KYUHEIKAN!

Stories of the IJN's Ammunition Ships

26 September 2009

By Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

Discussion & Questions



(Cargo ship by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships")

KASHINO was specifically built to transport the YAMATO-class batttleships' main guns and turrets from Kure Naval Arsenal to the shipbuilders' yard. Later, she served as an ammunition transport.

SOYA was an auxiliary ammunition ship. During the war she was based at Rabaul. She survived the war and then served with the Allied Repatriation Service. Later, she served with the Japanese Martime Safety Agency on expeditions to the South Pole.

ARATAMA MARU was another of the IJN's auxiliary ammunition ships. Torpedoed by USS SEAHORSE in April 1944, she was abandoned off Guam as a total loss.

Auxiliary ammunition ship HITACHI MARU was bombed and sunk by American aircraft off Buin, Bougainville in Feb '43, while auxiliary ammunition ship TATSUTAKE MARU was torpedoed and sunk by USS PLUNGER in May '43.

(Classes link to specifications summaries)

KASHINO Class

Kashino (posted 12/21/2007)

SOYA Class

Soya(posted 12/21/2007)

ARATAMA MARU Class

Aratama Maru(posted 4/21/2008)

HITACHI MARU Class

Hitachi Maru(posted 10/25/2008)

ONOE MARU Class

Onoe Maru(posted 2/13/2009)

TATSUTAKE MARU Class

Tatsutake Maru(posted 9/26/2009)