The Nagata Maru (長田丸, Nagata maru) was a Japanese cargo ship owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Tokyo. The ship entered service in 1937.[1]

Nagata Maru before World War II
History
Civil naval ensign ([Hinmaru])Japan
NameNagata Maru
OperatorNippon Yusen Kaisha, Tokyo
Laid down30 July 1936[1]
Launched27 November 1936[1]
Completed15 February 1937[1]
In service1937
FateBombed and sunk, 22 April 1944
General characteristics
Class and typeIkuta Maru Class[2]
Tonnage2,969 GRT
NotesSteel construction

The name Nagata Maru derives from Nagata jinja, a Shinto shrine in Nagata Ward, Kobe, Japan.[3][clarification needed]

She was the third ship in the Ikuta Maru-class, consisting of Ikuta Maru, Taiko Maru, Nagata Maru, Senyo Maru, Manyo Maru, Okuyo Maru, Tsuneshima Maru and Yamadori Maru.[2]

History

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Nagata Maru was the name of several Japanese vessels. In 1900, Fujinagata Shipyards completed its first all-metal construction merchant vessel; the No.2 Nagata Maru.

List of ships named Nagata Maru

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  • Nagata Maru No. 1
  • Nagata Maru No. 2
  • Nagata Maru No. 3
  • Nagata Maru No. 4
  • Nagata Maru No. 5
  • Nagata Maru No. 6
  • Nagata Maru No. 7
  • Nagata Maru No. 8[4]
  • Nagata Maru No. 9
  • Nagata Maru No. 10
  • Nagata Maru No. 11
  • Nagata Maru No. 12
  • Nagata Maru No. 13[4]
  • Nagata Maru (1937)

Pacific War

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In 1939, Nagata Maru was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy for use as an troopship.

During the Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands, she installed within 2 days the seaplane base in Makin lagoon.

In transporting Allied prisoners, it was amongst those vessels which earned the epithet "hell ships."

On 22 April 1944, Nagata Maru was part of a Singapore-to-Saigon convoy anchored off Cape St. Jacques in French Indochina. The ship was bombed and sunk.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d "IJN Nagata Maru". Zatsuyosen!. combinedfleet.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  2. ^ a b "Ikuta Maru Class Auxiliary Transports". Zatsuyosen!. combinedfleet.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  3. ^ Richard, Ponsonby-Fane. (1964) Visiting Famous Shrines in Japan, pp. 324-328; from 1871 through 1946, the Nagata Shrine stood in the second tier of government-supported shrines which were especially venerated by the imperial family.
  4. ^ a b Lloyd's Register of Shipping (1907) Lloyd's Register of Shipping, Vol. 2, p. 369., p. 369, at Google Books

References

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