''Goshū Maru '' was requisitioned as an aircraft transport vessel of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

(IJN). The ship was initially built at Kawasaki's Kōbe Shipyard and launched on 14 October 1939 as a merchant vessel for Goyo Shosen K. K. On 14 September 1940 the IJN requisitioned as a transport ship and was refitted in 1940 as an aircraft transport. The ship subsequently saw service in the Pacific Campaign of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. 1 October, 1943 she was rerated a converted transport (misc). ''Goshū Maru'' was sunk by United States Navy aircraft in the

Palau Islands Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

on 30 or 31 March 1944.

Notes

References

* 1939 ships Maritime incidents in March 1944 Ships sunk by US aircraft Seaplane tenders of the Imperial Japanese Navy World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean {{Japan-mil-ship-stub