Take Ichi convoy

Take Ichi convoy
Part of Pacific War
The Take Ichi convoy's route from Shanghai to Halmahera (modern names shown)[1]
Date 17 April – 9 May 1944 Location Off Luzon and Celebes Result American victory
Belligerents
United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Ralph Waldo Christie (USN)[2]	Sadamichi Kajioka (IJN)
Strength
2 submarines	1 minelayer 3 destroyers 2 kaibokan escort ships 1 minesweeper 2 subchasers 3 gunboats 15 merchant ships
Casualties and losses
None	Four transports sunk 4,290 soldiers killed

The Take-Ichi sendan (Japanese: 竹一船団, lit. 'Bamboo Number One convoy') was a Japanese naval convoy of World War II. The convoy left occupied Shanghai on 17 April 1944, carrying two infantry divisions to reinforce Japan's defensive positions in the Philippines and western New Guinea. United States Navy (USN) submarines attacked the convoy on 26 April and 6 May, sinking four transports and killing more than 4,000 soldiers. These losses caused the convoy to be diverted to Halmahera, where the surviving soldiers and their equipment were unloaded.

The Take Ichi convoy's losses had important strategic results. The failure to bring the two divisions to their destination without loss contributed to the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters' decision to move Japan's defensive perimeter back by 1,000 km (600 mi). The divisions' combat power was also blunted by their losses, and while they both saw action against United States Army forces, they contributed little to Japan's war effort.