Tatsuta Maru

Coordinates: 34°45′N 140°25′E / 34.750°N 140.417°E / 34.750; 140.417
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Tatsuta Maru, before 1941
History
Civil naval ensign ([Hinmaru])Japan
NameTatsuta Maru
Namesake
Tatsuta Shrine
Operator Nippon Yusen (NYK)
Builder
Nagasaki, Japan
Yard number451
Laid down3 December 1927
Launched12 April 1929
Completed15 March 1930
Out of service8 February 1943
FateTorpedoed and sunk by US submarine Tarpon, 8 February 1943
General characteristics
Tonnage16,975 gross register tons (GRT)
Length178 m (584 ft)
Beam21.9 m (72 ft)
Draft28.5'
Propulsion4 Mitsubishi-Sulzer diesels, quadruple screws, 16,000 hp (12,000 kW)
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Capacity
  • 222 first class
  • 96 second class
  • 504 third class
  • 822 total
Crew330
NotesSteel construction

Tatsuta Maru (龍田丸), was a Japanese

Tatsuta Jinja an important Shinto shrine in Nara Prefecture.[1]

Background

Tatsuta Maru and her

Asama Maru and Chichibu Maru were built for NYK's premier high-speed trans-Pacific Orient-California fortnightly service, coming into operation from the autumn of 1929[2] In NYK advertising, these ships were characterized as "The Queen of the Sea."[3] The principal ports-of-call included Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kobe, Yokohama, Honolulu, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.[4]
The trip from Yokohama to San Francisco typically took 15 days, with fares starting from $190 in second class and from $315 in first class.

Details

The 16,975-ton vessel had a length of 583 feet (178 m), and a beam of 71 feet (22 m). The ship had four Mitsubishi-Sulzer diesel engines, two funnels, two masts, quadruple screws and a service speed of 21 knots.[5] only one funnel was actually necessary, but a second one was added for the sake of appearance.[6]

Tatsuta Maru provided accommodation for 222 first-class passengers and for 96 second-class passengers. There was also room for up to 504 third-class passengers. The ship and passengers were served by a crew of 330.[7]

She was laid down on 3 December 1927 at

Nagasaki, Japan, with yard number 451,[7] and was launched on 12 April 1929. When almost complete, she was severely damaged by fire on 7 February 1930,[8]
but the damage was repaired quickly and she soon was completed.

View of the ship's first class dining room.
View of the ship's first class reading and writing room.

Civilian career

Tatsuta Maru undertook her maiden voyage on 15 March 1930,[7] sailing from Yokohama to San Francisco,[4] and subsequently commenced regularly scheduled trans-Pacific services via Honolulu. In October 1931, she carried members of the American Major League Baseball teams, including Lou Gehrig to Japan for a Japanese-American exhibition tournament.[9] On 12 November 1936, she became the first civilian vessel to pass under the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, the longest in the world at the time.[10]

In 1938, the transliteration of her name was official changed to Tatuta Maru in line with new Japanese regulations on the Romanization of Japanese.

In January 1940, Tatsuta Maru was scheduled to carry 512 seamen from the German transport

SS Columbus
, who had been interned in the United States after they scuttled their ship rather than to have it fall into the hands of the British. However, due to political pressure applied on the American government, they were not allowed to board. In June of the same year, she arrived in San Francisco with 40 Jewish refugees from Russia, Austria, Germany, and Norway who had managed to reach Japan overland via Siberia.

In San Francisco on 20 March 1941, Tatsuta Maru disembarked Colonel

Yuriko Miyamoto
.

On 30 August, Tatsuta Maru transported 349 Polish Jewish refugees who had arrived in Japan via Siberia from Kobe to Shanghai, where they were received by the Shanghai Ghetto. On 15 October, under contract to the Japanese government, she was temporarily designated a diplomatic exchange vessel, and was used in the repatriation of 608 Allied nationals to the United States. Travelling under total radio silence, she arrived at San Francisco on 30 October, and after embarking 860 Japanese nationals, returned to Yokohama via Honolulu on 14 November. This was the last civilian passenger voyage between Japan and the United States before World War II.[10] She departed Yokohama on 2 December, ostensibly on a second repatriation voyage to bring Japanese back from Mexico; however, the voyage was a hoax, and on 6 December, the captain opened sealed orders which instructed him to reverse course.[11] Shortly after returning to Yokohama, she is requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy.[10]

Military career

Tatsuta Maru, marked with symbols of safe passage while working as a repatriation ship as seen through the periscope of the U.S. Navy submarine USS Kingfish (SS-234) in October 1942.

In early 1942, Tatsuta Maru made several voyages between Japan and the Philippines and Borneo as a

Portuguese East Africa
on August 27, she was carrying over 1000 civilians. These were exchanged for Japanese civilians and diplomats, and Red Cross parcels for British prisoners of war in Japanese hands. On her return to Japan, she was re-requisitioned for use as a troopship, shuttling men and supplies from Japan to various points in Southeast Asia.

On 19 January 1943, she was assigned to carry 1180 Allied

prisoners of war, mostly Canadians, from Hong Kong to Nagasaki. The prisoners were so overcrowded that there was no room to lay down. This earned Tatsuta Maru the epithet of "hell ship."[12]

On 8 February 1943, Tatsuta Maru departed

Mikurajima.[4] After being hit by up to four torpedoes, Tatsuta Maru sank with a loss of 1,223 soldiers and passengers and 198 crewmen. As the sinking occurred at night during a gale, Yamagumo was unable to find any survivors.[7]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1935). The Nomenclature of the N.Y.K. Fleet, p. 50.
  2. ^ Levine, David. Graphic Design from the 1920s and 1930s in Travel Ephemera: "Plan of Passenger Accommodation Motor Ships 'Asama Maru' & ' Tatsuta Maru,'" 1929.
  3. ^ NYK (HongKong): history Archived 2009-04-28 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ a b c Derby, Sulzer diesel motors: Asama Maru. August 29, 2008.
  5. ^ Haworth, R.B. Miramar Ship Index: ID #4035342.
  6. ISBN 0845347926
    .
  7. ^ a b c d Haworth, R.B. Miramar Ship Index: Tatsuta Maru, ID#4035362.
  8. ^ "Casualty reports". The Times. No. 45432. London. 8 February 1930. col C, p. 21.
  9. ISBN 978-0803229846
    .
  10. ^ a b c d Nevitt, Allyn D. (2009). "Tatsuta Maru: Tabular Record of Movement". Combinedfleet.com.
  11. ^ "Life Magazine". 4 Mar 1946: 22. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ISBN 978-9622099609
    .

References

External links

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34°45′N 140°25′E / 34.750°N 140.417°E / 34.750; 140.417

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