_River_Scheldt_AS.1968.001.0399.jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Namesake | 1926:Rendsburg |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Builder | Vulcan-Werke, Hamburg |
| Yard number | 639 |
| Launched | 1 September 1925 |
| Completed | 2 February 1926 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Type | cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 6,200 GRT, 3,716 NRT, 9,440 DWT |
| Length | 450.3 ft (137.3 m) |
| Beam | 58.2 ft (17.7 m) |
| Depth | 24.6 ft (7.5 m) |
| Decks | 2 |
| Installed power | 993nhp, 4,100bhp |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 13 knots (24 km/h) |
| Crew | 47 |
| Sensors & processing systems | by 1933: wirelessdirection finding |
| Notes | sister ships:Duisburg,Magdeburg |
Tango Maru (丹後丸) was acargomotor ship that was built in Germany in 1926 and sunk off the coast ofBali in 1944. She was launched asRendsburg for the Deutsch-Australische Dampfschiffs-Gesellschaft (DADG), which in 1926 merged withHamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG).
WhenGermany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, the Dutch authorities seizedRendsburg in theDutch East Indies and renamed herToendjoek. In March 1942, during theJapanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies, the Dutchscuttled her as ablockship.
In August 1942 the Japanese re-floated her and renamed herTango Maru. In 1944 she was serving as ahell ship when the submarineUSS Rasher torpedoed her, sinking her with the loss of about 3,000 lives.
Other Japanese ships in the Second World War were also calledTango Maru. One was the British-built, Dutch-owned 2,046 GRTtankerTalang Akar, which was sunk in theMakassar Strait in November 1943, ironically also byRasher.[1] Another was a Japanese-built 6,893 GRTsteamship operated byNippon Yusen KK,[2] which was sunk in theEast China Sea by US aircraft only five days later.[3]
In the mid-1920s DADG ordered its first three motor ships. All were built by shipyards inHamburg.Vulcan-Werke completedDuisburg in July 1925[4] andRendsburg in February 1926;[5] andBlohm+Voss completedMagdeburg in December 1925.[6]
Rendsburg was launched on 1 September 1925 and completed on 2 February 1926.[7] Her registered length was 450.3 ft (137.3 m), her beam was 58.2 ft (17.7 m) and her depth was 24.6 ft (7.5 m). Hertonnages were 6,200 GRT and 3,716 NRT.[5]
Each of the threesister ships had a singlescrew. Blohm+Voss equippedMagdeburg with one six-cylindertwo-stroke diesel engine,[6] butDuisburg andRendsburg each had a pair of eight-cylinderfour-stroke diesel engines, driving the single propeller shaft via "hydraulic oil transformers" andsingle-reduction gearing.[4][5]MAN pioneered this transmission system to allow high-speed Diesel engines to be used in marine propulsion.[8] The combined power ofRendsburg's twin engines was rated at 993NHP[5] or 4,100bhp, and gave her a speed of 13 knots (24 km/h).[7]
DADGregisteredRendsburg inHamburg. Hercode letters were RFQK. She was equipped forwireless telegraphy from new.[5] In November 1926 HAPAG absorbed DADG,[7] and adopted DADG's colour scheme for the newly combined fleet.Rendsburg continued to operate between Hamburg, Australia, and theFar East.[9] By 1933 she was equipped with wirelessdirection finding.[10] By 1934 thecall sign DIET had superseded her code letters.[11]
When theSecond World War began in September 1939, German merchant ships sought refuge inneutral ports.Rendsburg sheltered inTanjung Priok in theDutch East Indies. On 10 May 1940 Germany invaded the Netherlands, and the Dutch authorities seized all German ships in Dutch ports.[7]
The Netherlands surrendered on 17 May, but the Dutch governmentcontinued in exile. It took ownership ofRendsburg, renamed herToendjoek, and appointedWillem Ruys en Zonen tomanage her. She was registered inBatavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies.[7][12] In October 1940 Nederlandsch Indische Maatschappij Voor Zeevaart NV became her managers.[9][12]
In December 1941 Japan invaded the Dutch East Indies. On 2 March 1942, a week before Dutch forces surrendered to the Japanese,Toendjoek's crew scuttled her as a blockship.[7]
On 12 August 1942 Japanesesalvors raisedToendjoek. She was repaired, and in 1943 she entered Japanese service. The Japanese Government’s Teikoku Senpaku Kaisha (Imperial Steamship Company) assumed ownership ofToendjoek, renamed herTango Maru, registered her inYokohama, and appointed Lino Kaiun Kaisha[7] or Iino Kaiun Kaisha[9] (sources differ) to manage her.
On 19 September 1943 a storm droveTango Maru ashore onAmami Ōshima. The same storm drove four other Japanese ships ashore.[9]
On 24 February 1944Tango Maru leftSurabaya,Java forAmbon, Maluku carrying about 5,700 troops, including men of the Japanese 3rd Infantry Regiment, and about 3,500Javaneserōmusha conscripted labourers and Allied prisoners of war, probably mostlyRoyal Netherlands East Indies Army indigenous troops. She was part of a convoy withRyūsei Maru, escorted by theminesweepersW-8 andW-11, and the auxiliarysubmarine chaserTakunan Maru No. 5.[9]
Allied naval intelligence was aware of the convoy, and the US Navy sent the submarinesRasher andRaton to theBali Sea to intercept it. At 1943 hrs on 25 February,Rasher fired a spread of four torpedoes. One hitTango Maru'sstarboard side, penetrating her number 4 hold. Five minutes later she sank at position7°25′S115°06′E / 07.41°S 115.10°E /-07.41; 115.10, about 25 nautical miles (46 km) north of Bali. At least 3,000 of the people aboard were killed.[9]
At 2225 hrs on the same evening,Rasher fired a spread of four torpedoes atRyūsei Maru at position7°33′S115°09′E / 07.55°S 115.15°E /-07.55; 115.15. Three hit the ship, splitting her in two. Estimates of fatalities range from at least 3,000[9] to 4,998.[13]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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