Japanese submarine chaser Cha-12

History
Japanese Imperial Navy
Name	Cha-12
Builder	念組造船鐵工所
Laid down	11 January 1942
Launched	8 January 1943
Completed	6 April 1943
Stricken	1 November 1943
Homeport	Sasebo
Fate	Sunk by naval gunfire, 18 August 1943
General characteristics
Class and type	No.1-class Submarine chaser
Displacement	130 long tons (132 t) standard
Length	29.20 m (95 ft 10 in) overall
Beam	5.65 m (18 ft 6 in)
Draught	1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	1 × intermediate diesel; shingle shaft, 400 bhp;
Speed	11.0 knots (12.7 mph; 20.4 km/h)
Range	1,000 nmi (1,900 km) at 10.0 kn (11.5 mph; 18.5 km/h)
Complement	32
Armament	1 × 7.7 mm machine gun; 22 × depth charges; 1 × dunking hydrophone; 1 × simple sonar; From mid 1943, the 7.7 mm machine gun was replaced with a 13.2mm machine gun;

Cha-12 or No. 12 (Japanese: 第十二號驅潜特務艇) was a No.1-class auxiliary submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served during World War II.

History

She was laid down on 11 January 1942 and launched on 8 January 1943.^[2] She was completed on 6 April 1943.^[2] She was assigned to the Sasebo Defense Force, Sasebo Naval District on 6 April 1943.^[2] On 1 June 1943, she was reassigned to the First Base Force, Eighth Fleet.^[2]

Battle off Horaniu

On 17 August 1943, she was assigned to escort duty for 13 Daihatsu-class landing craft and 3 motor torpedo boats carrying 2 companies of army troops and a naval platoon tasked with establishing a barge depot and staging base at Horaniu on the northeast part of Vella Lavella in order to facilitate the evacuation of 9,000 troops from the island. She was accompanied by subchaser Cha-5, two armored Daihatsus, another motor torpedo boat, and a Soukoutei-class armored boat with four destroyers (Sazanami, Hamakaze, Isokaze, and Shigure) commanded by Rear-Admiral Baron Matsuji Ijuin providing heavy cover. The convoy left Buin on the 17th and on 18 August 1943, they were attacked by the US destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Chevalier, USS O'Bannon, and USS Taylor.^[3]^[4] In the ensuing Battle off Horaniu, she was sunk along with Cha-5, two torpedo boats, and one Daihatsu by gunfire north of Vella Lavella.^[2]^[5]