Chuyo was built as the passenger liner Nitta Maru, lead ship of three. She was laid down on 9 May 1938, launched on 20 May 1939 and completed on 23 March 1940. She was converted at Kure from 1 July to 25 November 1942 and renamed Chuyo on 31 August. She was used mainly as an aircraft transport to Truk, making her first of 13 trips on 12 December 1942.
On 9 April 1943 the submarine Tunny attacked her, but defective Mark 14 torpedo detonators spared her. Chuyo and Unyo carried 21 and 20 captured crewmen of the submarine Sculpin. At ten minutes after midnight on 4 December 1943 the submarine Sailfish hit her with a torpedo, and further hits that morning sank her. Only one of the 21 American prisoners aboard survived.
Sources: Wikipedia (ship articles), the Kure Maritime History Science Museum photograph records on Wikimedia Commons, and combinedfleet.com for the Chitose-class histories. No commanding-officer records were available for these ships.