Kamikawa Maru-class seaplane tender

The Kamikawa Maru-class cargo ship (神川丸型貨物船, Kamikawa Maru-gata Kamotsusen) was a type of cargo ship of Japan, serving during the 1930s and World War II. Four of the five ships of the class were converted to seaplane tenders during the war.

Kamikawa Maru
Kamikawa Maru
Class overview
NameKamikawa Maru-class Cargo ship
BuildersKawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation
Operators
Built1936–1940
In commission1937–1969
Planned5
Completed5
Lost4
Retired1 (Kiyokawa Maru)
General characteristics
TypeCargo ship/Seaplane tender
Displacement6,853 to 6,872 long tons (6,963 to 6,982 t) gross
Length
  • 145.0 m (475 ft 9 in) Lpp
  • 146.15 m (479 ft 6 in) waterline
Beam19.0 m (62 ft 4 in)
Draught8.23 m (27 ft 0 in)
Propulsion
  • Kamikawa Maru
  • 1 × MAN-Kawasaki D7Z-70/120T diesel
  • single shaft, 9,137 bhp
  • Kiyokawa Maru
  • 1 × MAN-Kawasaki D7Z-70/120T diesel
  • single shaft, 8,810 bhp
  • Kimikawa Maru
  • 1 × MAN-Kawasaki D7Z-70/120T diesel
  • single shaft, 8,867 bhp
  • Kunikawa Maru
  • 1 × MAN-Kawasaki D7Z-70/120T diesel
  • single shaft, 8,880 bhp
  • Hirokawa Maru
  • 1 × MAN-Kawasaki D8Z-70/120T diesel, single shaft, 9,980 bhp
Speed
  • Kamikawa Maru and Kiyokawa Maru
  • 19.5 knots (22.4 mph; 36.1 km/h)
  • Kimikawa Maru and Kunikawa Maru
  • 19.4 knots (22.3 mph; 35.9 km/h)
  • Hirokawa Maru
  • 19.2 knots (22.1 mph; 35.6 km/h)
Capacity650,000 cu ft (18,000 m3) freight as cargo ship
Crew65 as cargo ship
Armament
Aircraft carried
  • Kamikawa Maru, Kiyokawa Maru, Kimikawa Maru and Kunikawa Maru
  • up to 12 float plane
Aviation facilities
  • Kamikawa Maru, Kiyokawa Maru, Kimikawa Maru and Kunikawa Maru
  • catapult and deck

History

In 1930, the Ōsaka Mercantile Steamship Co.Ltd. (O.S.K. Lines) put into service the Kinai Maru-class cargo ship[1] on the Japan-New York route. Competing Japanese steamship companies produced and placed their own cargo ships on the North America route.

In 1936, the Kawasaki Line built four Kamikawa Maru-class ships. They had much higher cruising speeds and capacity than their competitors. However, they were commandeered in sequence and did not survive to the end of the war.

Ships in class
Construction data
Name Kanji Builder Laid down Launched Completed Owner
Kamikawa Maru 神川丸 Kawasaki, Kōbe Shipyard 5 August 1936 13 December 1936 15 March 1937 Kawasaki Line
Kiyokawa Maru 聖川丸 21 October 1936 16 February 1937 15 May 1937 Kawasaki Line; Kōbe Line (and after 15 August 1963)
Kimikawa Maru 君川丸 2 November 1936 11 March 1937 15 July 1937 Kawasaki Line
Kunikawa Maru 國川丸 11 March 1937 12 June 1937 1 November 1937 Kawasaki Line
Hirokawa Maru 宏川丸 6 April 1939 10 May 1940 12 October 1940 Kawasaki Line

Service
Kamikawa Maru
Date Event
18 September 1937 Enlisted by the Navy
19 September 1937 classified to Auxiliary seaplane tender
1 October 1937 Assigned to the 3rd Fleet
1 December 1937 Assigned to the 3rd Carrier Division, 3rd Fleet
1 February 1938 3rd Carrier Division was transferred to the 5th Fleet
1 July 1938 Assigned to the 3rd Fleet
15 December 1938 Classified to Auxiliary aircraft transport
15 November 1939 Classified to Auxiliary seaplane tender, assigned to the China Area Fleet
1 April 1940 Assigned to the 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet
15 November 1940 Assigned to the 6th Carrier Division, Combined Fleet
10 April 1941 Assigned to the 12th Carrier Division, 3rd Fleet
7 December 1941 Sortie for the Battle of Malaya
10 March 1942 Assigned to the 4th Fleet
18 April 1942 Sortie for Operation MO
20 May 1942 Assigned to the 11th Carrier Division, Southeast Area Fleet
28 May 1942 Sortie for Operation MI
15 June 1942 Sortie for Operation AL
14 July 1942 11th Carrier Division was moved to the 2nd Fleet
23 August 1942 Sortie for the Guadalcanal Campaign
1 April 1943 11th Carrier Division was moved to the Southeast Area Fleet
15 April 1943 11th Carrier Division was disbanded
29 May 1943 Sunk by USS Scamp at northwest of Kavieng 01°36′S 150°24′E
15 July 1943 Removed from naval ship list and discharged
Kayokawa Maru
Date Event
28 September 1941 Enlisted by the Navy
5 October 1941 Classified to Auxiliary seaplane tender
10 November 1941 Assigned to the 4th Fleet
6 December 1941 Sortie for the Battle of Guam
23 December 1941 Sortie for the Battle of Wake Island
6 January 1942 Sortie for the Battle of Rabaul
1 December 1942 Classified to Auxiliary transport, and assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District
1 April 1943 Classified to Auxiliary seaplane tender, and assigned to the 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet, Southwest Area Fleet
1 July 1943 Assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet
1 October 1943 Classified to Auxiliary transport
1 June 1944 Assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District
14 July 1944 Entry to the Hi-68 Convoy
20 August 1944 Entry to the TaMo-26 Convoy
14 November 1944 Entry to the Convoy Hi-81
8 December 1944 Entry to the MaMo-25 Convoy
29 January 1945 Entry to the Hi-93 Convoy
11 February 1945 Entry to the Hi-88C Convoy
25 February 1945 Entry to the TaMo-44 Convoy
16 March 1945 Entry to the MoTa-43 Convoy
1 April 1945 Entry to the TaMo-53 Convoy
20 July 1945 Sunk by air raid at Kaminoseki
30 November 1945 Discharged
9 December 1947 Refloated
20 October 1949 Repairs were completed
15 August 1963 Sold to Kōbe Line
14 December 1969 Scrapped
Kimikawa Maru
Date Event
6 July 1941 Enlisted by the Navy
25 July 1941 Classified to Auxiliary seaplane tender
1 September 1941 Assigned to the 5th Fleet
10 December 1941 Assigned to the 21st Division, 5th Fleet
1 September 1941 Removed from 21st Division
8 June 1942 Sortie for the Operation AL
1 October 1943 Classified to Auxiliary transport and assigned to the Northeast Area Fleet
20 November 1943 Assigned to the Combined Fleet
13 July 1944 Entry to the Hi-69 Convoy
2 October 1944 Entry to the Hi-76 Convoy
21 October 1944 Entry to the Mata-30 Convoy
23 October 1944 Sunk by submarine USS Sawfish at WNW of Cape Bojeador 18°58′S 118°40′E
10 December 1944 Removed from naval ship list and discharged
Kunikawa Maru
Date Event
31 October 1941 Enlisted by the Navy
10 November 1941 Classified to Auxiliary transport
10 December 1941 Assigned to the Combined Fleet
14 July 1942 Classified to Auxiliary seaplane tender, and assigned to the 4th Fleet
24 August 1942 Sortie for the Solomon Islands campaign
1 April 1943 Assigned to the 11th Carrier Division, Southeast Area Fleet
15 April 1943 Removed from 11th Carrier Division
3 May 1943 Entry to the No. 2023 Convoy
8 May 1943 Entry to the No. 4508 Convoy
1 June 1943 Entry to the No. 3601A Convoy
5 August 1943 Entry to the No. 4805 Convoy
15 September 1943 Entry to the No. 3914 Convoy
28 September 1943 Entry to the No. 1292 Convoy
1 October 1943 Classified to Auxiliary transport, and assigned to the Kure Naval District
16 October 1943 Entry to the O-602B Convoy
1 November 1943 Entry to the No. 7101 Convoy
21 December 1943 Entry to the Hi-27 Convoy
20 March 1944 Entry to the H-22 Convoy
29 March 1944 Struck a naval mine at Balikpapan
8 May 1944 Temporary repairs were completed, however struck a naval mine once again; Later sank in shallow water
26 September 1944 Refloated and temporary repairs were completed
21 May 1945 Sunk by air raid
30 November 1945 Discharged
3 May 1947 Removed from naval ship list
Hirokawa Maru
Date Event
8 February 1941 Enlisted by the Army; Classified to Nucleus Anti-Aircraft vessel
8 December 1941 Sortie for the Battle of Malaya; Landed the Andō Detachment, 5th Infantry Division at Pattani
20 February 1942 Sortie for the Dutch East Indies campaign; Landed the 16th Army at Palembang
23 March 1942 Sortie for the Invasion of the Andaman Islands; Landed the one battalion of the 18th Division at Ross Island
14 October 1942 Sortie for the Guadalcanal Campaign
15 October 1942 Landed the one battalion of the 38th Division at Guadalcanal; Damaged by U.S. aircraft and artillery, sunk by destroyer USS Meade at Tassafaronga Point

Photos
  • Kawasaki Line Kiyokawa Maru
    Kawasaki Line Kiyokawa Maru
  • Kawasaki Line Kimikawa Maru
    Kawasaki Line Kimikawa Maru
  • Kawasaki Line Kunikawa Maru
    Kawasaki Line Kunikawa Maru
  • Kawasaki Line Hirokawa Maru
    Kawasaki Line Hirokawa Maru
  • IJN Kamikawa Maru circa 1939 at Xiamen
    IJN Kamikawa Maru circa 1939 at Xiamen
  • IJN Kamikawa Maru in June 1942 at Kiska
    IJN Kamikawa Maru in June 1942 at Kiska
  • IJN Kimikawa Maru in Autumn 1942 at Ōminato Naval Base
    IJN Kimikawa Maru in Autumn 1942 at Ōminato Naval Base
  • IJN Kimikawa Maru in April 1943 at Ōminato Naval Base
    IJN Kimikawa Maru in April 1943 at Ōminato Naval Base
  • IJN Kamikawa Maru-class in 1943
    IJN Kamikawa Maru-class in 1943
  • IJN Kimikawa Maru in Summer 1943
    IJN Kimikawa Maru in Summer 1943
  • IJN Kiyokawa Maru (above) on 10 March 1942
    IJN Kiyokawa Maru (above) on 10 March 1942

Footnotes
  1. 8300 tons, 18.5 kt. Kinai Maru (畿内丸), Hokuriku Maru (北陸丸), Tōkai Maru (東海丸), San'yō Maru (山陽丸), Nankai Maru (南海丸), Hokkai Maru (北海丸), Kantō Maru (関東丸), and Kansai Maru (関西丸).

Bibliography
  • Tashirō Iwashige, The visual guide of Japanese wartime merchant marine, "Dainippon Kaiga". Archived from the original on 2002-12-07. (Japan), May 2009
  • Shinshichirō Komamiya, The Wartime Convoy Histories, "Shuppan Kyōdōsha". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-09-11. (Japan), October 1987
  • Monthly Ships of the World, "Kaijinsha". (Japan)
    • No. 481, Special issue Vol. 40, History of Japanese aircraft carriers, May 1994
    • No. 525, June 1997
    • No. 600, September 2002
  • Science of the Ships No. 403, Ministry of Transport, May 1982
  • The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No. 25, Japanese seaplane tenders w/ auxiliary seaplane tenders, "Ushio Shobō". (Japan), March 1979
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