Japanese amphibious assault ship Shinshū Maru

Shinshū Maru (神州丸 or 神洲丸) was a ship of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. She was the world's first landing craft carrier ship to be designed as such, and a pioneer of modern-day amphibious assault ships.[1] During some of her operations, she was known to have used at least four cover names, R1, GL, MT, and Ryujo Maru.

History
Empire of Japan
NameShinshū Maru
BuilderHarima Shipbuilding
Laid down8 April 1933
Launched14 March 1934
Commissioned15 November 1934
FateSunk 3 January 1945
General characteristics
TypeAmphibious assault ship
Displacement7,100 tons standard, 8,108 tons full
Length144 m (472 ft 5 in)
Beam22 m (72 ft 2 in)
Draft4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Speed20.4 kn (37.8 km/h; 23.5 mph)
Complement2,000
Armament
Aircraft carried26 × aircraft (planned)
Aviation facilitiesHangar and catapult; no flight deck (planned)

Shinshū Maru was one of the ships sunk by friendly torpedo fire at the Battle of Sunda Strait, but later salvaged and returned to service.

Design features

Shinshū Maru was a significant advance in amphibious warfare, having incorporated numerous innovative features, and as such she was shrouded in a veil of secrecy throughout her existence. She could carry 29 Daihatsu-class landing craft, 25 Shohatsu-class landing craft and four AB-Tei-class armoured gunboats, to be launched from a floodable well deck.

In addition, it was planned that Shinshū Maru should carry aircraft in a hangar within her voluminous superstructure. The aircraft would have been launched by two catapults to support amphibious assaults, but the catapults were removed before completion and the ship never carried any operational planes.

These concepts pioneered by Shinshū Maru persist to the current day, in the U.S. Navy's LHA and LHD amphibious assault ships.[2]

Fate

On 3 January 1945, while returning to Takao after a supply mission to Leyte Island, Shinshū Maru was heavily damaged by a US air attack by Task Force 38; after the ship was abandoned she was sunk by the submarine USS Aspro in the Formosa Straits off Takao.[3]

Photos

See also

References

  1. Military innovation in the interwar period. Murray, Williamson., Millet, Alan R. (1st paperback ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-107-26688-9. OCLC 852896224.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. Military innovation in the interwar period. Murray, Williamson., Millet, Alan R. (1st paperback ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-107-26688-9. OCLC 852896224.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Hackett, Bob; Cundall, Peter (2012). "Tetsusei Dai Hatsudotei: IJA Landing Craft Depot Ship Shinshu Maru". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 5 November 2019.

Sources

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