''Tamatsu Maru'' was a

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 opposing ...

Japanese landing craft depot shipCressman, p. 248 completed in January 1944 and remembered for the heavy loss of life when sunk by on 19 August 1944. Between 4,406 and 4,755 Japanese soldiers and seamen drowned.

Early history

''Tamatsu Maru'' was laid down at Mitsui Shipbuilding on 4 November 1942, launched on 18 August 1943, and completed on 20 January 1944. Its first military loading was from Moji to

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

with convoy Hi-45 in February 1944. It returned to Japan in March to transport elements of the 30th Infantry Division of 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 ...

(IJA) from

Pusan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

with convoy Hi-63 in May. It returned to Japan with convoy Hi-62 in early June to transport the IJA 5th Field Heavy Artillery and 58th Independent Mixed Brigade to the Philippines with convoy MOMA-01 in July. It returned to Japan in early August with convoy Hi-68.

Loss

''Tamatsu Maru'' departed Pusan on 8 August 1944 carrying the Japanese 2nd Battalion and regimental headquarters of the 13th Independent Infantry Regiment from Korea for defense of the Philippines. It joined convoy Hi-71 departing Moji on 10 August, and stopping at the

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 ...

naval base in the

Pescadores The Penghu (, Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, covering an area ...

on 15 August. Convoy Hi-71 departed Mako on 17 August and was discovered by that evening. ''Redfish'' assembled other submarines for a

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

-guided wolfpack attack on the evening of 18 August in heavy rain.Blair, pp. 676–680 As the convoy was scattered by heavy seas and evasive maneuvers, ''Tamatsu Maru'' apparently became separated from convoy escorts. ''Spadefish'' found ''Tamatsu Maru'' on a northerly course about 0330 19 August and fired a salvo of six torpedoes. ''Spadefish'' heard two torpedoes hit. Convoy escorts were unaware of the ship's location () until one of them discovered thousands of floating bodies that afternoon. The sinking of ''Tamatsu Maru'' was the fourth worst loss of life on any Japanese vessel during the war taking down 4,755 troops and 135 merchant seamen.

Notes

Sources

* * * {{August 1944 shipwrecks Ships built by Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding 1943 ships Maritime incidents in August 1944 Ships sunk by American submarines

Early history

Loss

See also

Notes

Sources