| History | |
|---|---|
| Japan | |
| Name |
|
| Owner | Chōsen Yusen KK |
| Operator | 1940: Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Port of registry | 1933: Jinsen |
| Builder | Uraga Dock Co,Uraga |
| Laid down | 25 February 1932 |
| Launched | 24 November 1932 |
| Completed | 11 April 1933 |
| Refit | November – December 1943 |
| Homeport | 1940:Sasebo |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | sunk by torpedo, 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 2,672 GRT, 1,554 NRT |
| Length | 298.2 ft (90.9 m) |
| Beam | 44.9 ft (13.7 m) |
| Depth | 23.6 ft (7.2 m) |
| Decks | 1 |
| Installed power | 1 ×triple-expansion engine +exhaust steam turbine; 171NHP |
| Propulsion | 1 ×screw |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h) |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | sister ship:Seikyo Maru |
Sinkyo Maru, formerlyromanised asShinkyo Maru, was acargosteamship that was launched in Japan in 1932. TheImperial Japanese Navy requisitioned her in 1940. She was converted into anauxiliarygunboat, but also served as aminelayer and atroopship. AUnited States Navy submarine sank her in thePhilippines in 1944, killing 61 of the people aboard.
TheUraga Dock Company inUraga, Kanagawa,laid the keel plates ofShinkyo Maru on 25 February 1932. She was launched on 24 November that year, and completed on 11 April 1933.[1] Her length was 298.2 ft (90.9 m); herbeam was 44.9 ft (13.7 m); and her depth was 23.6 ft (7.2 m). Hertonnages were 2,672 gross register tons (GRT) and 1,554 net register tons (NRT).[2] She had araked bow,cruiser stern, andwell decks fore and aft. She had two masts, and herengine room;boiler room;superstructure; and singlefunnel were amidships.[3]
Shinkyo Maru had a singlescrew. Her main engine was a three-cylindertriple-expansion engine. She also had anexhaust steam turbine [de], which drove the samepropeller shaft, but viadouble reduction gearing. The combined power of her reciprocating engine plus exhaust turbine was rated at 171nominal horsepower.[2] They gave her a top speed of 14 knots (26 km/h), and a cruising speed of 12 knots (22 km/h).[4]
In 1934, Uraga built asister ship for the same owners.Seikyo Maru was laid down on 5 May; launched on 20 September; and completed on 15 December.[5]
Chōsen Yusen KK ownedShinkyo Maru. She wasregistered at Jinsen inChōsen, which is nowIncheon in South Korea. By 1935 herwireless telegraphcall sign was JERG.[2] In 1938, the romanisation of her name was changed toSinkyo Maru.[6] In the 1930s she traded between Chōsen and ports onHonshu, plus at visit toVladivostok in theSoviet Union in 1933 and 1936.[1]
On 15 September 1940, the Japanese Navy requisitionedSinkyo Maru. On 15 October she was attached to theSasebo Naval District as an auxiliarygunboat, withSasebo as herhome port. On 15 November she was rated as No. 12 Gunboat, and on 27 December her conversion was completed. Hermain battery was three12 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval guns. She was also armed with twoType 93 heavy machine guns; one7.7 mmmachine gun; a pair of stern-mounteddepth charge racks; and 32 depth charges.[1]
On 15 January 1941,Sinkyo Maru was assigned tominelaying operations as an auxiliary gunboat. That March and April, she operated off the central coast of China. From June to August, she operated in southern Chinese waters. On 15 October, she was assigned to local defence of Sasebo. She and another converted merchant ship, the auxiliary gunboatShinko Maru No. 5, formed the Sasebo Local Defence Squadron. On 14 December she was laid 115 type 93mines in twominefields. Thereafter she returned to defensive patrols.[1]
On 6 January 1942,Sinkyo Maru was involved in a collision with the auxiliaryoilerAkatsuki Maru, in whichSinkyo Maru'sbridge was badly damaged. On 15 January she was rated as theŌshima Area Defence Unit's Sea Surface Defence Unit. On 31 January her bridge was repaired; on 4 February she left Sasebo, and the next day she reachedKakeromajima in theAmami Islands, off the southern coast ofKyushu. She was inNaha onOkinawa from 20 to 25 February.[1]
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On 30 May 1942, the US Navy submarineUSS Pompano crippled the 7,983 GRT troopshipAtsuta Maru. A flotilla comprisingSinkyo Maru; the auxiliarynetlayerAgata Maru; and the auxiliarysubmarine chasersRyosui Maru andHōkoku Maru No. 3 Go put out from Kakeromajima to assist. They made anti-submarine sweeps, and rescued survivors. On 31 MaySinkyo Maru was ordered to fight the fire aboardAgata Maru, but the fire was too great for her to get close enough to the troopship.Atsuta Maru sank on 3 June, about 50 nautical miles (93 km) east of Okinawa.[1]
On 24 July 1942,Sinkyo Maru left Kakeromajima for theYaeyama Islands. From 26 to 30 July she called atIshigaki Island;Iriomote Island; andYonaguni; and then atMiyakojima, Okinawa. She was in Naha from 31 July to 31 August, and then returned to Kakeromajima.[1]
On 1 DecemberSinkyo Maru left Kakeromajima, and on 3 December she reached Sasebo, where she wasdry docked from 5 to 11 December. On 18 December she was assigned to help reinforce the JapaneseNew Guinea campaign, by taking part in one of the convoys carrying theImperial Japanese Army's 20th and 41st Divisions toWewak. Between 20 and 24 December she made a round trip to Kakeromajima and back to unload supplies, and then sailed in East Convoy No. 59 toKawasaki, Kanagawa, where she arrived on 28 December. She was temporarily fitted with anti-submarine protection equipment; an upgrade to her wireless telegraph; and an additional 13 mm machine gun.[1]
On 5 January 1943 she arrived inBusan, where she embarked 399 troops of the 20th Division and 300 bundles of supplies. She left Busan on 7 January, and reachedPalau in theCaroline Islands on 15 January. On 19 January she and two other converted merchant ships;Aratama Maru andJuzan Maru; escorted by thedestroyerYūgure. Together they formed the Third Transport Echelon. The echelon reached Wewak at 0200 hrs on 23 January; disembarked its troops and supplies; and left at 1100 hrs the same day. The echelon got back to Palau on 26 January, and left on 30 January for Japanese-occupied Tsingtao (nowQingdao).[1]
In Tsingtao,Sinkyo Maru embarked troops, vehicles, supplies and provisions of the 41st Division. On 12 February, she left Tsingtao withAratama Maru andJuzan Maru, andYūgure joined them as their escort. They called at Palau from 22 to 26 February, and then continued as the Fourth Transport Echelon, with the destroyersSatsuki andFumizuki joiningYūgure to reinforce their escort. On 26 February the echelon reached Wewak at 1200 hrs; disembarked its troops and supplies; and left at 2330 hrs. The echelon got back to Palau on 2 March.Sinkyo Maru left in 5 March; called at Ōshima on 11 March, and reached Sasebo on 17 March. On 15 March, before she reaches Sasebo, she was attached to the5th Fleet's 22ndpicket boat squadron.[1]
Early in April 1943,Sinkyo Maru was assigned to coastal defence of the east coast of Japan. On 21 April she left Sasebo, and in 24 April she arrived atYokosuka on the east coast of Honshu. In May she patrolled north viaKushiro onHokkaido toParamushiro in theKuril Islands; returning to Yokosuka in June. She continued to patrol the east coast until 3 November. On 11 November she reachedYokohama, and on 19 November she docked atMitsubishi Heavy Industries' shipyard there to be refitted and converted. On 4 December she was attached to the Sasebo Naval District as an auxiliary transport.[1]
On 31 January 1944,Sinkyo Maru's conversion was completed, and she transferred toTokyo. On 3 February she left Tokyo. She was atKure from 9 to 13 February, and reachedMoji on 14 February. On 16 February she left Moji as part of Convoy Mota-03, which included six merchant ships, and was escorted by theNamikaze andminesweeperTian Maru. On 21 February, US submarines and aircraft attacked Convoy Mota-05. Mota-03 was ordered to remain at Naha, and await the arrival of Mota-05. On 27 February the two convoys merged and left Naha. On 29 February the combined convoy reached Kirun (nowKeelung) inTaiwan. On 5 March,Sinkyo Maru sailed from Kirun to Takao (nowKaohsiung). On 11 March she left Takao in Convoy Tama-10, which reachedManila on 14 March.[1]
On 20 March,Sinkyo Maru left Manila in Convoy H-22, bound forHalmahera in theMaluku Islands. There were seven other ships in the convoy, plus two escorts: theŌtori-classtorpedo boatHayabusa, andW-19-classminesweeperW-30. On 23 March, in theBasilan Strait, the auxiliary submarine chaserKyo Maru joined H-22; relievingW-30; which detached. On 24 March, offMindanao, the US Navy submarineUSS Bowfin made radar contact with H-22. At 23:48 hrsBowfin fired her first torpedo salvo, which sank thecargo linerBengal Maru. At 2253 hrs she fired another torpedo salvo, which hitSinkyo Maru. She sank in three minutes at position05°37′N125°58′E / 5.617°N 125.967°E /5.617; 125.967, and 12 members of her crew and 49 of her passengers were killed.[1]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in January 1942 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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