Shōkai Maru-class tugboat
The Shōkai Maru-class high-powered tugboat (照海丸型強力曳船,, Shōkai Maru-gata kyōryoku eisen) was a class of gunboat of the Imperial Japanese Army, serving during World War II. The IJA official designation was high-powered tugboat, however, they did not have any towing facilities. They were actually gunboat and escort ships. Many records were lost after the Surrender of Japan.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Shōkai Maru class |
| Builders: | Ōsaka Iron Works, Sakurajima Factory |
| Operators: | |
| Preceded by: | Wajima Maru class |
| Succeeded by: | Hokkai Maru class |
| Built: | ?–1939 |
| In commission: | 1938–1951 |
| Planned: | 2 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Lost: | ? |
| Retired: | 1 (?) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | High-powered tugboat (gunboat) |
| Displacement: | 175 long tons (178 t) gross [1] |
| Length: | 41.2 m (135 ft 2 in) o/a [2][3] |
| Beam: | 6.0 m (19 ft 8 in) [2][3] |
| Draft: | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) [2] |
| Propulsion: | 2 × diesels, 700 bhp [1][3] |
| Speed: | 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h) [1][3] |
| Armament: | unknown [4] |
Ships in class
Shōkai Maru (照海丸)
- 20 April 1938; completed at Ōsaka Iron Works, Sakurajima Factory.
- Hereafter, her record was not left to documents.
Eikai Maru (映海丸)
- 27 February 1939; completed at Ōsaka Iron Works, Sakurajima Factory.
- 20 to 26 October 1944; escort operation for Harukaze Convoy (Manila - Kaohsiung).[5]
- 22 to 27 November 1944; escort operation for TaKa-206 Convoy (Keelung - Naha).[6]
- Survived war in Kushigahama; later rebuilt as short-range passenger at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Hiroshima shipyard.[3]
- 1 May 1946; transferred to Japanese National Railways (later converted to training ship).[3]
- 1 September 1948; transferred to Japan Maritime Safety Agency as patrol boat (PB-31, later PS-31).[7]
- 23 June 1951; retired.[7]
Footnotes
- Monthly Ships of the World (1996), p. 33
- JMSA (1979), p. 299
- Tatsuo Furukawa (2001), p. 142
- 1 × tank gun turret (forecastle deck) and 1 × LMG (top of bridge) were confirmed by Shōkai Maru photograph, other armaments were unknown.
- Shinshichirō Komamiya (1987), p. 279
- Shinshichirō Komamiya (1987), p. 297
- Monthly Ships of the World (2003), p. 44
Bibliography
- Monthly Ships of the World, "Kaijinsha"., (Japan)
- No. 506, February 1996
- No. 613, Special issue "All ships of Japan Coast Guard 1948–2003", July 2003
- Shinshichirō Komamiya, The Wartime Convoy Histories, "Shuppan Kyōdōsha". (Japan), October 1987
- Tatsuo Furukawa, Wake of train ferry 100-year (2nd issue), "Seizando-Shoten". Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. (Japan), June 2001, ISBN 4-425-92141-0
- 100 year History of Hitachi Zōsen, Hitachi Zōsen Corporation, March 1985
- Policy and Legal Affairs Division-Japan Maritime Safety Agency (JMSA), 30 year History of Japan Maritime Safety Agency, Japan Maritime Safety Agency, May 1979
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