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 Kagoshima.

History
Japan
Owner: Nippon Yusen Kaisha[1]
Builder: Russell & Company, Scotland
Launched: 8 September 1914[1]
In service: December 1914
Out of service: August 22, 1944
Fate: Sunk August 22, 1944 by USS Bowfin
General characteristics
Class and type: Private cargo ship (Nippon Yusen) [2]
Displacement: 6,754 tons (6,127 t)
Length: 445 ft (135.6 m) BP[1]
Beam: 58 ft (17.7 m) moulded[1]
Depth: 58 ft (17.7 m) moulded[1]

Description

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.

See also

References
  1. "Launches and Trial Trips". International Marine Engineering. Marine Engineering, Inc., New York—London. 37 (October): 87. 1914. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  2. "Tsushima maru". Rosebury Yard – Gallery of the Japanese Wartime Merchantships. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
  3. "USS Bowfin (SS-287) - Patrol 6" Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  4. "Tsushima Maru Sinking". Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved 2011-07-12.. USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park.
  5. "Tsushima Maru Commemoration Association Survey Data", Tsushima-muru Memorial Museum. Visited 2 November 2014
  6. Tsushima-muru Memorial Museum. Visited 2 November 2014
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