View source for Sinkyo Maru

{{short description|Japanese cargo steamship}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}} 
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= 
|Ship caption= 
}} 
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header= 
|Ship country= Japan
|Ship name= *1932: ''Shinkyo Maru''
*1938: ''Sinkyo Maru''
|Ship namesake= 
|Ship owner= Chōsen Yusen KK
|Ship operator= 1940: {{flagicon|Japan|navy}} [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]
|Ship registry= 1933: {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Incheon|Jinsen]]
|Ship route= 
|Ship ordered= 
|Ship builder= [[Uraga Dock Company|Uraga Dock Co]], [[Uraga, Kanagawa|Uraga]]
|Ship original cost= 
|Ship yard number= 
|Ship laid down= 25 February 1932
|Ship launched= 24 November 1932
|Ship sponsor= 
|Ship completed= 11 April 1933
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship refit= November – December 1943
|Ship homeport= 1940: [[Sasebo Naval Arsenal|Sasebo]]
|Ship identification= *by 1935: [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] JERG
*{{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|Echo}}{{ICS|Romeo}}{{ICS|Golf}}
|Ship fate= sunk by torpedo, 1944
|Ship notes= 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= 
|Ship type= [[cargo ship]]
|Ship tonnage= {{GRT|2672}}, {{NRT|1554}}
|Ship displacement= 
|Ship length= {{cvt|298.2|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{cvt|44.9|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught= 
|Ship depth= {{cvt|23.6|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship decks= 1
|Ship power= 1 × [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion engine]] + [[:de:Abdampfturbine|exhaust steam turbine]]; 171 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]]
|Ship propulsion= 1 × [[Propeller|screw]]
|Ship speed= {{convert|14|kn|km/h|0}}
|Ship capacity= 
|Ship crew= 
|Ship armament= *1940:
*3 × [[12 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun]]s
*2 × [[Type 93 heavy machine gun]]s
*1 × [[7.7×58mm Arisaka|7.7mm]] [[machine gun]]
*2 × stern-mounted [[Depth charge#Delivery mechanisms|depth charge racks]]
|Ship sensors= 
|Ship notes= [[sister ship]]: ''Seikyo Maru''
}}
|}

'''''Sinkyo Maru''''', formerly [[Romanization of Japanese|romanised]] as '''''Shinkyo Maru''''', was a [[Cargo ship|cargo]] [[steamship]] that was launched in Japan in 1932. The [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] requisitioned her in 1940. She was converted into an [[Auxiliary ship|auxiliary]] [[gunboat]], but also served as a [[minelayer]] and a [[troopship]]. A [[United States Navy]] submarine sank her in the [[Philippines]] in 1944, killing 61 of the people aboard.

==Building==
The [[Uraga Dock Company]] in [[Uraga, Kanagawa]], [[Keel laying|laid the keel plates]] of ''Shinkyo Maru'' on 25 February 1932. She was launched on 24 November that year, and completed on 11 April 1933.<ref name=CF>{{cite web |last1=Casse |first1=Gilbert |last2=Hackett |first2=Bob |last3=Cundall |first3=Peter |date=2020 |title=IJN Shinkyo Maru |work=Combined Fleet |access-date=24 November 2024 |url= https://www.combinedfleet.com/Shinkyo_t.htm}}</ref> Her length was {{cvt|298.2|ft|abbr=on}}; her [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] was {{cvt|44.9|ft|abbr=on}}; and her depth was {{cvt|23.6|ft|abbr=on}}. Her [[tonnage]]s were {{GRT|2672}} and {{NRT|1554}}.<ref name=LR35>{{harvnb|''Lloyd's Register'' 1935|loc=SHI}}</ref> She had a [[Bow (watercraft)#Types|raked bow]], [[Stern#Cruiser|cruiser stern]], and [[well deck]]s fore and aft. She had two masts, and her [[engine room]]; [[Fire room|boiler room]]; [[superstructure]]; and single funnel were amidships.

''Shinkyo Maru'' had a single [[Propeller|screw]]. Her main engine was a three-cylinder [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion engine]]. She also had an [[:de:Abdampfturbine|exhaust steam turbine]], which drove the same [[Drive shaft#Marine drive shafts|propeller shaft]], but via [[Gear train|double reduction gearing]]. The combined power of her reciprocating engine plus exhaust turbine was rated at 171 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]].<ref name=LR35/> They gave her a top speed of {{convert|14|kn|km/h|0}}, and a cruising speed of {{convert|12|kn|km/h}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shinkyo Maru-Class Auxiliary Transport |work=Combined Fleet |access-date=26 November 2024 |url= https://www.combinedfleet.com/Shinkyo_c.htm}}</ref>

In 1934, Uraga built a [[sister ship]] for the same owners. ''Seikyo Maru'' was laid down on 5 May; launched on 20 September; and completed on 15 December.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Casse |first1=Gilbert |last2=Hackett |first2=Bob |last3=Cundall |first3=Peter |title=IJN Seikyo Maru |work=Combined Fleet |date=2020 |access-date=24 November 2024 |url= https://www.combinedfleet.com/Seikyo_t.htm}}</ref>

==Civilian career==
Chōsen Yusen KK owned ''Shinkyo Maru''. She was [[Ship registration|registered]] at Jinsen in [[Korea under Japanese rule|Chōsen]], which is now [[Incheon]] in South Korea. By 1935 her [[Wireless telegraphy|wireless telegraph]] [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] was JERG.<ref name=LR35/> In 1938, the romanisation of her name was changed to ''Sinkyo Maru''.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1939|loc=SIN}} In the 1930s she traded between Chōsen and ports on [[Honshu]], plus at visit to [[Port of Vladivostok|Vladivostok]] in the [[Soviet Union]] in 1933 and 1936.<ref name=CF/>

==Naval career==
On 15 September 1940, the Japanese Navy requisitioned ''Sinkyo Maru''. On 15 October she was attached to the [[Sasebo Naval District]] as an auxiliary [[gunboat]], with [[Sasebo Naval Arsenal|Sasebo]] as her [[home port]]. On 15 November she was rated as No. 12 Gunboat, and on 27 December her conversion was completed. Her [[main battery]] was three [[12 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun]]s. She was also armed with two [[Type 93 heavy machine gun]]s; one [[7.7×58mm Arisaka|7.7mm]] [[machine gun]]; a pair of stern-mounted [[Depth charge#Delivery mechanisms|depth charge racks]]; and 32 depth charges.<ref name=CF/>

On 15 January 1941, ''Sinkyo Maru'' was assigned to [[Minelayer|minelaying]] operations as an auxiliary gunboat. That March and April, she operated off the central coast of China. From June to August, she operated in southern Chinese waters. On 15 October, she was assigned to local defence of Sasebo. She and another converted merchant ship, the auxiliary gunboat ''Shinko Maru No. 5'', formed the Sasebo Local Defence Squadron. On 14 December she was laid 115 type 93 [[Naval mine|mines]] in two [[minefield]]s. Thereafter she returned to defensive patrols.<ref name=CF/>

===1942===
On 6 January 1942, ''Sinkyo Maru'' was involved in a collision with the auxiliary [[Replenishment oiler|oiler]] ''Akatsuki Maru'', in which ''Sinkyo Maru''{{'}}s [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]] was badly damaged. On 15 January she was rated as the [[Ōshima District, Kagoshima|Ōshima]] Area Defence Unit's Sea Surface Defence Unit. On 31 January her bridge was repaired; on 4 February she left Sasebo, and the next day she reached [[Kakeromajima]] in the [[Amami Islands]], off the southern coast of [[Kyushu]]. She was in [[Naha]] on [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] from 20 to 25 February.<ref name=CF/>

[[File:StateLibQld 1 125535 Atsuta Maru (ship).jpg|thumb|The passenger ship ''Atsuta Maru'', before she became a troopship]]
On 30 May 1942, the US Navy submarine {{USS|Pompano|SS-181|6}} crippled the {{GRT|7983}} troopship ''Atsuta Maru''. A flotilla comprising ''Sinkyo Maru''; the auxiliary [[Net laying ship|netlayer]] ''Agata Maru''; and the auxiliary [[submarine chaser]]s ''Ryosui Maru'' and ''Hōkoku Maru No. 3 Go'' put out from Kakeromajima to assist. They made anti-submarine sweeps, and rescued survivors. On 31 May ''Sinkyo Maru'' was ordered to fight the fire aboard ''Agata Maru'', but the fire was too great for her to get close enough to the troopship. ''Atsuta Maru'' sank on 3 June, about {{convert|50|nmi|km}} east of Okinawa.<ref name=CF/>

On 24 July 1942, ''Sinkyo Maru'' left Kakeromajima for the [[Yaeyama Islands]]. From 26 to 30 July she called at [[Ishigaki Island]]; [[Iriomote Island]]; and [[Yonaguni]]; and then at [[Miyakojima, Okinawa]]. She was in Naha from 31 July to 31 August, and then returned to Kakeromajima.<ref name=CF/>

[[File:Hatsuharu-class destroyer Yūgure.jpg|thumb|The [[destroyer]] {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yūgure|1934|2}}]]
On 1 December ''Sinkyo Maru'' left Kakeromajima, and on 3 December she reached Sasebo, where she was [[dry dock]]ed from 5 to 11 December. On 18 December she was assigned to help reinforce the Japanese [[New Guinea campaign]], by taking part in one of the convoys carrying the [[Imperial Japanese Army]]'s 20th and 41st Divisions to [[Wewak]]. Between 20 and 24 December she made a round trip to Kakeromajima and back to unload supplies, and then sailed in East Convoy No. 59 to [[Kawasaki, Kanagawa]], where she arrived on 28 December. She was temporarily fitted with anti-submarine protection equipment; an upgrade to her wireless telegraph; and an additional 13 mm machine gun.<ref name=CF/>

===1943===
On 5 January 1943 she arrived in [[Port of Busan|Busan]], where she embarked 399 troops of the 20th Division and 300 bundles of supplies. She left Busan on 7 January, and reached [[Palau]] in the [[Caroline Islands]] on 15 January. On 19 January she and two other converted merchant ships; ''Aratama Maru'' and ''Juzan Maru''; escorted by the [[destroyer]] {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yūgure|1934|2}}. Together they formed the Third Transport Echelon. The echelon reached Wewak at 0200 hrs on 23 January; disembarked its troops and supplies; and left at 1100 hrs the same day. The echelon got back to Palau on 26 January, and left on 30 January for Japanese-occupied Tsingtao (now [[Qingdao Port|Qingdao]]).<ref name=CF/>

[[File:Fumizuki II.jpg|thumb|The destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Fumizuki|1926|2}}]]
In Tsingtao, ''Sinkyo Maru'' embarked troops, vehicles, supplies and provisions of the 41st Division. On 12 February, she left Tsingtao with ''Aratama Maru'' and ''Juzan Maru'', and ''Yūgure'' joined them as their escort. They called at Palau from 22 to 26 February, and then continued as the Fourth Transport Echelon, with the destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Satsuki|1925|2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Fumizuki|1926|2}} joining ''Yūgure'' to reinforce their escort. On 26 February the echelon reached Wewak at 1200 hrs; disembarked its troops and supplies; and left at 2330 hrs. The echelon got back to Palau on 2 March. ''Sinkyo Maru'' left in 5 March; called at Ōshima on 11 March, and reached Sasebo on 17 March. On 15 March, before she reaches Sasebo, she was attached to the [[5th Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|5th Fleet]]'s 22nd [[picket boat]] squadron.<ref name=CF/>

Early in April 1943, ''Sinkyo Maru'' was assigned to coastal defence of the east coast of Japan. On 21 April she left Sasebo, and in 24 April she arrived at [[Port of Yokosuka|Yokosuka]] on the east coast of Honshu. In May she patrolled north via [[Kushiro]] on [[Hokkaido]] to [[Paramushir]]o in the [[Kuril Islands]]; returning to Yokosuka in June. She continued to patrol the east coast until 3 November. On 11 November she reached [[Port of Yokohama|Yokohama]], and on 19 November she docked at [[Mitsubishi Heavy Industries]]' shipyard there to be refitted and converted. On 4 December she was attached to the Sasebo Naval District as an auxiliary transport.<ref name=CF/>

===1944===
On 31 January 1944, ''Sinkyo Maru''{{'}}s conversion was completed, and she transferred to [[Port of Tokyo|Tokyo]]. On 3 February she left Tokyo. She was at [[Kure Naval Arsenal|Kure]] from 9 to 13 February, and reached [[Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū|Moji]] on 14 February. On 16 February she left Moji as part of Convoy Mota-03, which included six merchant ships, and was escorted by the {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Namikaze||2}} and [[minesweeper]] ''Tian Maru''. On 21 February, US submarines and aircraft attacked Convoy Mota-05. Mota-03 was ordered to remain at Naha, and await the arrival of Mota-05. On 27 February the two convoys merged and left Naha. On 29 February the combined convoy reached Kirun (now [[Port of Keelung|Keelung]]) in [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Taiwan]]. On 5 March, ''Sinkyo Maru'' sailed from Kirun to Takao (now [[Port of Kaohsiung|Kaohsiung]]). On 11 March she left Takao in Convoy Tama-10, which reached [[Port of Manila|Manila]] on 14 March.<ref name=CF/>

[[File:IJN torpedo boat hayabusa 1932.jpg|thumb|The [[Ōtori-class torpedo boat|torpedo boat ''Hayabusa'']] ]]
On 20 March, ''Sinkyo Maru'' left Manila in Convoy H-22, bound for [[Halmahera]] in the [[Maluku Islands]]. There were seven other ships in the convoy, plus two escorts: the {{sclass|Ōtori|torpedo boat}} ''Hayabusa'', and {{sclass|W-19|minesweeper}} ''W-30''. On 23 March, in the [[Basilan Strait]], the auxiliary submarine chaser ''Kyo Maru'' joined H-22; relieving ''W-30''; which detached. On 24 March, off [[Mindanao]], the US Navy submarine {{USS|Bowfin}} made radar contact with H-22. At 23:48 hrs ''Bowfin'' fired her first torpedo salvo, which sank the [[cargo liner]] ''Bengal Maru''. At 2253 hrs she fired another torpedo salvo, which hit ''Sinkyo Maru''. She sank in three minutes at position {{coord|05|37|N|125|58|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}, and 12 members of her crew and 49 of her passengers were killed.<ref name=CF/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |year=1935 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers and Motorships over 300 tons |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1935}} |via=[[Southampton City Council]] |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/35/35b0752.pdf}}
*{{cite book |year=1939 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 tons. Trawlers, tugs, dredgers, etc. |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1939}} |via=Southampton City Council |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/39/39b0820.pdf}}

{{January 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{March 1944 shipwrecks}}

[[Category:1932 ships]]
[[Category:Cargo ships of Japan]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1942]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in March 1944]]
[[Category:Ships built by Uraga Dock Company]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by American submarines]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Steamships of Japan]]
[[Category:Troop ships of Japan]]
[[Category:World War II naval ships of Japan]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]