View source for Yasukuni Maru

{{short description|Japanese cargo ship}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=YasukuniMaru-1930.jpg
|Ship caption=NYK′s ''Yasukuni Maru'' arriving at [[London]] in&nbsp;1930.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Japan]]
|Ship flag= {{Shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|civil}} {{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
|Ship name=''Yasukuni Maru''
|Ship operator=[[File:NYK Line house flag.svg|border|20px]] [[Nippon Yusen]] ([[Nippon Yusen|NYK]])
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Mitsubishi Heavy Industries|Mitsubishi Shipbuilding]] [[Nagasaki]], Japan
|Ship yard number=468
|Ship identification=
*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]] JRZB {{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|Romeo}}{{ICS|Zulu}}{{ICS|Bravo}}
*{{IMO Number|36223}}
|Ship laid down=22 April 1929
|Ship launched=15 February 1930
|Ship completed=31 August 1930
|Ship renamed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship in service=1930
|Ship out of service=31 January 1944
|Ship struck= 10 March 1944
|Ship fate=Torpedoed and sunk by {{USS|Trigger|SS-237|6}}, 31 January 1944
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship struck= 10 March 1944
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Terukuni Maru class ocean liner]]
|Ship tonnage={{GRT|11,933|disp=long}}
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length={{convert|153.92|m|ft|abbr=on}}[[Length between perpendiculars|pp]]
|Ship beam={{convert|19.51|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught={{convert|11.28|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=
|Ship propulsion=2 Mitsubishi-[[Sulzer (manufacturer)|Sulzer]] diesel engines, {{convert|14368|hp|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed={{convert|18|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}}
|Ship capacity=249 (121 first class, 68 second class, 60 third class)
|Ship crew=177
|Ship notes=Steel construction
}}
|}

{{nihongo|'''''Yasukuni Maru'''''|靖国丸| }} was a Japanese [[ocean liner]] owned by [[Nippon Yusen|Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK)]].  The ship was launched in 1930 by [[Mitsubishi Heavy Industries|Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Co.]] at [[Nagasaki]], on the southern island of [[Kyūshū]], Japan, entering service in 1930. The ship was named for the [[Yasukuni Shrine]], a famous [[Shinto shrine]] dedicated to the war dead of Japan, located in [[Tokyo]].<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1935). [https://books.google.com/books?id=PdNAAAAAIAAJ&q=Yasukuni+Maru  ''The Nomenclature of the N.Y.K. Fleet,'' p. 50.]</ref>

==Background==
The ''Yasukuni Maru'' and her [[sister ship]] [[Terukuni Maru (1929)|''Terukuni Maru'']] were built for NYK's [[fortnight]]ly scheduled high-speed European service, coming into operation from the autumn of 1930.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.timetableimages.com/maritime/images/nyk.htm | title=NYK Line - Nippon Yusen Kaisha }}</ref> Both ships were specially designed for tropical conditions, with state-of-the-art [[air conditioning]] and fresh air circulation systems, as their routing was south from Japan, through the [[Indian Ocean]], [[Suez Canal]] and [[Mediterranean Sea]].<ref>Arthur de Carle Sowerby, [[John Calvin Ferguson]], ''China Society of Arts and Science The China journal'', Volume 13. Page 136</ref> Both ships were initially designed for use with geared [[turbine]] engines for projected cruising speed of 18 [[knot (speed)|knots]]. However, under increasing pressure from the Japanese government to use only equipment and technologies available domestically, the design was changed to use standard Mitsubishi-[[Sulzer (manufacturer)|Sulzer]] marine diesel engines, which reduced cruising speed to 15 knots.<ref name=Sulzers>[http://www.derbysulzers.com/shipyasukunimaru.html Yasukuni Maru 1930-1944]</ref>

The 11,933-ton steel-hulled vessel had a length of {{convert|526.5|ft|m}}, and a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|64|ft|m}}, with a single funnel, two masts, and double screws. ''Yasukuni Maru'' provided accommodation for 121 first-class passengers and 68 second class passengers. There was also room for up to 60 third-class passengers.  The ship and passengers were served by a crew of 177.<ref>Kawata, T.''Glimpses of East Asia'' (1936) Nihon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha, page 20</ref>

==Civilian career==
''Yasukuni Maru'' departed [[Yokohama]] on her maiden voyage on 22 September 1930 for [[London]], with ports of call in between at [[Yokkaichi, Mie|Yokkaichi]], [[Osaka]], [[Kobe]], [[Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū|Moji]], [[Shanghai]], [[Hong Kong]], Singapore, [[Penang]], [[Colombo]], [[Aden]], [[Suez]], [[Port Said]], [[Marseilles]], and [[Gibraltar]]. On her return to Yokohama, she substituted [[Naples]] for Marseilles and arrived back at Yokohama on 18 October 1930. Thereafter, she entered regular service with NYK, following the same routing.<ref name=Sulzers/>
[[File:Yasukuni Maru NYK postcard.jpg|thumbnail|left|''Yasukuni Maru'', NYK postcard, 1930s.]]
On 23 June 1933, ''Yasukuni Maru'' rescued five crewmen from a sinking [[Junk (ship)|Chinese junk]] near Hong Kong.<ref name=Sulzers/>

On 5 April 1934, ''Yasukuni Maru'' responded to a distress call from the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] training cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Asama||2}} at [[Port Said]], [[Egypt]], and took off several ill sailors including an [[appendicitis]] patient.

On 12 March 1935, when ''Yasukuni Maru'' docked at London, it was reported that a {{convert|75|lb|kg|adj=on}} silver [[ingot]] had been stolen from her treasury.<ref name=Sulzers/>

''Yasukuni Maru'' carried the Japanese Olympic team back from Germany after the [[1936 Berlin Olympics]].<ref name=Sulzers/>

On 16 November 1937, ''Yasukuni Maru'' became the first ship on the Europe-Japan route to be equipped with a two-way ship-to-shore wireless telephone for passengers to make telephone calls.<ref name=Sulzers/>

On 2 October 1938, ''Yasukuni Maru'' transported an art mission consisting of 30 Takarasiennes from the [[Takarazuka Revue]], together with 18 managers, orchestra members and support staff from Kobe to Naples for an art mission to Germany and Italy commemorating the first anniversary of the signing of the [[Anti-Comintern Pact]].<ref>[http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/publication/ndl_newsletter/205/20502.html National Diet Library newsletter, No.205, April 2016]</ref>

In September – October 1939, at the request of the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Foreign Ministry]],  ''Yasukuni Maru'' evacuated 240 Japanese civilians, members of the diplomatic staff and some German nationals from [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] on the verge of [[World War II]]. She returned to Yokohama on 18 October and was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy on 25 October to 11 December for use as an auxiliary transport, and was briefly used to transport troops and war materials from Japan to China during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]. However, as the war situation stabilized, she was returned to NYK.

With the situation in Europe regarded as unsafe following the sinking of ''Terukuni Maru'' off the coast of Great Britain by a naval mine, ''Yasukuni Maru'' was rescheduled for use on NYK's route from Kobe to ''South America'' via [[Honolulu]], [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo]], [[San Francisco]] and [[Los Angeles]].<ref name=Sulzers/>

On 8 August 1940 ''Yasukuni Maru'' embarked 30 German pilots previously employed in [[Colombia]] for return to Germany.<ref name=Sulzers/>

==Military career==
[[File:Yasukuni Maru and Nagato, October 1941.jpg|thumbnail|''Yasukuni Maru'' in the background and the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Nagato||2}} at sea, 1941.]]
On 29 October 1940, ''Yasukuni Maru'' was again requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was classified this time as an auxiliary [[submarine tender]]. She was taken to [[Kure Naval Arsenal]], where her luxurious internal fittings were torn out, and she was repainted gunmetal grey. On 11 January 1941 she was assigned to the 1st Submarine Division of the [[6th Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|IJN 6th Fleet]]. During the conversion, she was armed with six obsolete [[15 cm/50 41st Year Type|152-mm/50 cal. (6-inch) guns]] in single mounts and two dual mount [[Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun|Type 93 13.2-mm machine guns]] and fitted with one 1110-mm and one 900-mm searchlight. During most of the remainder of 1941, ''Yasukuni Maru'' was based at [[Kaohsiung|Takao]] in [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Taiwan]] for patrols of [[Ryukyu Islands]] and the coast of China. However, at the time of the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], she was based at [[Kwajalein]]. On 20 December 1941, she was assigned to the 3rd Submarine Division, still with the IJN 6th Fleet.<ref name=Combined>{{cite web| url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/Yasukuni%20Maru_t.htm  | title=  ''Yasukuni Maru'': Tabular Record of Movement| last= Nevitt | first=  Allyn D.  | year= 1997 | publisher= Combinedfleet.com}}</ref>

Kwajalein was attacked on 1 February 1942 by aircraft from [[United States Navy]] Task Force 8 ({{USS| Enterprise|CV-6}}), with ''Yasukuni Maru'' hit by one bomb in her aft turret and damage to her stern. She returned to Kure on 1 March for repairs lasting to 23 April. She returned to Kure again on 23 November for repairs and regular maintenance.<ref name=Combined/>

In early 1943, ''Yasukuni Maru'' was assigned to "Operation C", the reinforcement of the Japanese landing on [[New Guinea]]. ''Yasukuni Maru'', with 1448 men and 11 tanks of the [[20th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|IJA 20th Infantry Division]] departed [[Pusan]] for [[Wewak]] on 8 January 1943 together with transports ''[[Hakozaki Maru]]'' and ''[[Aratama Maru]]''  and the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Hatsuyuki|1928|2}}. The convoy successfully delivers to reinforcements to [[Rabaul]] and Wewak. On 4 February 1943, ''Yasukuni Maru'' took on troops and supplies of the [[41st Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|IJA 41st Infantry Division]] at [[Qingdao]], China, disembarking the troops at Wewak at the end of the month, and returning to Kure in early March. She was based at [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] in April, and was part of another troop convoy to [[Balikpapan]] in May. In October, she was part of the convoyed evacuating surviving Japanese troops from Wewak to Palau, and returned to Japan at the end of December 1943.<ref name=Combined/>

On 24 January 1944, ''Yasukuni Maru'' was assigned to a troop convoy departing [[Tateyama, Chiba]] for [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]]. On 31 January, approximately {{convert|17|mi|km}} northwest of Truk, the convoy was attacked by the US submarine {{USS|Trigger|SS-237}} and ''Yasukuni Maru'' was hit by two [[torpedo]]es. She took on water rapidly, and sank within five minutes at {{coord|09|15|N|147|13|E}} with loss of 300 crewmen and 888 technicians. Escorting destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Shiratsuyu|1935|2}} recovered only 43 survivors. She was struck from the [[navy list]] on 10 March 1944.<ref>Brown. ''Warship Losses of World War II''</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of ocean liners]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* [[Richard Ponsonby-Fane|Ponsonby-Fane]], Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1935). [https://books.google.com/books?id=PdNAAAAAIAAJ&q=Yasukuni+Maru  ''The Nomenclature of the N.Y.K. Fleet.''] Tokyo : Nippon Yusen Kaisha. [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/27933596  OCLC 27933596]
*{{cite book | last = Brown | first = David| year = 1990 | title = Warship Losses of World War Two | publisher = Naval Institute Press| isbn = 1-55750-914-X}}
*{{cite book | last = Heal | first = Syd | year = 2003 | title = Ugly ducklings: Japan's WWII liberty type standard ship| publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 1-59114-888-X }}
*{{cite book | last = Watts | first = Anthony J | year = 1967 | title = Japanese Warships of World War II | publisher = Doubleday | isbn =  978-0-3850-9189-3}}
*{{cite book | last = Williams | first = David | year = 1997 | title = Wartime Passenger Ship Disasters | publisher = Haynes Publishing | isbn = 1-85260-565-0 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/wartimedisasters00will }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Yasukuni Maru (ship, 1930)}}
*[http://www.combinedfleet.com/Yasukuni%20Maru_t.htm  Yasukuni Maru at Combined Fleet.com]

{{January 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Yasukuni Maru''|noerror}}

[[Category:1930 ships]]
[[Category:Ships of the NYK Line]]
[[Category:Steamships of Japan]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of Japan]]
[[Category:Ocean liners]]
[[Category:Auxiliary ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]
[[Category:Submarine tenders of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by American submarines]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1944]]
[[Category:Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries]]