Regarding your last post:
The unidentified dazzle ship from Bismarck Sea is the "Teiyo Maru" (Ex-German Saarland). She's in the video at 2:05.

The burning ship with false (bow) waves at 2:26 and 3:31 is the 1C standard ship "Aiyo Maru" (one mast each in between the cargo hatches fore & aft).

The Nojima comes in sight at 2:45 and 4:25 - being a Navy supply ship, she's not camouflaged. She also has two masts, but a bigger deck house (than Aiyo Maru) and gun platforms on bandstands fore & aft. Please note that Nojima’s sister, the Muroto (shown in the ONI-report) has a prolonged deckhouse and box-like structures on the decks because she was used as hospital ship for some time. Nojima didn’t receive those changes.

The ship at 3:40, heavily burning, is most likely the small 1E standard ship Kembu/Kenbu Maru.

Also present at Bismarck Sea – and sunk – was a second ship with false (bow) waves, the "Taimei Maru" (four sets of kingposts on the edges of bridge, forecastle and poop – huge load of Daihatsus aft). She’s not in the video footage, but can be found on several pictures from the attack.

Best regards,
Hendrik

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: Nihonkaigun

Hi Kull!

First, let me complement on your extensive work in this thread.

Regarding your last post:
The unidentified dazzle ship from Bismarck Sea is the "Teiyo Maru" (Ex-German Saarland). She's in the video at 2:05.

The burning ship with false (bow) waves at 2:26 and 3:31 is the 1C standard ship "Aiyo Maru" (one mast each in between the cargo hatches fore & aft).

The Nojima comes in sight at 2:45 and 4:25 - being a Navy supply ship, she's not camouflaged. She also has two masts, but a bigger deck house (than Aiyo Maru) and gun platforms on bandstands fore & aft. Please note that Nojima’s sister, the Muroto (shown in the ONI-report) has a prolonged deckhouse and box-like structures on the decks because she was used as hospital ship for some time. Nojima didn’t receive those changes.

The ship at 3:40, heavily burning, is most likely the small 1E standard ship Kembu/Kenbu Maru.

Also present at Bismarck Sea – and sunk – was a second ship with false (bow) waves, the "Taimei Maru" (four sets of kingposts on the edges of bridge, forecastle and poop – huge load of Daihatsus aft). She’s not in the video footage, but can be found on several pictures from the attack.

Best regards,
Hendrik

Hi Hendrik - I appreciate the comments, and while I do agree with you on Taimei Maru and Kenbu Maru, I'm not so sure about the others. With respect to Teiyo Maru being the "Dazzled" ship, I have doubts. The profile in the ONI record (#1) does bear a certain resemblance, but there is an extreme closeup of Teiyo Maru under attack (#2), and the hull does not show any sign of camouflage near the prow, especially the bright white patches visible in a more distant shot (#3). As for Aiyo Maru being the second bow-wave ship, that's also questionable. There are two different web pages (links one and two) which refer to it as Shinai Maru, and the ONI profile (#4) seems to fit the photo. It's also possible (given the uncertainties involving Kanji translations) that the real name might be Sin Ai Maru, but that ONI profile also works (#5). As for Aiyo Maru, unfortunately there isn't an ONI record and as for photos, even the combinedfleet TROM doesn't have one. The picture of her sister ship does seem to fit, but it's hardly conclusive. I did find an original head-on picture of that ship for sale on eBay (#6), so check that out (you might be able to get better resolution than the one I attached)

Worth noting that while looking into this today, I found a somewhat better quality video embedded at the bottom of this web page, so you might want to do a frame-by-frame look at that. For example, the ship you believe to be Nojima (#7) has a pair of kingposts, not masts, which is different from what one sees in her TROM picture (#8).

As for Kyokusei Maru, she was sunk the day before during a high level bombing run by B-17s, so we can ignore her as part of this exercise (since all these photos are low level and none of that happened the day before). Last is Oigawa Maru, but I'll reserve any discussion on that for the upcoming Mamiya AG review.

[Nihonkaigun]

Hey Kull,
Thanks for your reply!

So we are quite sure about Kenbu (small grey 1E) and Taimei (4 kingposts, false waves).

Regarding Teiyo Maru; please take a look at the aft portion of the dazzle ship and compare it to the ONI #1 profile (only marked B!) - the dazzle ship shares the two cranes at the aft edge of the deckhouse, the stick mast with 4 booms and the two combined vent-cranes at the poop. No ther ship present at BoBS shares these features. So I am sure about this one. I think the close-up is a completely different and also smaller ship - might be Sinai Maru. The caption is wrong for sure.

Regarding Aiyo Maru; the two web links you shared simply got the ship wrong. Pictured is clearly Aiyo Maru. The ebay picture #6 also shows this ship - the white canvas over the first hatch is visible in the video as are the Daihatsus stored in front of the bridge.

Regarding Sinai Maru: ONI #4 is a much smaller ship, ONI #5 is correct and in accordance with the photo and data given at combinedfleet. As i stated before, this could be the ship in the pic with the A-20 pulling up.

Nojima; I am aware she had no two kingposts - none of the ships present at BoBS had these features. My first guess when I saw this part of the clip was the Takatsu Maru which was sunk 1.5 years later in the Phillippines so I believed it's Nojima with tthe cargo booms erected straight up - but the better quality video clearly shows kingposts. So this one is a mystery. They might have smuggled some other material into the newsreel.

Oigawa Maru was a pretty big 1A standard ship, so she would have 4 masts.

[Nihonkaigun]

I just re-checked Nojimas TROM. The only photo of her is from 1935, but:

- 1941: refit as supply ship
- Dec 1941: torpedoed, bow blown off
- Dec 1942: repairs completed
- Jan 1943: "some" reconstruction work

Given the extensive modifications on Muroto, wouln't it be possible that Nojima received new masts during one of these refits? Just a thought...

One more thing: look at the pronounced shape of the stern in the video still. That resembles Nojima's stern A LOT!

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: Nihonkaigun

Hey Kull,
Thanks for your reply!

So we are quite sure about Kenbu (small grey 1E) and Taimei (4 kingposts, false waves).

Regarding Teiyo Maru; please take a look at the aft portion of the dazzle ship and compare it to the ONI #1 profile (only marked B!) - the dazzle ship shares the two cranes at the aft edge of the deckhouse, the stick mast with 4 booms and the two combined vent-cranes at the poop. No ther ship present at BoBS shares these features. So I am sure about this one. I think the close-up is a completely different and also smaller ship - might be Sinai Maru. The caption is wrong for sure.

Regarding Aiyo Maru; the two web links you shared simply got the ship wrong. Pictured is clearly Aiyo Maru. The ebay picture #6 also shows this ship - the white canvas over the first hatch is visible in the video as are the Daihatsus stored in front of the bridge.

Regarding Sinai Maru: ONI #4 is a much smaller ship, ONI #5 is correct and in accordance with the photo and data given at combinedfleet. As i stated before, this could be the ship in the pic with the A-20 pulling up.

Nojima; I am aware she had no two kingposts - none of the ships present at BoBS had these features. My first guess when I saw this part of the clip was the Takatsu Maru which was sunk 1.5 years later in the Phillippines so I believed it's Nojima with tthe cargo booms erected straight up - but the better quality video clearly shows kingposts. So this one is a mystery. They might have smuggled some other material into the newsreel.

Oigawa Maru was a pretty big 1A standard ship, so she would have 4 masts.

Hi Hendrik - I'll grant you that the ONI profile for Teiyo Maru is a pretty close match for the Dazzle ship in the photo, in particular the "mast-then-kingpost" at the rear, which is the opposite configuration when compared to the Oigawa Maru model (#1). In addition, the Teiyo Maru TROM tells us that she was in Singapore for a month in early 1942, and that has proven to be a known locus for the application of Dazzle Camo (the same was not true of Oigawa Maru). Also, because the model-vs-photo camo patterns are different, I had earlier considered the possibility that we were looking at two different Dazzle-camo ships in these photos, but further analysis indicates otherwise.

When you compare the still photo (#2) with the best obtainable video capture of the ship wearing Dazzle camouflage (#3), it appears that both have the same pattern - the small black dots circled in red are the tell-tale similarity. There's also a distant view in the next screen capture (#4), and it has the same sequence of three white areas in the front half, separated by two dark bands. So yes, all of these are the same vessel.

As for Aiyo Maru being the unidentified bow-wave camo ship, you are probably right on that as well. However, the evidence you've presented so far is not fully convincing, so I'll try to make the case for you. First we have a picture from the attack, showing the vessel on fire (#5). Note in particular the angled shape of the bow and the rounded stern. Next we have a pre-war photo of Imizu Maru (#6), the sister-ship of Aiyo Maru. The prow is identical in shape, albeit the stern is perhaps a bit more rounded. By contrast, the Tone Maru (a ship from the Sin Ai Maru class) has a blunt prow and an indented stern. Absent other evidence, this tends to suggest that Aiyo Maru is the bow-wave camo vessel.

Going one step further (and kingposts aside), the Tone Maru profile looks a lot like the "Nojima" in pic #7 above. So if "unidentified bow wave ship" is Aiyo Maru, then "maybe Nojima" is probably Shinai Maru.

The final piece of evidence in all this was a short sentence in the Teiyo Maru TROM: "The convoy is divided into two Divisions. No. 1 Division (starboard column) consists of SHINAI MARU (IJA No. 324), TEIYO MARU (IJA No. 842), AIYO MARU (IJA No. 947) and KENBU MARU. No. 2 Division (portside column) consists of KYOKUSEI MARU (IJA No. 776), OIGAWA MARU (IJA No. 480), TAIMEI MARU (IJA No.967) and NOJIMA." (emphasis added)

That is EXTREMELY interesting, because the various video snippets appear to show only 4 ships, and in this analysis we've been able to identify all of them as probable members of the Number One Division! Which makes sense, since two widely separated divisions were unlikely to appear in the same low level series of videos. Of some interest perhaps, here's a story on one of the recon pilots from that event. Note in particular the slide show at the top of the linked page - I would LOVE to see high res photos of that! So, good discussion...we definitely learned something!

Anyway (getting back to the whole purpose of the thread), this has been useful in other ways because I was going to use the Oigawa Maru camo on a vessel with a similar profile, but given these findings I'll opt for a ship with better provenance.

[Nihonkaigun]

Thank you very much for your input and the fruitful discussion! And sorry for interrupting this thread. Just two more things;

I positively identified the close-up with the A-20 as "Taiei Maru" (aka Daiei, Taiyei), sunk by A-20s and on 3/19/44. Being a new member, I cant post links - please check the TROM of Yakumo Maru.

Second, I will contact Hawkesbury Gazette and ask for the BoBS pictures in better quality. The medium-altitude pics might show the other column of this convoy. Will let you know about the outcome.

Keep up the good work - and sorry again for interrupting

[Kull]

AG Types:

6) Mamiya Type (2 classes):

- Mamiya AG: A single ship in this class, in game on 12/41. A single bmp file (0094.bmp), shared with the Mamiya AKE class (0 ships). Two database entries (12/41 & 9/42). Can upgrade to the AKE class on 9/42 (the upgrade is "one way" - once a Mamiya AG is upgraded, it can't come back). No conversions. No evidence of camo.

- Mamiya AKE: Zero ships in this class. A single bmp file (0094.bmp), shared with Mamiya AG class (1 ship). One database entry (9/42). No upgrades or conversions.

Mamiya (#1) was purpose-built for the IJN in 1922 (as exemplified by it's presence at the Imperial Naval Review at Yokosuka in 1940) and per the TROM she was a large (15K tons) refrigerated supply ship that "carried provisions to support 18,000 men for three weeks and had stalls for 50 head of cattle below-decks". Apparently a well-designed vessel, she survived multiple torpedo hits on two separate occasions in 43-44, and it required two successive submarine attacks in late 1944 to finally sink her. As a "single ship member" of this class, it's worth confirming that the shipside matches the profile in the ONI report (#2), and it does. There's also a nice non-Motoyuki ship model (#3) which has good details (the raised horizontal banding on the hull is not correct, but the rest is accurate).

For colors, we'll start with a dark navalized bluish-grey, a good example being this undated photo (#4) which was probably taken just prior to the 1940 Naval Review (as indicated by pennants, fresh paint and a large complement of crew and visitors wearing crisp white uniforms). I was planning to incorporate the Oigawa Maru camo scheme as an interim paint job (since that is the only remaining camo model with a profile similar to Mamiya), but the recent Battle of the Bismarck Sea analysis (above) and Motoyuki's own comments (that it "is perfect fiction") cast some doubt on its accuracy. Pending evidence, we'll give it a pass and transition instead to a mid-war greyish grey, finishing up with late war silver grey.

Armament: The database calls for 14cm Navy guns fore and aft (on large pedestal platforms), a pair of Type 88 DP guns at the rear (photos and models show that these are located at the base of the bridge, and thus invisible), and 13mm AA R&L. None of this matches the existing shipside, so it will have to be modified. The 9/42 AKE upgrade adds 25 mm AA and some additional 13mm AA, most of it (probably) in locations that are masked by the superstructure, but we can place some of the AA atop the bridge.

Accordingly, here's the foldered plan (for comparison purposes, #5 is the current AE shipside):

12/6/41 = The new bluish-gray 0094.bmp file (#6)
9/1942 = Add AA atop the superstructure (#7)
12/1943 = Change to greyish grey (#8)
1/1945 = Transition to silver grey (#9)

[Akos Gergely]

Amazing work, and much appreciated. The amount of research you have put into this is just beyond comprehensible (and I've done a lot on warships ). Very well done!

Can'T wait to see your warships pack.

I possible, make a package in the end so that a simple download/overwrite install would be enough, a'la BigB's art files.

[US87891]

Hello Kull,
JWE asked me to say he has seen the wonderful work you have done on shading and camo-tinting the Japanese merchies and auxiliaries. He has always been a great fan of these more prosaic representatives of the Japanese nautical heritage. You do them justice, and give them the care and attention he wishes he had given them, way back then. Modifications to the original graphics are eagerly anticipated. You are doing very, very good. Please keep up the great work.
Matt

[Kull]

Thank you Matt. JWE paved the way here, and it's gratifying to know that he's enjoying this ride. I am always cognizant of the debt owed to those who set this wheel in motion.

[Kull]

AG Types:

7) Irako Type (2 classes):

- Irako AG: A single ship in this class, in game on 12/41. A single bmp file (0095.bmp), shared with the Irako AKE class. Two database entries (12/41 & 12/42). Can upgrade to the AKE class on 12/42 (as with Mamiya AG, the upgrade is "one way" - once an Irako AG is upgraded, it can't come back). No conversions. No evidence of camo.

- Irako AKE: Zero ships in this class. A single bmp file (0095.bmp), shared with Irako AG class (1 ship). One database entry (12/42). No upgrades or conversions.

Irako (#1) was the second "of the IJN's two purpose-built refrigerated fleet supply ships", and "carried provisions for 25,000 men for two weeks." She has an interesting profile, including a tripod mast between bridge and funnel, and in particular features eight large cranes, 4 on the forward weather deck, and 4 more on the after weather deck. That's in addition to the booms attached to the forward mast and rear kingposts, so her cargo handling abilities must have been prodigious! The presence of four large "lighters" (all clearly visible in this model drawing - #2) would have enhanced her ability to perform ship-to-ship provisioning, as well as to support smaller bases with rudimentary port facilities.

As with Mamiya, the starting color will be navalized bluish-grey and this time we'll utilize one of the unused Kyushu camo schemes (this class is the best match in size, speed and profile), specifically that of Brisbane Maru (conveniently modeled by Motoyuki - #3). The TROM states that she was "painted in camouflage colors" immediately after being requisitioned by the IJN in August 1941 and was still wearing it at the time of her sinking near Guadalcanal in November 1942, so we have plenty of leeway in the timing of its application and removal. To clarify, there is no indication that Irako was ever camouflaged, but (as discussed quite often), Brisbane Maru has an interesting, well attested camo pattern that otherwise will never appear in-game. So we'll use this opportunity to display it until roughly the period of the AKE upgrade. Eventually we'll transition to the lighter grey which we know she was sporting in the late war. The Irako TROM tells us that she underwent major repairs and upgrades in Nagasaki (at both the Mitsubishi and Sasebo shipyards) during March-thru-August 1944, which is probably when this next picture was taken (#4). Also note the anti-mine degaussing cable surrounding the hull (unfortunately too narrow to display at this scale). Irako was one of many ships sunk at Coron Bay near Palawan (September 1944), and although the best photo from that attack is somewhat blurry (#5), she appears to be light grey in color.

Armament: The database calls for Type 89 DP guns fore and aft and 25mm AA R&L. The 12/42 AKE upgrade includes additional 25 mm AA, which was probably located atop the bridge. All of this (along with many other profile features) is only partially captured by the existing shipside, so it will have to be revised.

All that said, here's the foldered plan (for comparison purposes, #6 is the current AE shipside):

12/6/41 = The new bluish-gray & altered profile 0095.bmp file (#7)
3/1942 = Shift to the Brisbane Maru Dazzle camo file (#8)
1/1943 = Return to bluish-gray and add AA atop the bridge (#9)
4/1944 = Change to greyish grey (#10)