Lisbon Maru

Lisbon Maru was a Japanese freighter which was used as a troopship and prisoner-of-war transport between China and Japan.

When she was sunk by USS Grouper (SS-214) on 1 October 1942, she was carrying, in addition to Japanese Army personnel, almost 2,000 British prisoners of war captured after the fall of Hong Kong in December 1941. Over 800 of these men died either directly as a result of the sinking, or were shot or otherwise killed by the Japanese while swimming away from the wreck. The ship should have carried appropriate markings to alert Allied forces to the nature of its cargo but did not do so.

A reunion of survivors was held on board HMS Belfast (C35) on 2 October 2007 to mark the 65th anniversary of the escape. Six of the former prisoners attended, alongside many bereaved families of escapees.

Aftermath
A memorial was placed in the chapel of Stanley Fort, Hong Kong, which was moved to the chapel of St. Stephen's College, Hong Kong, due to the change of sovereignty of Hong Kong.

In Popular Culture

 * The UK band Fuck Buttons included a song called "The Lisbon Maru" on their album Tarot Sport.