Banshu Maru No. 52 第五十二播州丸 was laid down on 4 September 1921 at the Kobe shipyard of Mitsubishi Zosen Kobe Zosensho at the behest of the shipping company Hayashikane Shoten as Banshu Maru No.2. She was launched on 5 November 1921 and completed 28 November 1921. Registered in the port of Shimonoseki, she operated as a fishing trawler. On 14 September 1939, she was renamed Banshu Maru No. 52. On 15 October 1940, she was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy and converted to an auxiliary minesweeper and renamed Banshu Maru No.
52 under Reserve Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Kubo Tadahiko (久保忠彦) and assigned to Auxiliary Minesweeper division 3 (AM Div 3). Kubo served until 1 December 1941, when he was replaced by Reserve Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Uchida Shoji (内田正二) and assigned to Auxiliary Minesweeper Division 46 (AM Div 46), Bako Guard District. On 24 December 1941, she departed Sasebo, Nagasaki, for Magong, Taiwan, and then on to Subic Bay, arriving on 17 January 1942. Despite facing artillery fire from the shore, she commenced mine-sweeping activities in Subic Bay during the Battle of Bataan. Gunboats Aso Maru (阿蘇丸) and Nampo Maru (南浦丸) were assigned to the area to suppress the additional fire and allow the minesweeper to continue with its activities.
On 20 January 1942, she struck a mine and sank in Subic Bay, Luzon, Philippines (Coordinates: 14°45′N 120°17′E). She was removed from the Navy List on 5 February 1942. Her Wreck is a popular dive
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The Dive
I dived and scanned the the wreck in January 2026.
Depth: 56 m / 180 ft
It’s a dive for technical divers and Trimix plus Oxygen Stages are recommended.
