Author Topic: September 18, 1944 - The Sinking of the Jun'yō Maru  (Read 644 times)

Offline Arlo

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September 18, 1944 - The Sinking of the Jun'yō Maru
« on: September 18, 2020, 02:26:55 PM »


September 18, 1944 - Jun'yō Maru, a Japanese cargo ship refitted to carry POWs and slave laborers in World War II, was attacked and sunk by the submarine HMS Tradewind. The sinking was the world's greatest sea disaster at the time with 5,620 dead.
The ship was built in 1913 by Robert Duncan & Co. of Glasgow. It displaced 5,065 tons, was 405 ft long, 53 ft wide, and 27.2 ft deep. The engines were rated at 475 hp.

The ship was built for Lang & Fulton of Greenock as SS Aragorn. In 1917, she was sold to the Norfolk & North American Steamship Company (part of Furness Withy), London, and renamed Hartland Point. In 1918, she was acquired by the Johnstone Line of Liverpool, who renamed her Hartmore in 1920 and sold her in 1921 to the Anglo-Oriental Navigation Company (part of Yule Catto), Liverpool, who renamed her Sureway. In 1926, she was sold to a Japanese company and renamed Junyō Maru, and was later taken over by the Japanese government.

In order to transport prisoners, the ship was fitted out with extra decks constructed of bamboo subdivided into cages of the same material. Deck space was also used for the prisoners. On September 18, 1944, by HMS Tradewind, Junyō Maru was packed with 1,377 Dutch, 64 British and Australian, and 8 U.S. prisoners of war along with 4,200 Javanese slave laborers bound for work on the railway line being built between Pakan Baru and Muaro in Sumatra. She was attacked by HMS Tradewind, a British submarine of the third group of the T class. It was the world's greatest sea disaster at the time with 5,620 dead.  680 survivors were rescued, only to be put to work in conditions similar to those of the Burma Railway where death was commonplace.

IMAGE: Japanese cargo ship Jun'yō Maru in 1933

SOURCE: Naval History and Heritage Command

Anticipating a 'spam' whine in 3 ... 2 ...

Offline Shuffler

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Re: September 18, 1944 - The Sinking of the Jun'yō Maru
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2020, 04:37:15 PM »
You don't hear much about those slaves or modern slaves.
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Offline Arlo

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Re: September 18, 1944 - The Sinking of the Jun'yō Maru
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2020, 04:45:12 PM »
Hey, don't spam me, pal.  :D

Just kiddin'. That term is way over-abused.

Offline Shuffler

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Re: September 18, 1944 - The Sinking of the Jun'yō Maru
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2020, 06:55:38 PM »
Hey, don't spam me, pal.  :D

Just kiddin'. That term is way over-abused.

I'm a slave to posting.
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S.A.P.P.- Secret Association Of P-38 Pilots (Lightning In A Bottle)

Offline Arlo

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Re: September 18, 1944 - The Sinking of the Jun'yō Maru
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2020, 07:16:11 PM »
I'm a slave to posting.

Me, too, I've been told.  :banana: