''Toyama Maru'' (富山丸) was a 7,089-ton Japanese troop transport during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. On 29 June 1944, ''Toyama Maru'' was transporting over 6,000 men of the Japanese 44th Independent Mixed Brigade when she was torpedoed and sunk.

Building and registration

Toyama Maru was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

on 4 August 1913, at Mitsubishi Dockyard & Engineering Works as Yard No. 243. In

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

, and was launched on 20 March 1915 and completed 3 months later. Toyama Maru had a length of 445 ft (135 m) a beam of 58 ft (17 m). With a tonnage of 7,085 GRT, she had a speed of about 14

knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot or knots may also refer to: Other common meanings * Knot (unit), of speed * Knot (wood), a timber imperfection Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Knots'' (film), a 2004 film * ''Kn ...

(26 km/h; 16 mph).

Career

After Toyama Maru was completed, she began her maiden voyage under the

NYK Line The , also known as NYK Line, is a Japanese shipping company. The company headquarters are located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It operates a fleet of over 820 ships, which includes container ships, tankers, bulk and woodchip carriers, roll-on/ro ...

''.'' During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she served European routes, transporting food and

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

. She survived

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and for the next 14 years she had an uneventful career. In 1933 she was switched to the

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...

route. In 1937, she was sold to Nanyo Kaiun K.K. She served with the company until 1938, when she was sold to the Ono Shoji Gomei K.K. She had an uneventful life until September 1941.

Service in World War 2

In September 1941, she was requisitioned by the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

to serve in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She would be used as a Troop transport and transported troops. In 1943, as the result of a merger, Toyama Maru was transferred to Taiyo Kogyo, K. K. She would continue to serve as a Troop transport until her sinking in June 1944.

Sinking

On 27 June 1944, ''Toyama Maru'' departed

Kagoshima Bay also known as Kinkō Bay, is a deep inlet of the East China Sea on the coast of Japan.''Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition'', p. 562. Kagoshima Bay is on the south coast of the island of Kyūshū. The port city of Kagoshi ...

bound for Naha City on what would become her final voyage, with over 6,000 men aboard. She departed with 11 other ships, forming the Kata 412 convoy. At 07:30, the American submarine , stalking the convoy, spotted and fired four

torpedoes A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

at ''Toyama Maru''. Two of the torpedoes hit the bow, igniting hundreds of gasoline drums, engulfing the ship in flames. A third torpedo hit midship, breaking the ship in half, and she promptly sank in the Nansei Shoto, off Taira Jima,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, at approximate position 27º47'N, 129º05'E. 5,400 soldiers and crewmen were killed during the sinking, with 600 surviving.

References

External links