Japanese aircraft carrier Akitsu Maru: Difference between revisions
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| Ship armament = 2 x 1 [[Type 88 75 mm AA Gun|Type 88 75mm AA guns]]<br>10 x 1 [[Type 38 75 mm Field Gun|Type 38 75mm field guns]]<br>2 x 1 [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|Type 25mm 96 AA guns]] |
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| Ship aircraft = 8 (as aircraft carrier) |
| Ship aircraft = 8 (as aircraft carrier) |
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30 (as aircraft ferry) |
30 (as aircraft ferry) |
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==Fate== |
==Fate== |
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On Thursday 18 November 1943 ''Akitsu Maru'', while in company with [[Japanese torpedo boat Tomozuru|large torpedo boat ''Tomozuru'']], was torpedoed off the entrance to [[Manila Bay]] by the United States [[submarine]] [[USS Crevalle (SS-291)|''Crevalle'' (SS-291)]]. The ''Crevalle'' incorrectly reported the ''Akitsu Maru'' as sunk.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II |last=Cressman |pages=193–194 }}</ref><br> |
On Thursday 18 November 1943 ''Akitsu Maru'', while in company with [[Japanese torpedo boat Tomozuru|large torpedo boat ''Tomozuru'']], was torpedoed off the entrance to [[Manila Bay]] by the United States [[submarine]] [[USS Crevalle (SS-291)|''Crevalle'' (SS-291)]]. The ''Crevalle'' incorrectly reported the ''Akitsu Maru'' as sunk.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II |last=Cressman |pages=193–194 }}</ref><br> |
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The ''Akitsu Maru'' was sunk by the submarine [[USS Queenfish (SS-393)|''Queenfish'' (SS-393)]] on 15 November 1944.<ref>{{cite book |title=United States Submarine Operations in World War II |last=Roscoe and Voge |pages=416 }}</ref> There were 2,046 men, mainly of the IJA's 64th Infantry Regiment, who were killed.<ref>http://www.combinedfleet.com/Mayasan_t.htm</ref> |
The ''Akitsu Maru'' was sunk by the submarine [[USS Queenfish (SS-393)|''Queenfish'' (SS-393)]] on 15 November 1944.<ref>{{cite book |title=United States Submarine Operations in World War II |last=Roscoe and Voge |pages=416 }}</ref> There were 2,046 men, mainly of the IJA's 64th Infantry Regiment, who were killed.<ref>http://www.combinedfleet.com/Mayasan_t.htm</ref> Her sister ship ''Nigitsu Maru'' was sunk by the submarine [[USS Hake (SS-256)|''Hake'' (SS-256)]] on 12 January 1944, with the loss of 574 men.<ref>http://www.combinedfleet.com/Nigitsu_t.htm</ref> |
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==Photo== |
==Photo== |
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Revision as of 22:22, 22 August 2014
 Akitsu Maru in 1944
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Builder | Harima, Harima[1] |
| Completed | January 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk 15 November 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Akitsu Maru class |
| Displacement | 11,800 tons (standard)[1] |
| Length | 471 ft 7 in (pp)[1] |
| Beam | 64 ft (20 m)[1] |
| Draft | 25 ft (7.6 m) 9 in (maximum)[1] |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) • 4 boilers, driving 2 geared turbines • 7,500 shp[1] |
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h)[1] |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 x 1 Type 88 75mm AA guns 10 x 1 Type 38 75mm field guns 2 x 1 Type 25mm 96 AA guns |
| Aircraft carried | 8 (as aircraft carrier) 30 (as aircraft ferry) |
Akitsu Maru (あきつ丸) was a Japanese landing craft depot ship and escort aircraft carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Army. In some sources Akitsu Maru and her sister ship Nigitsu Maru (にぎつ丸) are also considered to be the first amphibious assault ships.
Design features
Akitsu Maru was a passenger liner taken over before completion by the Imperial Japanese Army. The ship was fitted with a flight deck above the hull, but had no hangar so the aircraft were stored below the flight deck on the original main deck. Conventional aircraft were able to fly off from her deck but could not land aboard due to the short deck length and lack of landing mechanisms. The Kokusai Ki-76 and Kayaba Ka-1 were flown off Akitsu Maru, as the former was a small, slow aircraft that could land on its short deck and the latter was an autogyro which could even more easily land on a short deck without assistance. She could also carry 27 Daihatsu class landing craft.
Akitsu Maru's planned role was to provide aircover during amphibious and landing operations; in practice the ship and her sister ship the Nigitsu Maru were essentially aircraft ferries.[2]
Fate
On Thursday 18 November 1943 Akitsu Maru, while in company with large torpedo boat Tomozuru, was torpedoed off the entrance to Manila Bay by the United States submarine Crevalle (SS-291). The Crevalle incorrectly reported the Akitsu Maru as sunk.[3]
The Akitsu Maru was sunk by the submarine Queenfish (SS-393) on 15 November 1944.[4] There were 2,046 men, mainly of the IJA's 64th Infantry Regiment, who were killed.[5] Her sister ship Nigitsu Maru was sunk by the submarine Hake (SS-256) on 12 January 1944, with the loss of 574 men.[6]
Photo
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carried the Ki-76
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Gardiner; Chesnau. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922–1946. p. 213.
- ^ Worth. Fleets of World War II. p. 176.
- ^ Cressman. The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II. pp. 193–194.
- ^ Roscoe and Voge. United States Submarine Operations in World War II. p. 416.
- ^ http://www.combinedfleet.com/Mayasan_t.htm
- ^ http://www.combinedfleet.com/Nigitsu_t.htm
References
- Brooks, Peter W. (1988). Cierva Autogiros: The Development of Rotary-Wing Flight. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 0-87474-268-4.
- Cressman, Robert (2000). The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-149-1.
- Gardiner, Robert; Chesnau, Roger (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922–1946. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-913-8.
- Roscoe, Theodore; Voge, R. G. (1949). United States Submarine Operations in World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-731-3.
- Worth, Richard (2002). Fleets of World War II. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81116-2.
See also
- Shinshū Maru - Imperial Japanese Army
- Imperial Japanese Army Railways and Shipping Section
- Kokusai Ki-76