| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | China Maru |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Kawasaki Dockyard Company, Kobe |
| Launched | 1920 |
| Fate | Sunk by US aircraft on 21 September 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 5,870 GRT |
| Length | 385 feet (117 m) [1] |
| Beam | 51 feet (16 m) |
| Draught | 36 feet (11 m) |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion engines (437 nhp) |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
The SS China Maru was a 5,870-gross register ton cargo ship built by Kawasaki Dockyard Company, Kobe, for Kawasaki Kisen KK in 1920.
The cargo ship ran aground off Balum Island, Feni Islands, Papua New Guinea, on 26 June 1939, while steaming to Sydney from Yokohama, [2] and was later refloated. She was requisitioned in 1941 by the Imperial Japanese Navy for use during World War II.
On 8 December 1941, she was assigned to Operation "G", the invasion of Guam as one of 10 transports carrying Major General Horii Tomitaro's 55th Infantry Corps. [3] The naval operation was headed by the 4th Fleet operating out of Saipan consisting of minelayer Tsugaru as flagship; seaplane tender Kiyokawa Maru; 4 cruisers, Aoba, Furutaka, Kako, Kinugasa (Cruiser Division 6, detached from 1st Fleet); and 4 destroyers, Oboro (detached from Carrier Division 5 of the IJN 1st Air Fleet), and Kikuzuki, Uzuki, and Yūzuki (Destroyer Division 23, detached from Carrier Division 2, IJN 1st Air Fleet). The remaining ships all belonged to the Fifth Base Force, 4th Fleet consisting of Gunboat Division 7 (Hirotama Maru, Shotoku Maru), Subchaser Division 59 (subchasers Shonan Maru No. 5, Shonan Maru No. 6; netlayer Shofuku Maru), Subchaser Division 60 (subchasers Kyo Maru No. 8, Kyo Maru No. 10; netlayer Shuko Maru), and Minesweeper Division 15 (Fumi Maru No. 2, Seki Maru No. 3). [3] [4]
On 10 March 1942, during the invasion of Lae-Salamaua, China Maru was damaged by SBD aircraft from the United States Navy aircraft carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown off Lae, New Guinea.
On 21 September 1944, while anchored off Manila, Philippines, China Maru was hit by bombs from US Navy Task Force 38.1, 38.2, and 38.3 aircraft, and sunk at 14°35′N120°55′E / 14.583°N 120.917°E Coordinates: 14°35′N120°55′E / 14.583°N 120.917°E .
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in June 1939 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
Kuroshio was the third vessel to be commissioned in the 19-vessel Kagerō-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late-1930s under the Circle Three Supplementary Naval Expansion Program.
Oyashio was the fourth vessel to be commissioned in the 19-vessel Kagerō-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 1930s under the Circle Three Supplementary Naval Expansion Program.
Akebono was the eighteenth of twenty-four Fubuki-class destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world. They served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, and remained formidable weapons systems well into the Pacific War.
Kiso (木曾) was the fifth and last of the five Kuma-class light cruisers, which served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She was named after the Kiso River in central Honshū, Japan.
The 5th Fleet was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, active during the early portions of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and again in World War II, primarily in the Aleutian campaign, during which it was augmented and designated the Northern Area Force.
The 4th Fleet was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Fourth Fleet designation was used during three separate periods. The initial designation was for a group of ships that were assigned to work together during the Russo-Japanese conflict and the period of its immediate aftermath. The second time the designation was used was during the Sino-Japanese conflict, and the third time was as a South Pacific area of command during the middle of the Pacific War.
The 3rd Fleet was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), which was created, and subsequently disbanded on six separate occasions and revived on five separate occasions.
Uzuki was one of twelve Mutsuki-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1920s. During the Pacific War, she participated in the Battle of Wake Island in December 1941 and the occupations of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in early 1942.
The Yokohama Maru was a 6,143-gross register ton passenger and cargo vessel built by Mitsubishi Dockyard & Engine Works, Nagaski for Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha and launched in 1912. The ship was used on the Guam to Japan route. She was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army and fitted out as a troop transport.
Kaimei Maru was a Japanese troop transport ship operated by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II which was sunk off Honshu on 4 September 1942 by the American submarine USS Guardfish. The ship was a British WWI Type B military cargo ship built by the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company.
Hokkai Maru was a Kinai Maru-class auxiliary transport of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She participated in the Japanese occupation of British Borneo and was part of ill-fated convoy HI-71.
Fukuei Maru No. 15 was a Japanese cargo ship that was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and converted into an auxiliary netlayer.
Nagara Maru was a Japanese cargo ship that was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and converted into an auxiliary netlayer.
Korei Maru was a Japanese cargo ship that was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and converted into an auxiliary netlayer.
Aso Maru was a Japanese cargo ship that was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and converted into an auxiliary gunboat.
CH-7 or No. 7 was a No.4-class submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Sanuki Maru (Japanese:讃岐丸) was a 1939-built cargo ship, requisitioned as a seaplane tender by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Shonan Maru No. 17 was a Japanese fishing vessel that was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and converted into an auxiliary subchaser.
Shonan Maru No. 7 was a Japanese whaling ship that was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and converted into an auxiliary subchaser.
Cha-228 or No. 228 was a No.1-class auxiliary submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served during World War II.
