KYUHEIKAN!

Stories of the IJN's Ammunition Ships

21 April 2008

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.

(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)