The Nichiryu Maru (Nitiryu Maru) was a 5,447 gross register ton cargo ship built by Asano Ship Building Company, Tsurumi in 1919 as Rozan Maru. She was the third ship of the Yoshida Maru No 1-class of 25 standard cargo ships (referred to as Type B at the time) built by Asano Shipyard (one was built at the Uraga Dock Company) between 1918 and 1919.[2] In April 1929, she was acquired by Karafuto Kisen Kabushiki Kaisha and in 1931, renamed Karafuto Maru.[3] On 22 November 1937, she was acquired by Nissan Kissen Kabushiki Kaisha and renamed Nichiryu Maru.[3] She was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Asano Ship Building Company, Tsurumi |
| Launched | 1919 |
| Completed | May 1919 |
| Fate | Sunk by Australian aircraft on 6 January 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 5,870 GRT |
| Length | 400 feet (122 m)[1] |
| Beam | 53 feet (16 m) |
| Draught | 29.4 feet (9.0 m) |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion engines (513 NHP) |
Fate
editOn 6 January 1943, while steaming as part of a convoy, carrying two companies of the 3rd Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment and medical supplies for the garrison at Lae, was hit by bombs from a Royal Australian Air Force PBY Catalina aircraft, and was sunk at 06°30'S, 149°00'E. Destroyers rescued 739 of the 1,100 troops on board, but the ship took with it 361 soldiers and all of Okabe's medical supplies.
Notes
edit- ^ "Lloyd's Register 1942–43" (PDF). plimsollshipdata. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ Nagasawa, Fumio (1998). "第一吉田丸型 YOSHIDA MARU No.1 Class 25隻 (1918-1919)". Nostalgic Japanese Steamships (in Japanese).
- ^ a b Nagasawa, Fumio (1998). "櫨山丸 ROZAN MARU (1919)". Nostalgic Japanese Steamships (in Japanese).