 Nigitsu Maru, by Ueda Kihachiro | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Nigitsu Maru |
| Builder | Harima,Harima[1] |
| Completed | March 1943 |
| Fate | Sunk 12 January 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type A Special Purpose Ship |
| Type | Landing craft depot ship |
| Displacement | 11,800 tons (standard)[1] |
| Length | 471 ft 7 in (5,659 in) (pp)[1] |
| Beam | 64 ft (20 m)[1] |
| Draft | 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m) (maximum)[1] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h)[1] |
| Armament | |
Nigitsu Maru (にぎつ丸) was aJapanese "Type A"landing craft carrier operated by theImperial Japanese Army (IJA).
It was initially planned as a "Type C" landing craft carrier likeAkitsu Maru, but was replanned as a "Type A", without any flight deck and looking like a passenger ship.[2]
Nigitsu Maru was apassenger liner taken over before completion and refitted by theImperial Japanese Army.
On 9 January 1944Nigitsu Maru leftPalau for Ujina inconvoy FU-901 as the sole merchant ship escorted by thedestroyerAmagiri. She carried about 2,000 troops, mainly soldiers of the 12th Independent Engineer Regiment. Three days later off the Okino-Daito Island, southeast ofOkinawa,Nigitsu Maru was attacked by the USsubmarineHake which fired four torpedoes from the surface. Two hitNigitsu Maru which sank in eight minutes at23°15′N132°51′E / 23.250°N 132.850°E /23.250; 132.850. 456 soldiers, 83 gunners and 35 crewmen were killed.Amagiri picked up the survivors and landed them in Japan.[2]