RYOSHOKUSEN
(Painting of a Japanese passenger-cargo ship by Ueda Kihachiro)
HAKUSAN MARU:
Tabular Record of Movement
© 2009 Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.
14 December 1939:
Tokyo. Laid down at Uraga Dock Co. as a 4,351-ton passenger-cargo ship.
14 August 1940:
Launched and named HAKUSAN MARU.
20 August 1941:
Completed for Nipponkai Kisen K.K., Tokyo.
August 1941-May 1944:
Sea of Japan. HAKUSAN MARU alternates on regular circuit voyages between Niigata, Japan and Rashin (Najin) and Seishin (Chongin), northern Korea carrying passengers and cargo.
2 June 1943:
Departs Rashin harbor, Najin, Korea, after offloading 1,022 tons cargo, 549 passengers and embarking 135 passengers. Later that day, arrives at Seishin. [1]
25 October 1944:
The Government of Japan informs the U. S. government, via the International Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland that a Japanese ship will proceed to a Soviet port to pick up prisoner of war (POW) relief supplies.
28 October 1944:
HAKUSAN MARU departs Kobe.
November 1944:
The Government of Japan informs the U. S. government, via Geneva, that the supplies will be distributed to POWs in Japan proper and other localities as far south "as feasible."
8 November 1944:
HAKUSAN MARU arrives at Nakhodka, Siberia and loads 2,200-tons of relief supplies sent by the American and Canadian Red Cross societies for distribution to British, Canadian, American, Dutch and other Allied POWs and civilian internees.
The POW supplies consist of eleven-pound food parcels that contain such nonperishable items as prunes, raisins, liver pate, coffee, corned beef, sugar, dried milk, oleomargarine, biscuits, orange concentrate, cheese, canned salmon or tuna fish, chocolate bars, cigarettes, and soap. Other packages consist of medical supplies, clothing, toilet articles, and seeds and gardening materials.
In all, there were about 300,000 parcels consisting of 2,661 cases of drugs and medical supplies; 19,500 sets of clothing; 7,080 overcoats; 4,200 pairs of shoes; 125 cases of shoe-repair material; 21,000 sets of toilet articles; 1,000,000 cigarettes; and 299 cases of books and recreational and religious material shipped by the YMCA.
9 November 1944:
Departs Nakhodka and later that day arrives at Moji. [2]
11 November 1944:
Arrives at Kobe. The remaining POW supplies are unloaded.
November 1944-August 1945:
HAKUSAN MARU resumes its regular service between Niigata, Najin and Seishin, Korea.
18 August 1945:
Strikes a mine and sinks off Hagi, Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan.
1946:
Raised and rehabilitated. Later, resumes service.
Circa 1951:
Owners restyled as Nihonkai Kisen Kaisha.
1961:
Sold to Toyo Yusen K.K. Tokyo.
1965:
Japan. Scrapped.
Authors' Note:
[1] This entry is shown as a typical example of the hundreds of regular voyages made by HAKUSAN MARU between Niigata and Korea.
[2] A declassified USN file says: “That same month, HAKUSAN MARU made its first call at a Korean port and unloaded about 150 tons for the prisoners of war held in Korea and Manchuria. The vessel then proceeded to Kobe, where the American Red Cross requested the International Red Cross delegate to supervise the forwarding of the supplies so that they be distributed to all Allied, as well as American, prisoners of war and civilian internees in all Japanese-held areas.”
-Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.
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Prisoner of War Relief Supply Ship Page
