Japanese landing craft carrier Nigitsu Maru
Nigitsu Maru, by Ueda Kihachiro
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Nigitsu Maru |
| Builder | Harima, Harima[1] |
| Completed | March 1943 |
| Fate | Sunk 12 January 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type A Special Purpose Ship |
| Type | Landing craft depot ship |
| Displacement | 11,800 tons (standard)[1] |
| Length | 471 ft 7 in (5,659 in) (pp)[1] |
| Beam | 64 ft (20 m)[1] |
| Draft | 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m) (maximum)[1] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h)[1] |
| Armament | |
Nigitsu Maru (にぎつ丸) was a Japanese "Type A" landing craft carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA).
It was initially planned as a "Type C" landing craft carrier like Akitsu Maru, but was replanned as a "Type A", without any flight deck and looking like a passenger ship.[2]
Design features
Nigitsu Maru was a passenger liner taken over before completion and refitted by the Imperial Japanese Army.
On 9 January 1944 Nigitsu Maru left Palau for Ujina in convoy Fu-901 as the sole merchant ship escorted by the destroyer Amagiri. She carried about 2,000 troops, mainly soldiers of the 12th Independent Engineer Regiment. Three days later off the Okino-Daito Island, southeast of Okinawa, Nigitsu Maru was attacked by the US submarine Hake which fired four torpedoes from the surface. Two hit Nigitsu Maru which sank in eight minutes at 23°15′N 132°51′E / 23.250°N 132.850°E. 456 soldiers, 83 gunners and 35 crewmen were killed. Amagiri picked up the survivors and landed them in Japan.[2]