Kōtoku Maru (1937)
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kōtoku Maru |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Mitsubishi Jūkōgyō Kabushiki-kaisha |
| Laid down | 13 October 1936 |
| Launched | 30 January 1937 |
| Commissioned | requisitioned 19 September 1937 |
| Stricken | removed from Navy List 10 June 1943 |
| Fate | Sunk by Allied aircraft 8 August 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 6,702 GRT |
| Length | 486 feet (148 m)[1] |
| Beam | 58 feet (18 m) |
| Draught | 32 feet (10 m) |
The Kōtoku Maru was a 6,702 gross ton freighter that was built by
Mitsubishi Jūkōgyō Kabushiki-kaisha, Nagasaki for Hiroumi Syozi Kabushiki Kaisha launched in 1937. She was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy
and fitted out as an auxiliary ammunition ship.
She was part of the fleet that landed troops during the
Lunga Airfield, and then transported 50 more men to Gavutu
to build installations.
Kōtoku Maru left
41st Fighter Squadron and 80th Fighter Squadron
at 1445. She took a bomb hit on her No. 5 hatch and began taking on water. She was able to disembark all of the embarked troops, but was unable to unload any of their equipment.
After heading back under her own power to
19th Bombardment Group
and was hit by at least three 500-pound (227-kg) bombs at 1640 and was disabled. Her crew abandoned ship, and Tatsuta and Yūzuki rescued the survivors and steamed to Rabaul.
The unmanned Kōtoku Maru remained afloat and adrift and ran aground near Salamaua at 07°01′N 147°07′E / 7.017°N 147.117°E. The Japanese undertook salvage on her wreck, removing some of her cargo. After the Allies occupied Salamaua, they salvaged winches and other gear from her wreck on 15 July 1944. The ship remained upright until sometime after 1945, when she rolled over onto her side.
References
- ^ "Lloyd's Register 1943-44" (PDF). plimsollshipdata. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
