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On the 8 October 1942 ''Kamakura Maru'' arrived in Yokohama, where several thousand people were present as Minister Kawai handed over the boxes of ashes to relatives of the midget submariners. |
On the 8 October 1942 ''Kamakura Maru'' arrived in Yokohama, where several thousand people were present as Minister Kawai handed over the boxes of ashes to relatives of the midget submariners. |
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The [[Asama Maru]] was involved in a similar diplomatic exchange, paired with the [[MS Gripsholm]] |
The [[Asama Maru]] was involved in a similar diplomatic exchange in July 1942, paired with the [[MS Gripsholm]], also at Lourenco Marques, mainly with American diplomats being exchanged. Thus all three of the sister ships were involved in this unique type of operation. |
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==Sinking== |
==Sinking== |
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Revision as of 15:23, 25 December 2020
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (November 2012) |
 Kamakura Maru arriving at Yokohama with the ashes of the four submariners killed in the attack on Sydney Harbour
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name |
|
| Operator |  Nippon Yusen Kaisha |
| Builder | Yokohama Dock Co., Yokohama, Japan |
| Yard number | 170 |
| Launched | 1930 |
| Fate | Sunk, 28 April 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Passenger liner |
| Tonnage | 17,526 GRT |
| Length | 170.7 m (560 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 22.6 m (74 ft 2 in) |
| Depth | 13 m (42 ft 8 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 Burmeister & Wain diesels, twin screws |
| Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Capacity | 817 passengers |
The Chichibu Maru (秩父丸) was a Japanese passenger ship which, renamed Kamakura Maru, was sunk during World World II, killing 2,035 soldiers and civilians on board.
The Chichibu Maru was built for the Nippon Yusen shipping company by the Yokohama Dock Company in 1930. She had a beam of 22.6 meters, a length of 178 meters and a tonnage of 17,498. Cruising speed was 19 knots, with a maximum of 21 knots. The ship could carry 817 passengers. She differed from her half-sisters, the Asama Maru and the Tatsuta Maru, in her propulsion system, and in having one (rather than two) funnels.
Before the war, the ship carried passengers between Yokohama and San Francisco. Prince Takamatsu and Princess Takamatsu also traveled on this ship. She had her name altered twice: first re-spelt Titibu Maru in 1938, following the adoption of Kunrei-shiki romanization; then - upon realizing the name's resemblance to "tit" (a vulgar English term for the female breast) - renamed Kamakura Maru in 1939.
Requisition in World War II
In 1942 she was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy to serve as a troop transport ship, and also as hospital ship.
Role in Wartime Personnel Exchanges
Despite hostilities between various nations during WW2, a number of interchanges of prisoners, diplomats and other personnel took place amongst the warring parties. These usually occurred over long distances utilising neutral ports. The Kamakura Maru was a participant in one of the most significant of these exchanges.
In 10 August 1942, she departed Yokohama with British diplomats and members of other foreign diplomatic delegations and civilians. On the 14 August 1942, she arrived at Shanghai where she was joined by another exchange vessel Tatsuta Maru carrying Sir Robert Craigie, the British Ambassador and other diplomats. The Kamakura Maru picked up another 903 British and foreign nationals in Shanghai. The following day both ships for Saigon and then Singapore picking up a few more foreign nationals at each place.
Meanwhile, on the 18 August 1942, the SS City of Canterbury in Melbourne, Australia, embarked the Japanese Minister (Ambassador) to Australia, Kawai Tatsuo, and 870 other Japanese officials and their families and a few Siamese nationals for repatriation. Minister Kawai took aboard four white boxes containing the ashes of Japanese midget submariners killed in the 31 May 1942 attack on Sydney Harbour.[1]
On the 6th of September 1942 the Kamakura Maru arrived at Lourenco Marques, Portuguese East Africa. The Japanese passengers are disembarked from SS City of Canterbury and embarked on the Kamakura Maru. The ship loaded 47,710 Red Cross parcels for POWs in the Far East.
The western nationals were disembarked from Kamakura Maru, with 115 Australian, British and Allied nationals embarked on SS City of Canterbury for the return voyage to Australia. Other repatriates waited for transportation on other vessels.
On the 11 September 1942 the Kamakura Maru arrived at Singapore disembarking 289 Japanese and delivers 14,770 parcels for POWs. In early October 1942 it arrived at Hong Kong with 32,940 parcels for POWs.
On the 8 October 1942 Kamakura Maru arrived in Yokohama, where several thousand people were present as Minister Kawai handed over the boxes of ashes to relatives of the midget submariners.
The Asama Maru was involved in a similar diplomatic exchange in July 1942, paired with the MS Gripsholm, also at Lourenco Marques, mainly with American diplomats being exchanged. Thus all three of the sister ships were involved in this unique type of operation.
Sinking
On April 28, 1943, the Kamakura Maru, sailing from Manila to Singapore and carrying some 2,500 soldiers and civilians, was torpedoed by the US submarine USS Gudgeon. The ship was hit by two torpedoes and sank within 12 minutes. Four days later, 465 survivors (28 sailors out of 176 crew, and 437 passengers) [2] were rescued from the sea by Japanese ships, implying some 2,035 people were killed.
References
- ^ Jenkins, Battle Surface.
- ^ "KAMAKURA MARU: Tabular Record of Movement". Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- M/S Chichibu Maru
- A photo with Prince and Princess Takamatsu onboard
- Wreck site MV Kamakura Maru
- Jenkins, David (1992). Battle Surface! Japan's Submarine War Against Australia 1942–44. Milsons Point: Random House Australia. ISBN 0-09-182638-1
- https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1942v01/d323
See also
- List by death toll of ships sunk by submarines
- Foreign commerce and shipping of Empire of Japan
- Attack on Sydney Harbour: Aftermath
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1943 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
- 1930 ships
- Empire of Japan
- Ships of the NYK Line
- Steamships
- Ocean liners
- Auxiliary ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy
- World War II passenger ships of Japan
- World War II merchant ships of Japan
- Ships sunk by American submarines
- World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean
- Maritime incidents in April 1943
- Japanese hell ships