 Sagara Maru in 1942 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Sagara Maru |
| Builder | Mitsubishi Shipbuilding |
| Launched | 23 March 1939 |
| Fate | Torpedoed and beached 23 July 1943 |
| General characteristics (as seaplane tender) | |
| Class & type | Type S cargo ship |
| Displacement | 7,189long tons (7,304 t) |
| Length | 479 ft 9 in (146.23 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft 4 in (19.00 m) |
| Draught | 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 18knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | |
| Aviation facilities | 2 catapults |
Sagara Maru was a JapaneseType S cargo shipcargo liner converted to aseaplane tender that served duringWorld War II. It was hit bytorpedoes from two differentsubmarines before being abandoned and sinking.
Sagara Maru was built in 1939 at theMitsubishiYokohoma shipyard for theNippon Yusen company, being completed in 1940. She was the fifth of seven ships of theType S cargo ship of high speed transports:Sakito Maru (崎戸丸),Sanuki Maru (讃岐丸), Sado Maru (佐渡丸),Sagami Maru (相模丸),Sagara Maru (相良丸),Sasako Maru (笹子丸), andSakura Maru (佐倉丸).[1]
Shortly before Japan entered into the war, she was acquired by theImperial Japanese Navy and converted to an auxiliaryseaplane tender.[2] After hostilities commenced she was involved in the escort forces forlandings atSabang,Rangoon[3] and theAndaman Islands, and after that spent the majority of her time patrolling and escortingconvoys betweenPenang andSingapore.[4] In December 1942 she was re-classified as a transport/replenishment ship.[5]
On 23 June 1943 off the coast ofOmaezaki, Japan she was spotted byUSS Harder,[6] who despite being spotted and fired upon managed to fire fourtorpedoes one of which hit thebow ofSagara Maru. The destroyerSawakaze took her in tow but to avoid sinking she was beached. Ten days later, on 4 July, before she could be re-floated,USS Pompano spotted her onradar and managed to gain two torpedo hits. She was subsequently abandoned a few days later.[4][7]
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