Japanese landing craft carrier Nigitsu Maru

Nigitsu Maru (にぎつ丸) was a Japanese "Type C" landing craft depot ship operated by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The vessel did not have a flight deck like Akitsu Maru of the same type.

History
Empire of Japan
Name	Nigitsu Maru
Builder	Harima, Harima
Completed	March 1943
Fate	Sunk 12 January 1944
General characteristics
Type	Landing craft depot ship
Displacement	11,800 tons (standard)
Length	471 ft 7 in (5,659 in) (pp)
Beam	64 ft (20 m)
Draft	25 ft 9 in (7.85 m) (maximum)
Propulsion	4 boilers, driving 2 geared turbines 7,500 shp (5,600 kW)
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h)
Armament	2 × 1 Type 88 75 mm (3 in) AA guns 10 × 1 Type 38 75 mm (3 in) field guns 6 × 1 Type 25 mm (0.98 in) 96 AA guns

Design features

Nigitsu Maru was a passenger liner taken over before completion and refitted by the Imperial Japanese Army.

On 9 January 1944 Nigitsu Maru left Palau for Ujina in convoy FU-901 as the sole merchant ship escorted by the destroyer Amagiri. She carried about 2,000 troops, mainly soldiers of the 12th Independent Engineer Regiment. Three days later off the Okino-Daito Island, southeast of Okinawa, Nigitsu Maru was attacked by the US submarine Hake which fired four torpedoes from the surface. Two hit Nigitsu Maru which sank in eight minutes at 23°15′N 132°51′E. 456 soldiers, 83 gunners and 35 crewmen were killed. Amagiri picked up the survivors and landed them in Japan.

References

• Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-913-8.