Akagi Maru

The Akagi Maru was one of three Akagi Maru-class Armed merchantmen of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was sunk with great loss of life by air attack on 17 February 1944 in Chuuk Lagoon as a part of the Operation Hailstone.

Background
The Akagi Maru was built in 1936 Mitsubishi's shipyard in Nagasaki for the Nippon Yusen Kaisha. It sailed for NYK between Japan, Europe and South America until it was requisitioned by the IJN on November 1941 and reconverted to an auxiliary cruiser.

Operational history
She sailed in several transports in 1942 and 1943. On 25 January 1944 she departed Tateyama for Truk in a troop transport, which arrived there on 1 February 1944. In the morning of 18 February 1944, Akagi Maru departed Truk for Yokosuka, with 617 passengers in convoy 4215. She was escorted by the light training cruiser JAPANESE CRUISER Katori, destroyers JAPANESE DESTROYER Maikaze and JAPANESE DESTROYER Nowaki, and minesweeping trawler Shonan Maru No. 15.

Half an hour later, the convoy came under a massive attack from Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters and Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo-bombers from the carriers USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Intrepid (CV-11), USS Essex (CV-9), USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) and USS Cowpens (CVL-25). At 0730, a 500-lb bomb hit her forward hold No. 2 and caused heavy damage. At 0910, she took a direct hit by another 500-lb bomb in her starboard hold No. 5. The bomb ignited fuel in nearby tanks and a large fire broke out. At 0955, Akagi Maru took a third hit by a bomb in her port No. 5 hold, which made the ship stop and caused several large explosions. At 1030, Abandon Ship was ordered, and survivors were taken aboard Katori but perished later in the morning with her. Akagi Maru sank at 1047 at position 07-50N, 151-25E in the vicinity of the North Pass. A total of 512 passengers and 788 sailors were lost.