Built: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Nagasaki, Japan 1929
Launched: 1929
Displacement: 16,975 tons
(Lloyds gross tons 16,975; below deck 11,576; nett 10,017)
Length: 560 feet (583 feet OL)
Breadth: 72 feet
Draught: 42.5 feet
Propulsion: Four Sulzer 8ST68 diesels - two from Winterthur & two license built by Mitsubishi, Japan. (Bore 680mm, stroke 1000mm, max HP/cylinder - 1,000; first ordered 1927).
Auxiliary engines: four 675hp engines
Screws: Four
Speed: 17.5 knots
Passengers: 822 (first class 222, second class 96, third class 504)
Crew: 330
These three ships (Asama Maru and sisters Tatsuta Maru & Chichibu Maru) were built for the NYK Line (Nippon Yusen Kaisha) for service between the Far East & the United States. Their interior design had a very period British style, Japanese influences were held to a minimum. Principal ports visited included Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kobe, Yokohama, Honolulu, Los Angeles & San Francisco. The Yokohama - San Francisco crossing would take about fifteen days, by the end of the 1930's such a trip would cost US$190 for 2nd Class or US$315 for 1st Class.
On October 11th 1929 the Asama Maru began her maiden voyage from Yokohama to Honolulu and San Francisco. This was the first passenger liner in Japan propelled by diesel engines.
The Asama Maru would set the record for fastest crossing of Pacific on the Yokohama - San Francisco route, this passage was normally a fortnightly service.
On September 2nd 1937 a strong typhoon hit the Hong Kong area, although not the strongest recorded it was the most powerful one remembered by those living at the time. Twenty eight ocean-going vessels were caught up in the storm, with many more fishing vessels and junks going down with their crews. In all an estimated 11,000 lives were lost. The tide rose to a level of eighteen feet, a high of eight feet being the norm. An eighteen foot tidal wave was responsible for the great loss of life and property damage. In the harbour the Asama Maru struck the cargo ship Talamba which was driven ashore near Lye Mun Pass and sustained considerable damage. The Asama Maru was itself driven ashore, but remained upright and sustaining only minimal damage (see picture below).
At noon on January 6th 1940 the Asama Maru sailed from San Francisco for Yokohama via Honolulu, on a voyage that would feature an international incident, a small facet perhaps of the 'phony war'. Having left Honolulu on January 11th the westbound voyage sailed into severe gales en-route and very near the end of its journey it encountered and was stopped by the British light cruiser HMS Liverpool (Gloucester class?) at about 12.50 hours on January 21st at a point 35 miles off Nojima Zaki, Chiba Prefecture.
Initially the Asama Maru failed to yield but a blank round fired by the HMS Liverpool saw the ship stopped and boarded by a party of thirteen armed sailors. In the face of the captain's protestations, the inspection party questioned the fifty German passengers on the Asama Maru. From the information obtained twenty one of the German passengers were removed from the ship.
One source suggested the Germans removed to the HMS Liverpool were all highly qualified technicians being sent to Japan to service German surface raiders and U-boats which were soon to begin operating in the Pacific area. In reality their story was less dramatic, the seamen had previously worked on Standard Oil Company tankers and having been dismissed from their duties were trying to make their way home to Germany, at this time throughout the Americas there were approximately 450 German sailers stranded in ports trying to find a way back to Germany. In addition Ellis Island also held 576 seaman from the scuttled German liner Columbus. (The Columbus had been scuttled in international waters 450 miles east of Cape May, New Jersey, USA on December 19th 1939. The obvious route of reaching Europe by the North Atlantic routes was now almost impossible).
The Japanese government protested the boarding on the basis of Article 47, London Declaration of 1909 (which was in fact not ratified by any government), that only persons actually enlisted in the armed services of belligerent nations could be removed from the ships of neutral countries while Great Britain adhered to the broad interpretation that any male personnel 18 to 50 years of age and physically fit for military service could be taken as prisoners of war whether they were passengers or crew members.
This action occurred very close to the coast of Japan and had all the makings of 'a first class scandal' (Joseph C Grew, American ambassador). Since the British were preparing for a major land engagement in Europe and the Japanese were weary of a campaign in China, neither government was looking to open up a new front. So it would be left for the diplomats to resolve the fallout from this matter. Additionally the leadership of the Japanese government had only just changed, the newly-organized moderate Yonai Cabinet had rejected military efforts to create a closer alliance with Germany whilst endeavouring to maintain favourable relations with Great Britain and the USA. Thus there was a large segment within Japan hoping to see the new government fail. For about two weeks following the incident the diplomats worked through their channels with resolution reached to the satisfaction of both governments. The Japanese would no longer provide passage to Germans of military age across the Pacific Ocean, whilst British passengers would be accepted for passage by Japanese shipping companies with minimal inquiry about their military status. The agreement also called for the return of nine of the Germans taken from the ship.
As the furor subsided so the Asama Maru returned to its regular duties in crossing the Pacific.
On its eastbound crossing at the beginning of May 1941 the ship was almost completely filled with Jewish refugees from Poland who had come via Siberia & Japan with the help of famed Japanese counsel Sugihara.
On June 29th 1941 the Asama Maru sailed for Batavia (Djakarta) under temporary German charter to pick up four hundred German and Italian nationals detained in the Dutch East Indies since the invasion of the Netherlands by Axis forces.
Approximately 450 Japanese civilians were evacuated by the Asama Maru from Singapore on November 6th 1941
Was this the last Japanese ship to leave Pearl Harbor prior to the onset of war?
On June 17th 1942 a number of US & British diplomats including the American Ambassador to Japan, Joseph Grew were transferred from Tokyo to Yokohama, here they boarded the Asama Maru which remained at anchor until June 25th when the ship sailed shortly after midnight. The ship travelled via Hong Kong and Saigon to the Portuguese East Africa port of Lourenco Marques to exchange Japanese diplomats arriving on the Swedish liner Gripsholm. The Gripsholm had sailed from New York with homeward bound diplomats, employees of Japanese companies and students. It had called in at Rio de Janeiro en-route. Two other NYK ships (Tatsuta Maru & Kamakura Maru) were also present. On their return the ships carried large white crosses on the decks, they remained well lit at night and passengers constantly carried life vests. They called in at Singapore before arriving back at Yokohama on August 20th. The Asama Maru was also carrying almost 7,000 Red Cross parcels for British prisoners-of-war held in Japan.
At least three journeys were made transporting prisoners-of-war in its holds. On October 10th, 1942 it carried 1,000 POWs on a thirteen day trip from Makassar, Celebes to Nagasaki, Japan. On November 1st, 1942 it began a five day voyage, taking twenty POWs from Wake Island to Yokohama, Japan. On September 21st, 1943 the ship took seventy one POWs on an eighteen day voyage from Singapore to Moji, Japan. The conditions under which the POW's were moved were bad, the holds were poorly vented, with little food & water, no medical attention or toilet facilities.
On February 24th 1944 the USS Grayback torpedoed and sank the Japanese tanker Nanho Maru (10033 BRT) some twenty miles east of Formosa (position 24.20N, 122.25E) and damaged the troop transport Asama Maru (position 24.15N, 122.19E).
On its first patrol since commissioning, the US submarine Atule (SS403) had sailed from Hawaii early in October 1944 towards Manila in search of Japanese shipping. It's intended patrol area was the Luzon Strait and the South China Sea. On November 1st surface contact was made with a fast moving escorted troopship, the Asama Maru - despite rain squalls and heavy seas the Atule fired off six torpedoes, one of which found its mark on the Asama Maru causing a considerable explosion which eventually led to the ship sinking at position 20.09N 117.38E. This was the first vessel sunk by the Atule.
Sister Ships
Tatsuta Maru
Same dimensions as the Asama Maru - maiden voyage in April 1930 between Yokohama & San Francisco. Name amended to Tatuta Maru in 1938.
The ship became a troop transport for Japanese Navy during 1941.
Travelled from Japan to Wake Island March 12th - 16th 1942.
The Tatsuta Maru carried 663 Canadian POWs from Hong Kong to Nagasaki on January 19th - 22nd 1943. It also made another voyage carrying British embassy staff from Tokyo, Yokohama and Kobe leaving Yokohama on July 30th, 1942 for a ten-week voyage via Singapore to Lourenco Marques where the British personnel were exchanged for Japanese diplomats and supplies from England, Australia and India.
In working back from Lourenco Marques in August 1942 the Tatsuta Maru carried 48,818 Red Cross parcels to Singapore intended for British POW's in the region.
The USS Tarpon (SS-175) after a recent refit at Pearl Harbor resumed patrols on 10 January 1943 in Japanese home waters, south of Honshu. At 21.30 on 1 February, approximately 27 miles south of Mikurashima, the submarine fired four torpedoes at a ship and scored one hit. A follow-up attack with two torpedoes broke the 10,935-ton passenger-cargo ship Fushima Maru in two. Four days later, the Tarpon moved to patrolling the sea lanes leading to Truk. On 8 February, radar contact was made on the Tatsuta Maru, working as a troopship between Yokosuka and Truk. A spread of four torpedoes were fired, all hit the target leading to the loss of 1,400 lives on the ship. The submarine was forced to go deep by escorts and could not watch the 16,975 ton transport sink some 42 miles east of Mikura Jima in position 33.45N, 140.25E.
Chichibu Maru
A half sister to the above two ships - was slightly larger with only one funnel.
Length: 178 metres
Beam: 22.6 metres
Gross tonnage: 17,498 tons
Speed 19kn
Passengers: 817
Built 1930 by the Yokohama Dock Co, Yokohama, Japan.
The ship was renamed Titibu Maru in 1938 and then to Kamakura Maru in 1939.
In 1942 she became a transport ship for the Japanese Navy and was also used as a hospital ship.
Reported Prisoner of War movements were from Singapore on November 28th 1942 to Nagasaki, Japan by December 7th with a total of 2,213 POW's.
And on February 26th 1943 she sailed from Makassar, Celebes to Singapore by March 1st with ten POW's aboard.
The ship was scheduled to be converted to an escort-carrier around 1943 (38 aircraft) but before this could commence the ship was sunk on April 28th 1943 by USS Gudgeon (SS 217) some thirty miles south west of Naso Point, Panay Phillipines in position 10.25 N., 121.50 E. The Gudgeon claimed three hits out of four torpedoes fired.
The Kamakura Maru was unescorted at the time, probably relying on her speed to keep clear of submarines. The torpedoes were fired at 01.00 hrs and according to the submarine report she sank in twelve minutes. In the dark the Gudgeon had only seen the silhouette of the liner. About a year later the Gudgeon would sail into history, lost without trace, presumably sunk by Japanese air attack.
The Kamakura Maru was the largest Japanese troopship sunk.
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An advertisement from about 1930 used to promote the Asama Maru and its Sulzer diesel engines. |
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A publicity view of the Asama Maru. |
Further notes on the Asama Maru incident of January 1940
The following notes come from two emails received from a descendant of one of the German civilian seaman caught up in the events that preceded the Asama Maru incident and are recorded here as an interesting offshoot of a difficult time and the result of much research.
First email
I have documents from the German, English, and Japanese archives which dispute the information. The 21 Germans who were removed from the Asama Maru were all civilian seaman who shipped on oil tankers for the Panama Transit Company a wholly owned subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company. None were in the military, rather they were just of
military age. None of the men onboard the Asama Maru were from the scuttled Columbus. The men were initially interned in Hong Kong at LaSalle College. On 2/29/1940 nine of the men were transported via the Australian Cruiser Canibula to Japan and released.
In May of 1940 a telegram was sent to the Hague informing the Dutch that the remaining civilian seamen were to be transferred from internment in Hong Kong to Ceylon. These same men were subsequently interned in Singapore and Alberta, Canada. According to a daughter of one of the seaman removed from the Asama Maru, her father was not returned to Germany until 1946.
What was important about this event, was that hundreds of civilian seaman of axis nations were stranded in American ports in 1939. The Asama Maru incident justified not repatriating any of the seaman. Basically, Standard Oil retained the men's passports starting in August of 1939 until they were interned in May of 1941 (7 months before Pearl Harbor). However by confiscating the passports the seamen could not leave the country anyway. The government could not intern them legally in 1939 since the US was a neutral nation. (Britain and it's
protectorates & colonies, Canada, and Australia did intern the men that were caught in ports across the western hemisphere).
The men always wondered why they were allowed freedom until May of 1941 and then rounded up for internment. After reviewing the archival documents, my conclusion is that the presidential election made it politically inconvenient to intern the men until 1941.(my opinion is confirmed in the book "Shooting the War" by one of the officers of the scuttled Columbus, Otto Giese.) Only 3% of the US public favored involvement in the European war in 1939. Although Roosevelt received much pressure from England to enter the war in 1939 he had to influence public opinion first. If he would have interned the men in 1939 it might have influenced his re-election bid.
Almost immediately after the Asama Maru incident Standard Oil announced that they would scuttle all plans to repatriate the seaman. By stopping the Asama Maru and seizing the seaman the Allies removed all axis national seaman from oil tankers and stopped all repatriation on the basis that the "Atlantic was to dangerous to repatriate the Standard Oil seaman." Almost, all of the seaman stranded in US ports were sent to Ft. Lincoln, ND for internment. (my father was one of the seaman).
List of the 21 men removed from the Asama Maru and their ages (the last nine on the list ended up released on 2/29/40) Four of the men retained in internment did have registered patents in Germany. After reviewing the patents, however none were related to national defense.
Bohnsack, Rudolf 29;
Gnirs, Karl 31;
Grimm, Fritz 31;
Gottke, Walter 29;
Heino, Xaverius 30;
Jachowski, Walter 30;
Kempfer, Kurt 26;
Hartmann, Oswald 34;
Oesterle, Karl 33;
Schleyer, Karl 19;
Schroder, Hermann 39;
Wesselhofft, Johnny 36;
Herman Groth 40;
Arthur Kruger 36;
Willy Plucas 29;
Hans Hartwig 19;
Rudolf Kaselau 30;
Paul Rupprecht 18;
Otto Wantke 59;
Eduard Lege 34;
Albert Dankowski 36.
Men from the scuttled Columbus were on the Asama Maru's 60th voyage homeward in October of 1940 rather than the 55th voyage homeward in January of 1940. The men were listed on the passenger roster as American students.
Second Email
Thank you for your quick and receptive response. Perhaps, you can tell by my comments that I have went to great lengths to confirm the details of the Asama Maru. Internet resources have proved to be most helpful in my journey to understand the Asama Maru incident but many times, maybe even most of the time information on the web has detailed the Asama Maru events incorrectly. Not on purpose, but rather due to a lack of primary documents. Since I believe your website was trying to detail the truth regarding the incident, I felt you would appreciate the corrections. Certainly, I appreciate it when my research is challenged or corrected.
About a year ago, I found a gentlemen who was on the Asama Maru when the incident took place. He had a one line post on an obscure blog stating that at 17 he was traveling on the Asama Maru when it was apprehended. He further stated that if any one was interested in the details of the incident he would be happy to respond. Unfortunately, the blog comments were several years old and the email address was no longer valid. Fortunately, he had signed his full name on the blog. I searched for his name across the US and through a process of elimination sent a letter out asking if he might be the person who made the post. I could not believe my luck when he called me and confirmed he was one and the same.
He had written a paper on the Asama Maru incident but never published it. He had hoped one day to write a book but never quite got around to it. He is now 85 and suffers from prostate cancer and has given up any desire to write a book. Anyway, he has been wonderful in providing information on the incident. In fact, he has given me permission to use the information in anyway I desire. I asked Gerald Steele from the UK to post Mr. Dunham's narration of the incident on his website at http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/ecagrs/C%20G%20Dunham.pdf since I do not have a website. Gerald's interest in the incident is because of his father's WWII military experiences in the British navy.
As you probably can tell my research is personally motivated, I am searching for my father's WWII experiences. I never set out to write a book rather I had two objectives to find out the details of my father's journey in the context of the times and to try to find out if I have any living relatives in Germany. My father died when I was a child of six he took his WWII history to his grave. Shortly, after his death his mother died and then we lost contact with his only living brother. Unfortunately, I have not been able to obtain my Uncle's military records from the German archives because his name is too common and I need his precise birthdate which I do not have. So the search continues.
As I continue the research, I am hopeful that one day I can partner with a known author interested enough in the story of the German WWII civilian seaman's story to use my research to write a book. If I wrote the book, most likely few would read it. Consequently, until a book is written I thought the best way to make information available is on the internet through others websites by providing documented information.
Thanks again, for your response.
Shirley A Weiss
Page added October 1st 2005
Last updated August 1st 2009
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