The Ryoyo Maru (良洋丸, Ryōyō Maru) was a 5,974-gross register ton passenger ship that was built by Kawasaki Dockyard Company, Kobe, for Tōyō Kisen Kabushiki Kaisha, launched in 1931. She was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army and fitted out as a fast troop transport.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ryoyo Maru |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Kawasaki Dockyard Company, Kobe |
| Laid down | 3 March 1930[1] |
| Launched | 25 September 1930[1] |
| Commissioned | 15 January 1931[1] |
| Fate | Sunk by USS Tautog |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 5,974 GRT |
| Length | 415 feet (126 m)[2] |
| Beam | 56 feet (17 m) |
| Draught | 31.8 feet (9.7 m) |
She was part of the invasion fleet that landed troops during the invasion of Ambon on 30 January 1942, and part of the invasion fleet at Buna and Gona.[3]
On 4 March 1944, she was damaged when struck by a large wave and driven aground off Matsuwa Jima, in the Kuril Islands. Ryoyo Maru was anchored in a harbour along the Kuril Islands, when she was struck by a torpedo from USS Tautog on 2 May. She settled in 24 feet (7.3 m) of water, decks awash at 48-04N, 153-16E.[4]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c Nagasawa, Fumio (1998). "Nostalgic Japanese Steamships - Early Showa Period" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
- ^ "Lloyd's Register 1941-42" (PDF). plimsollshipdata. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
- ^ "Subchaser CH-29". The Combined Fleet. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
- ^ Blair, p. 596.
References
edit- Blair, Clay, Jr. Silent Victory. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1975.