Seisho Maru
Seisho Maru had design and measurements similar to West Carnifax, a sister ship from the same shipyard seen here.
| |
History | |
---|---|
Name |
|
Owner |
|
Port of registry | |
Builder |
|
Yard number | 2[2] |
Launched | 31 December 1918[1] |
Sponsored by | Miss Betty Howard[3] |
Completed | February 1919[1] |
Identification | Japanese Official number: 33570[1] |
Fate | Sunk November 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Cargo ship |
Tonnage | |
Length | 410 ft 5 in (125.10 m) (LPP)[1] |
Beam | 54 ft 6 in (16.61 m)[1] |
Propulsion | 1 × triple-expansion steam engine[1] |
Speed | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h)[1] |
Seisho Maru (Japanese: 盛祥丸,[4] Seishō Maru ) was a cargo ship for Mitsui Bussan Kaisho in military service that was sunk by an American submarine during World War II. The ship had been built as SS West Caruth, a cargo ship for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) shortly after the end of World War I. Shortly after completion, the ship was inspected by the United States Navy for possible use as USS West Caruth (ID-2850) but was neither taken into the Navy nor ever commissioned under that name. Before being sold to Japanese owners in 1928, she was also known as SS Exmoor and SS Antonio Tripcovich.
West Caruth was built in 1918 for the USSB, as a part of the West boats, a series of steel-
Design and construction
The West ships were
West Caruth was 5,632
Career
West Caruth was inspected by the
The cargo ship sailed for the USSB under American registry for the first four years of her existence, and sailed to the
In 1923,
There is scant record of the ship's movements under any of her later names. The Los Angeles Times reported her arrival at West Coast ports as Seisho Maru at least twice. In March 1930, the ship arrived at Tacoma, Washington, from Singapore to pick up a load of logs for export.[9] Another notice in November 1933 noted her impending return to Los Angeles, where she was scheduled to take on a load of borax and scrap brass.[8] In early May 1939, Seisho Maru ran aground in Tokyo Bay,[10] but was refloated after several days.[11]
During
Seisho Maru and seven other ships formed convoy MI-27 which departed
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "West Caruth". Miramar Ship Index. R.B.Haworth. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ^ Southwestern Shipbuildingin 1925.
- ^ a b "Set new world's record". Los Angeles Times. 31 December 1918. p. II-12.
- ^ "Kenen Sareru Haisen Konran Honpo Shijo no Dageki" Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Kobe Yuushin Nippou, 25 May 1934. in the newspaper collection of Kobe University (in Japanese)
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.
- ^ Naval Historical Center. "West Caruth". DANFS.
- ^ For Monrovia, see, for example: "Shipping and mails" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 July 1920. p. 24. Retrieved 8 September 2008. For Dakar, see, for example: "Shipping and mails" (PDF). The New York Times. 14 June 1919. p. 23. Retrieved 8 September 2008. Also see: "Shipping and mails" (PDF). The New York Times. 11 March 1921. p. 32. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ^ a b c Cave, Wayne B. (23 November 1933). "Old Shipping Board freighter in Friday". Los Angeles Times. p. A13.
- ^ "News of ships and sailings at Pacific ports". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 10 March 1930. p. A16.
- ^ "Casualty reports". The Times. 8 May 1939. p. 25.
- ^ "Marine casualties". The Times. 12 May 1939. p. 28.
- ^ a b c Cressman, p. 275.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Peter Cundall (2007). "JN Minesweeper W-18: Tabular Record of Movement". Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ^ a b Hackett, Bob; Peter Cundall (2007). "JN Minesweeper W-101: Tabular Record of Movement". Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ^ "Seisho Maru (+1944)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
Bibliography
- Cressman, Robert (2000). "Chapter V: 1943". The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. OCLC 41977179. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- OCLC 18696066.
- Naval Historical Center. "West Caruth". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 8 September 2008.