Kinugawa Maru

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Japanese transport Kinugawa Maru beached and sunk on the Guadalcanal shore, in November 1943 (80-G-K-1467-A).jpg
Kinugawa Maru beached and sunk on Guadalcanal, November 1943
History
Flag of Japan.svgEmpire of Japan
NameKinugawa Maru
BuilderMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Laid down1938
Launched1938
Completed1938
AcquiredRequisitioned by Imperial Japanese Army [1]
FateBeached and destroyed, Guadalcanal, 15 November 1942 [2]
General characteristics
TypeArmed transport
Displacement6,937  GRT [3]
Length133 m (436 ft 4 in) [2]
Beam18 m (59 ft 1 in)
PropulsionDiesel engine, single screw
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
ArmamentAnti-aircraft gun [1]

Kinugawa Maru was a Japanese transport ship built in 1938 for civilian service and later requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army as an armed transport. She took part in the Japanese reinforcement attempts to retake Guadalcanal in November 1942 and was beached and destroyed on 15 November 1942. The wreck, known locally as "Bonegi 2", lies close to shore and remains a popular dive site from Bonegi (Mbonege) Beach. [2] [4]

Contents

Design and construction

Kinugawa Maru was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at Nagasaki in 1938. [2] Originally constructed as a cargo/passenger vessel, she was assessed at 6,937  gross register tons  (GRT) and measured about 133 metres (436 ft 4 in) in length. [2]

The ship was later requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and converted for use as an armed transport. This included installation of anti-aircraft weaponry for operations in areas exposed to Allied air attack. [1]

Service history

Early operations

As an IJA transport, Kinugawa Maru carried troops and supplies throughout the Southwest Pacific. Her movements prior to late 1942 are documented in Japanese postwar loss summaries and Allied intelligence assessments. [3]

Solomon Islands campaign

In November 1942, Kinugawa Maru sailed as part of the major Japanese reinforcement convoy sent down The Slot toward Guadalcanal. After heavy American air attacks on 14 November crippled or sank most of the transports, Kinugawa Maru and three other surviving transport ships (Hirokawa Maru, Yamaura Maru and Yamatsuki Maru) [3] were ordered by Admiral Kondō to beach and offload troops. [1]

Sinking

Hirokawa Maru and Kinugawa Maru beached and burning Hirokawa Maru and Kinugawa Maru burning Guadalcanal 15 Nov 1942.jpg
Hirokawa Maru and Kinugawa Maru beached and burning

In the early hours of 15 November 1942, Kinugawa Maru was deliberately beached on the shore near Bonegi to disembark soldiers before daylight. [2] Once stranded, the ship became a stationary target. At dawn, the beached vessel came under attack from artillery, aircraft, and naval gunfire. Fires broke out aboard the ship, and continued bombardment reduced her to a burned-out hulk. Allied forces recorded the ship as destroyed on 15 November 1942. [3]

Wreck

The wreck of Kinugawa Maru lies just off Bonegi (Mbonege) Beach, northwest of Honiara. [2] The engine remains partly above the waterline and the stern lies in 27 m. [5] Kinugawa Maru is known locally as "Bonegi 2" and is frequently dived due to its accessibility, abundant corals, and other marine life. [5] ("Bonegi 1" is the nearby wreck of Hirokawa Maru. [4] )

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hackett, Bob; Casse, Gilbert. "IJA AA Transport Hirokawa Maru: Tabular Record of Movement". CombinedFleet.com. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Kinugawa Maru (Bonegi 2)". Pacific Wrecks. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Japanese Naval and Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II by All Causes (JANAC) – Page 4". U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey. 1946. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  4. 1 2 "Bonegi River (Mbonege River, Mbonege) Guadalcanal Province, Solomon Islands". Pacific Wrecks. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  5. 1 2 McFadyen, Michael. "Kinugawa Maru". Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
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