''Kaimei Maru'' was a Japanese

troop transport A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

ship operated by the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

during

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 ...

which was sunk off

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

on 4 September 1942 by the American submarine . The ship was a British WWI Type B military cargo ship built by the

Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock was a Hong Kong dockyard, once among the largest in Asia. History Founded in 1866 by Douglas Lapraik and Thomas Sutherland (banker), Thomas Sutherland, the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company (known as Hong Kong Kowlo ...

Construction and commissioning

''Kaimei Maru'', then known as British ship ''War Bomber'', was ordered by London's

Shipping Controller Shipping Controller was a post created by the Lloyd George Coalition Government in 1916 under the New Ministries and Secretaries Act (6 & 7 George 5 c.68) to regulate and organize merchant shipping in order to supply the United Kingdom with the m ...

and was built at the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock. It was launched in Hong Kong on 1 August 1919 from Yard No. 563. ''War Bomber'' was configured as a British WWI Type B Standard cargo ship although its specifications were larger in scale than standard for ships of this class. Indeed, ''War Bomber'' was the largest ship built to date at any Hong Kong dockyard with a length of , a width of and a depth of . ''War Bomber'' displaced 5,226 tons with a record

deadweight tonnage Deadweight tonnage (also known as deadweight; abbreviated to DWT, D.W.T., d.w.t., or dwt) or tons deadweight (DWT) is a measure of how much weight a ship can carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, ballast water, provi ...

of 8,000 tons. The launch was attended by Sir Catchick Paul Chater, then Director of the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company and by

Sir Claud Severn ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

, the acting

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the British Crown in Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and commander-in-chief of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. ...

. Later in October 1919, the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company would also launch ''War Bomber''s

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

, ''War Trooper''.

Belgian service

During the vessel's tenure as a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

ship, she was called ''Pioneer''. ''Pioneer'' was purchased by of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

where she continued service for a decade until she was transferred to

Compagnie Maritime Belge The Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) is one of the oldest Antwerp ship-owners. It is controlled by the Saverys family who also own major stakes in the Exmar and Euronav groups. History CMB was founded in 1895 under the name Compagnie Belge Mariti ...

, also of Antwerp, which had acquired Belgian shipowner Lloyd Royal Belge in 1930. ''Pioneer'' continued her Belgian service for another decade before being sold to

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

nian shipowner Agencia Maritima Carmar in 1939 where she was renamed as ''Carmar''.

Panamanian service

In 1939, ''Kaimei Maru'', then known as ''Carmar'', was purchased by the Agencia Maritima Carmar Ltda. of

. In 1941, ''Carmar'' was sold to Kaiyo Kisen K. K. of

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Japanese service

On 13 November 1941, ''Kaimei Maru'' was requisitioned by the

for service as a

Invasion of the Philippines

''Kaimei Maru'' was assigned to Army group 262, which supported the 14th Army troops, comprising elements of the 16th Division and 48th Division taking part in the Invasion of the Philippines. During the invasion, ''Kaimei Maru'' was one of around 20 Japanese army transports ferrying roughly 7,000 troops under the command of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Hisaichi Terauchi Count was a '' Gensui'' (or field marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group during World War II. Biography Early military career Terauchi was born in Tokyo Prefecture, and was the eldest son of ...

, Lt. General

Masaharu Homma was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Homma commanded the Japanese 14th Army, which invaded the Philippines and perpetrated the Bataan Death March. After the war, Homma was convicted of war crimes relating ...

and Maj. General Susumu Morioka for the campaign's operations around

Lamon Bay Lamon Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Luzon island in the Philippines. It is a body of water connecting the southern part of Quezon province to the Philippine Sea, a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It borders on the coastal towns o ...

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

in December 1941. The invasion fleet was supported by elements 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) including the IJN Southern Force under Vice Admiral

Nobutake Kondō was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As commander of IJN 2nd Fleet, the Navy's principal detached force for independent operations, Kondō was regarded as second in importance only to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Biog ...

, IJN Philippines Invasion Group under Vice Admiral

Ibō Takahashi was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Biography Takahashi was a native of Fukushima prefecture, born in a family of Eastern Orthodox faithful. His name "Ibō" was Chinese transliteration of "John". His father was a ...

and specialist forces of the Philippines Invasion Unit, 1st Base Force HQ under

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Kyuji Kubo in command of . The Japanese invasion fleet departed from Koniya, Amami Oshima at 1500 on 17 December 1941 consisting of the transport ships ''Kaimei Maru'', , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . The IJN escort fleet consisted of the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

''Nagara'', the

heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Tr ...

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

s , , , , , ,

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...

s and ,

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s '' No. W-7'' and '' No. W-8'',

subchasers A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

and and auxiliary

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

s , , and and auxiliary netlayer ''Fukuei Maru No. 15''. The fleet arrived at Lamon Bay at 02:00 on 24 December 1941 and the landings were relatively uncontested.

Convoy duties

On 26 January 1942, ''Kaimei Maru'' departed

Qingdao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

heading south in a convoy together with ''Durban Maru'', , ''Kayo Maru'', ''Kofuku Maru'', ''Lisbon Maru'', ''Nichiren Maru'', ''Shinsei Maru'' and . The convoy was escorted by the

, and

. The convoy arrived safely at the Taichow Islands on 30 January 1942. On 2 February 1942, ''Kaimei Maru'' departed

Mako , better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television d ...

in a convoy to

Haiphong Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta. Haiphong wa ...

, Vichy Indochina together with ''Durban Maru'', ''Fuji Maru'', ''Kayo Maru'', ''Kofuku Maru'', ''Lisbon Maru'', ''Shinsei Maru'' and ''Ume Maru''. The convoy was escorted by

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of se ...

. While the convoy was exiting the harbor, ''Lisbon Maru'' struck a Japanese defensive

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

resulting in the loss of 19 hands. ''Lisbon Maru'' was towed to a nearby island and beached. Later in 1942, ''Kaimei Maru'' was sold to Tochigi Shoji K.K. of Wakamatsu-ku.

Sinking

In early September 1942, ''Kaimei Maru'' departed

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

for

Karafuto Prefecture Karafuto Prefecture ( ja, 樺太庁, ''Karafuto-chō''; russian: Префектура Карафуто, Prefektura Karafuto), commonly known as South Sakhalin, was a prefecture of Japan located in Sakhalin from 1907 to 1949. Karafuto became ter ...

via

Otaru is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tou ...

to pick up coal in a convoy together with and . On 4 September 1942,

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

, on her first patrol, attacked ''Kaimei Maru''s convoy at Kuji Bay off the northeastern coast of

. At 16:40, the American submarine fired a

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

which impacted the hold of ''Kaimei Maru''. ''Kaimei Maru'' sank at 17:20 with the loss of ten crew at . During the action, ''Guardfish'' also sank the cargo ship ''Tenryu Maru'' and the freighter ''Chita Maru''. At the time of her sinking, ''Kaimei Maru'' was still owned by Tochigi Shoji KK of Wakamatsu-ku.

References

{{Reflist 1919 ships Cargo ships of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in September 1942 Ships sunk by American submarines Troop ships World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Troop ships of Japan Ships built in Hong Kong Shipwrecks of Japan Ships of the Imperial Japanese Army World War II naval ships of Japan

Ships of Hong Kong Auxiliary ships of the United Kingdom Cargo ships of Belgium Cargo ships of Japan Ships built by the Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Company