SS China Maru (1920)

History
Japan
Name	China Maru
Owner	Kawasaki Kisen Kabushiki Kaisha (1920–1941); Imperial Japanese Navy (1941–1944);
Builder	Kawasaki Dockyard Company, Kobe
Launched	1920
Fate	Sunk by US aircraft on 21 September 1944
General characteristics
Tonnage	5,870 GRT
Length	385 feet (117 m)
Beam	51 feet (16 m)
Draught	36 feet (11 m)
Propulsion	Triple expansion engines (437 nhp)
Speed	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)

The SS China Maru was a 5,870-gross register ton cargo ship built by Kawasaki Dockyard Company, Kobe, for Kawasaki Kisen KK in 1920.

History

The cargo ship ran aground off Balum Island, Feni Islands, Papua New Guinea, on 26 June 1939, while steaming to Sydney from Yokohama,^[2] and was later refloated. She was requisitioned in 1941 by the Imperial Japanese Navy for use during World War II.

Invasion of Guam

On 8 December 1941, she was assigned to Operation "G", the invasion of Guam as one of 10 transports carrying Major General Horii Tomitaro's 55th Infantry Corps.^[3] The naval operation was headed by the 4th Fleet operating out of Saipan consisting of minelayer Tsugaru as flagship; seaplane tender Kiyokawa Maru; 4 cruisers, Aoba, Furutaka, Kako, Kinugasa (Cruiser Division 6, detached from 1st Fleet); and 4 destroyers, Oboro (detached from Carrier Division 5 of the IJN 1st Air Fleet), and Kikuzuki, Uzuki, and Yūzuki (Destroyer Division 23, detached from Carrier Division 2, IJN 1st Air Fleet). The remaining ships all belonged to the Fifth Base Force, 4th Fleet consisting of Gunboat Division 7 (Hirotama Maru, Shotoku Maru), Subchaser Division 59 (subchasers Shonan Maru No. 5, Shonan Maru No. 6; netlayer Shofuku Maru), Subchaser Division 60 (subchasers Kyo Maru No. 8, Kyo Maru No. 10; netlayer Shuko Maru), and Minesweeper Division 15 (Fumi Maru No. 2, Seki Maru No. 3).^[3]^[4]

Invasion of Salamaua–Lae

On 10 March 1942, during the invasion of Lae-Salamaua, China Maru was damaged by SBD aircraft from the United States Navy aircraft carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown off Lae, New Guinea.

Fate

On 21 September 1944, while anchored off Manila, Philippines, China Maru was hit by bombs from US Navy Task Force 38.1, 38.2, and 38.3 aircraft, and sunk at 14°35′N 120°55′E / 14.583°N 120.917°E / 14.583; 120.917.

Notes

^ "Lloyd's Register 1942–43" (PDF). plimsollshipdata. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
^ "Freighter Ashore". The Canberra Times, p. 1. 27 June 1939. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
^ ^a ^b Hackett, Bob; Muehlthaler, Erich (2016). "China Maru -Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
^ Niehorster, Leo; Alsleben, Al; Yoda, Tadashi. "Administrative Order of Battle - 5th Base Force, 4th Fleet, Combined Fleet, 7 December 1941". Imperial Japanese Armed Forces.

External links

Chronological List of Japanese Merchant Vessel Losses

[1] "Lloyd's Register 1942–43" (PDF). plimsollshipdata. Retrieved 10 November 2011.

[2] "Freighter Ashore". The Canberra Times, p. 1. 27 June 1939. Retrieved 5 December 2011.

[CF-ChinaMaru-3] Hackett, Bob; Muehlthaler, Erich (2016). "China Maru -Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 30 January 2021.

[Niehorster5thBase-4] Niehorster, Leo; Alsleben, Al; Yoda, Tadashi. "Administrative Order of Battle - 5th Base Force, 4th Fleet, Combined Fleet, 7 December 1941". Imperial Japanese Armed Forces.

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v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in June 1939
Shipwrecks	1 Jun: HMS Thetis 15 Jun: Phénix
Other incidents	23 Jun: Stakesby 26 Jun: China Maru
1938 1939 1940 May 1939 July 1939

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1942
Shipwrecks	1 Mar: USS Edsall, HMS Encounter, HNLMS Evertsen, HMS Exeter, USS Houston, USS Pecos, HMAS Perth, USS Pope, Rooseboom, U-656 2 Mar: HNLMS Banckert, USAT Don Esteban, Ha-13, HNLMS K X, HNLMS K XIII, HNLMS K XVIII, HNLMS Koning der Nederlanden, USS Pillsbury, USS Stewart, Toendjoek, Van Waerwijck, HNLMS Witte de With 3 Mar: USS Asheville, Koolama, SS Mary, USS Perch 4 Mar: HMAS Yarra 5 Mar: Auby 6 Mar: HNLMS Pieter de Bitter, Rononia 7 Mar: Arabutan, HNLMS Gouden Leeuw, Nyggjaberg, Uniwaleco 8 Mar: HNLMS Eland Dubois, HNLMS Jan van Amstel, Smyshlyony 10 Mar: Lady Nelson, Kongō Maru, Tenyo Maru, Yokohama Maru 11 Mar: HMS Naiad 12 Mar: Texan 13 Mar: Tama Maru No. 2, Tolten 14 Mar: U-133 15 Mar: U-503, HMS Vortigern 17 Mar: Île de Batz, San Demetrio 18 Mar: E.M. Clark 19 Mar: Papoose 20 Mar: HMS Heythrop 21 Mar: Vamar 23 Mar: British Prudence 24 Mar: HMS Southwold, U-655 26 Mar: HMS Jaguar, HMS Legion, HMS P39 27 Mar: USS Atik, U-587, Equipoise 28 Mar: HMS Campbeltown, Raceland 29 Mar: Hertford, Z26 30 Mar: U-585 Unknown: Emilia, Panay
Other incidents	2 Mar: Ruth Kellogg, HMS Walney 4 Mar: USS Sargo, HMAS Tambar 5 Mar: Takao Maru 10 Mar: China Maru, Tama Maru No. 2 11 Mar: Komintern 15 Mar: Olean 16 Mar: Irish Willow, U-753 22 Mar: Kingston 23 Mar: USS Gato 25 Mar: Imperial Transport Unknown date: USS Drum
1941 1942 1943 February 1942 April 1942

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in September 1944
Shipwrecks	1 Sep: HMS Hurst Castle, Kehdingen, U-247 2 Sep: Empire Curzon, U-394 5 Sep: U-362 7 Sep: Shinyō Maru, (incident), Westfalen 8 Sep: Rex 9 Sep: Sava, U-484 10 Sep: U-20, U-23 11 Sep: Giulio Cesare, U-19 12 Sep: Korei Maru, Nankai Maru, USS Noa, Rakuyō Maru, Shikinami 13 Sep: USS Perry, USS Warrington 14 Sep: Irene Oldendorff 16 Sep: I-364 17 Sep: Un'yō 18 Sep: Dr. Heinrich Wiegand, Gyōkū Maru, Jun'yō Maru 19 Sep: Isoshima;U-407, U-867 21 Sep: China Maru, Hōfuku Maru, Katsuriki, Noshiro Maru, Satsuki 22 Sep: Drache 23 Sep: Taranto, U-859 24 Sep: Akitsushima, Siberia Maru, T-120, Yaeyama 25 Sep: USS Miantonomah 26 Sep: Aotaka, Ro-47, Saga, U-871 27 Sep: HMS Rockingham, Ural Maru 28 Sep: Dragoner 29 Sep: U-863 30 Sep: U-565, U-596, U-1062 Unknown date: U-703, U-855, U-865, U-921
Other incidents	8–9 Sep: Yu 3001 12 Sep: USS Fullam 13 Sep: USS Segundo 14 Sep: USS Natchez, USS Temptress 15 Sep: Tirpitz 19 Sep: Jingei, U-565 24 Sep: U-565, U-596 26 Sep: Don Marquis Unknown date: Schwabenland
1943 1944 1945 August 1944 October 1944