The was a

ship collision Ship collision is the structural impact between two ships or one ship and a floating or still object such as an iceberg. Ship collisions are of particular importance in marine accidents. Some reasons for the latter are: * The loss of human life ...

in Japan on 11 May 1955, during a school field trip, killing 168 people. The Shiun Maru ferry sank in the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to ...

after colliding with another

Japanese National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

(JNR)

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

, the ''Ukō Maru ()'', in thick

fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...

. A lack of radar onboard contributed to the accident. The victims included 100 students from elementary and junior high schools in Shimane, Hiroshima, Ehime and Kochi prefectures who were on school trips. The sinking of the ''Shiun Maru'' motivated the Japanese government to plan the

Great Seto Bridge The is a series of double deck bridges connecting Okayama and Kagawa prefectures in Japan across a series of five small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Built over the period 1978–88, it is one of the three routes of the Honshū–Shikoku Br ...

project, the longest two-tiered bridge system in the world. The 1955 accident was the fifth such accident of the boat and the second accident with fatalities.

References

External links

List of Major Marine Accidents in the World and Japan

{{coord missing, Japan Ferries of Japan Maritime incidents in 1955 Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Ships sunk in collisions 1955 in Japan Maritime incidents in Japan May 1955 events in Asia

See also

References

External links