Santos (Manju) Maru Class Auxiliary Submarine Depot Ship


(Santos Maru by Ueda Kihachiro)

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