Tsushima Maru
Tsushima Maru (Japanese: 対馬丸) was a Japanese passenger/cargo ship that was sunk by the submarine USS Bowfin during World War II, while carrying hundreds of schoolchildren from Okinawa to Nagasaki.
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History | |
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Owner | Nippon Yusen Kaisha[1] |
Builder | Russell & Company, Scotland |
Launched | 8 September 1914[1] |
In service | December 1914 |
Fate | Sunk August 22, 1944 by USS Bowfin |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Cargo ship (Nippon Yusen) [2] |
Tonnage | 6,712 GRT |
Length | 445 ft (135.6 m) BP[1] |
Beam | 58 ft (17.7 m) moulded[1] |
Depth | 58 ft (17.7 m) moulded[1] |
Sinking
On August 22, 1944, at between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. local time, USS Bowfin attacked the convoy in which Tsushima Maru was sailing and sank her, close to the island of Akusekijima.[3][4] Tsushima Maru Commemoration Association Survey Data (As of August 27, 2005), reported a total of 1,661 civilian evacuees, including 834 schoolchildren (of whom 775 were killed and approximately 59 survived the sinking).[5] Shortly after the sinking a "gag order" was enforced and families and survivors rarely spoke about the incident. The number of victims that have been identified by name, based on notifications from bereaved families (As of August 22, 2012), include 780 schoolchildren.[6]
The ship was part of Convoy Namo 103, which consisted of the following ships:[4]
- Tsushima Maru (passenger / cargo vessel)
- Kazuura Maru (listed as Waura Maru in some sources, assumed to be a cargo vessel)
- Gyōkū Maru (cargo vessel)
- Destroyer Hasu (Momi class)
- Gunboat Uji
Its wreck was located and identified in December 1997.
References
- "Launches and Trial Trips". International Marine Engineering. Marine Engineering, Inc., New York—London. 37 (October): 87. 1914. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- "Tsushima maru". Rosebury Yard – Gallery of the Japanese Wartime Merchantships. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
- "USS Bowfin (SS-287) - Patrol 6" Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- "Tsushima Maru Sinking". Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2011.. USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park.
- "Tsushima Maru Commemoration Association Survey Data", Tsushima-muru Memorial Museum. Visited 2 November 2014
- Tsushima-muru Memorial Museum. Visited 2 November 2014