''Tsushima Maru'' ( ja, 対馬丸) was a Japanese passenger/cargo ship that was sunk by the submarine
USS ''Bowfin'' 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 ...
, while carrying hundreds of schoolchildren from
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
to
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...
.
Description
Tsushima Maru was carrying a large number of Japanese civilians evacuating from Okinawa to
Kagoshima
, abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...
, Japan to escape the anticipated invasion of the Ryukyu Islands. Passengers included school children, as well as a few parents and school teachers.
["USS Bowfin (SS-287) - Tsushima Maru Sinking"](_blank)
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park. Retrieved 11 May 2022. The ship was estimated to have carried 1,788 passengers.
Tsushima-maru Memorial Museum. Retrieved 11 May 2022. 254 survived.
1,534 passengers and crew died including 780 of the schoolchildren. Just 59 young boys and girls survived.
Sinking
On August 22, 1944, at between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. local time,
USS Bowfin, USS ''Bowfin'' attacked the convoy in which ''Tsushima Maru'' was sailing and sank her, close to the island of
Akusekijima
, is one of the Tokara Islands, a sub-group of the Satsunan Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 7.42 km² in area, has a population of 59 persons. The island can only be reached by boat as it has no airport; there is ...
.
[ Tsushima Maru Commemoration Association Survey Data (As of August 27, 2005), reported a total of 1,661 civilian evacuees, including 834 schoolchildren (of whom 775 were killed and approximately 59 survived the sinking). Shortly after the sinking a "gag order" was enforced by the Japanese government and families and survivors rarely spoke about the incident. The number of victims that have been identified by name, based on notifications from bereaved families (As of August 22, 2012), include 780 schoolchildren.][Tsushima-muru Memorial Museum. Visited 2 November 2014]
The ship was part of Convoy Namo 103, which consisted of the following ships:[. USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park.]
* ''Tsushima Maru'' (passenger / cargo vessel)
* ''Kazuura Maru'' (listed as ''Waura Maru'' in some sources, assumed to be a cargo vessel)
* '' Gyōkū Maru'' (cargo vessel)
* Destroyer ''Hasu'' ( ''Momi'' class)
* Gunboat ''Uji''
Aftermath
The wreck was located and identified in December 1997.
The sinking has been the subject of many articles and books published in Japan, as well as a good number of documentary broadcasts and even an animated feature film. Memorial ceremonies are held at sea at the approximate location of the sinking, and there are monuments in Naha City, Okinawa, and on Akuseki Island for those lost at sea.
See also
* List by death toll of ships sunk by submarines
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People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
External links
The Tsushima-maru Memorial Museum
{{August 1944 shipwrecks
World War II merchant ships of Japan
Ships sunk by American submarines
World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean
Battle of Okinawa
1914 ships
Ships built in Aberdeen
Maritime incidents in August 1944