Coordinates: 29°32′33″N 129°33′30″E / 29.5425°N 129.55833°E
| Tsushima Maru | |
|---|---|
| Career (Japan) |  |
| Builder: | Russell & Company, Scotland |
| In service: | December 1914 |
| Out of service: | August 22, 1944 |
| Fate: | Sunk August 22, 1944 by USS Bowfin |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Private cargo ship (Nippon Yusen) [1] |
| Displacement: | 6754 tons (6127 t) |
| Length: | 136 m |
Tsushima Maru (対馬丸) was a Japanese passenger/cargo ship that was sunk by the submarine USS Bowfin during World War II, while carrying hundreds of schoolchildren from Okinawa to Kagoshima.
Description[]
On August 22, 1944, at between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. local time, the USS Bowfin attacked the convoy in which the Tsushima Maru was sailing and sank her, close to the island of Akusekijima.[2][3] There were 1,484 civilians onboard, including 826 schoolchildren (of which 767 were killed and 59 survived the sinking).
The ship was part of Convoy Namo 103, which consisted of the following ships:[3]
- Tsushima Maru (passenger / cargo vessel)
- Kazuura Maru (listed as Waura Maru in some sources, assumed to be a cargo vessel)
- Gyōkū Maru (cargo vessel)
- Destroyer Hasu (Momi class)
- Gunboat Uji
The crew of the USS Bowfin would not discover until 20 years later that the unmarked, unlit passenger-cargo vessel was transporting children.[3]
Its wreck was located and identified in December 1997.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ "Tsushima maru". Rosebury Yard – Gallery of the Japanese Wartime Merchantships. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
- ↑ "USS Bowfin (SS-287) - Patrol 6". USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Tsushima Maru Sinking". USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Tsushima Maru and the edit history here.