Tsushima Maru


Tsushima Maru was a Japanese passenger/cargo ship that was sunk by the submarine USS Bowfin during World War II, while carrying hundreds of schoolchildren from Okinawa to Kagoshima.

Description

On August 22, 1944, at between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. local time, USS Bowfin attacked the convoy in which Tsushima Maru was sailing and sank her, close to the island of Akusekijima. Tsushima Maru Commemoration Association Survey Data, reported a total of 1,661 civilian evacuees, including 834 schoolchildren. Shortly after the sinking a "gag order" was enforced and families and survivors rarely spoke about the incident. The number of victims that have been identified by name, based on notifications from bereaved families, include 780 schoolchildren.
The ship was part of Convoy Namo 103, which consisted of the following ships:
Its wreck was located and identified in December 1997.