Santos (Manju) Maru Class Auxiliary Submarine Depot Ship


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

In 1941, the SANTOS MARU was requisitioned from her owners by the IJN and ordered converted to a submarine depot ship. In March 1943, she was rerated a transport and renamed MANJU MARU. The MANJU MARU was torpedoed and sunk in the Luzon Strait in 1944.

Builder and Year Completed: Mitsubishi, Nagasaki, 1925
Displacement: 7,266-tons.
Dimensions: 430.8' x 55.8’ x 36’
Propulsion: 2 diesels, 2 shafts.
Armament: One 5.9-inch (150-mm) gun, 4 Type 96 25-mm AA guns, two 13.2-mm MGs, one depth charge thrower.