SS China Maru (1920)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | China Maru |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Kawasaki Dockyard Company, Kobe |
| Launched | 1920 |
| Fate | Sunk by US aircraft on 21 September 1944 |
| Status | Shipwreck |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 5,870 gross ton |
| Length | 385 feet (117 m)[1] |
| Beam | 51 feet (16 m) |
| Draught | 36 feet (11 m) |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion engines (437 NHP) |
| Speed | 11 knots |
The China Maru was a 5,870 gross ton cargo ship built by Kawasaki Dockyard Company, Kobe, for Kawasaki Kisen Kabushiki Kaisha in 1920. 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. 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 Manilla, 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.
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.
External links
See also
Foreign commerce and shipping of Empire of Japan