Junyō Maru

The nihongo|"Jun'yō Maru"|順陽丸 was a Japanese cargo ship (one of the "hell ships") that was sunk by the British submarine HMS "Tradewind", resulting in the loss of over five thousand lives.

The ship was built in 1913 by Robert Duncan Co. Glasgow. It displaced 5,065 tons, was 405 ft long, convert|53|ft|m|abbr=on wide, and convert|27.2|ft|m|abbr=on deep. The engines were rated at convert|475|hp|abbr=on. In order to transport prisoners it was fitted out with extra decks constructed of bamboo subdivided into cages of the same material. Deck space was also used for the prisoners.

When it was attacked and sunk on September 18, 1944, by the "Tradewind", the Junyō Maru was packed with 1,377 Dutch, 64 British and Australian, and 8 American [ [http://members.iinet.net.au/~vanderkp/junyopg8.html Junyo Maru - Casualties ] ] prisoners of war along with 4,200 Javanese slave labourers bound for work on the railway line being built between Pakan Baru and Muaro in Sumatra. It was the world's greatest sea disaster at the time with 5,620 dead. 723 survivors were rescued only to be put to work in conditions similar to those of the Burma railway where death was commonplace.

References

* [http://members.iinet.net.au/~vanderkp/junyopg1.html The Sinking of the Junyo Maru]

ee also

*Japanese war crimes in mainland Asia
*List of Japanese hell ships
*Cap Arcona and Thielbek - German prison ships sunk while transporting between 7,000 and 8,000 deportees.