List of Japanese hell ships

See also: Prisoner-of-war camp

This list of Japanese hell ships encompasses those vessels used for transporting Allied prisoners of war during the Pacific War.

Select list

The names of the Japanese hell ships used during World War II includes some variants which are different names referring to the same ship.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

• Aikoku Aikoku Maru (1940)
• Aki Maru (Japanese Kyūjitai: 安藝丸, Shinjitai: 安芸丸)
• Akikase
• Akitsuki
• Amagi Maru
• Anami Maru
• Aramis
• Argentina Maru
• Arisan Maru – sunk by USS Snook 24 October 1944.
• Asaka Maru
• Asama Maru – sunk by USS Atule 1 November 1944.^≠
• Awa Maru^≠ – sunk by USS Queenfish 1 April 1945
• Benjo Maru
• Brazil Maru^‡ – bombed 15 December 1944
• Burong
• Canadian Inventor
• Canadian Prince
• Celebes Maru
• Chichibu Maru – sunk by USS Gudgeon 28 April 1943
• Cho Saki Maru
• Chuka Maru^‡
• Chuyo – sunk by USS Sailfish 4 December 1943
• Clyde Maru
• Coral Maru
• Dai Moji Maru
• Dai Nichi Maru
• Daikeku Maru
• Dainichi Maru
• DeKlerk
• England Maru
• Enoshima Maru
• Enoura Maru
• Enuri Maru
• Erie Maru
• France Maru
• Fuji Maru^‡
• Fukkai Maru
• Fuku Maru
• Fukuji Maru
• Fukuju Maru
• Hakuroku Maru
• Hakusan Maru – sunk by USS Flier 4 June 1944
• Hakushika Maru
• Haru Maru
• Harukiku Maru (治菊丸, Ex-Dutch Ship Van Waerwijck) – sunk by HMS Truculent 26 June 1944, 180 of 720 POWs and 27 of 55 Japanese troops killed
• Haruyasa Maru
• Hawaii Maru (はわい丸, Hawai Maru)
• Heiyo Maru
• Hioki Maru
• Hiyoki Maru
• Hofuku Maru sunk 21 September 1943
• Hokko Maru
• Hokusen Maru (北鮮丸)
• Hozan Maru
• Ikoma Maru
• Ikuta Maru
• Interisland Steamer
• Junyō Maru – torpedoed with loss of over 5,000 lives, including 1,300 POWs
• Kachidoki Maru – sunk by Pampanito on 12 September 1944. Of 900 POWs, 400 perished. The remaining were transferred to the Kibitsu Maru and taken on to Japan
• Kaishun Maru
• Kaiun Maru
• Kakko Maru
• Kalgan Maru
• Kamakura Maru – sunk by USS Gudgeon 28 April 1943
• Kenkon Maru (乾坤丸)
• Kenwa Maru
• Kenzan Maru
• Kibitzu Maru
• Kohho Maru
• Kokusei Maru
• Konosue Maru
• Koryu Maru
• Kōshū Maru^‡
• Kunishima Maru
• Kurimata Maru
• Kyokko Maru
• Kyokusei Maru
• Lima Maru^≠
• Lisbon Maru (りすぼん丸, Risubon Maru)^≠
• Maebashi Maru (前橋丸, Maebashi Maru)
• Makassar Maru
• Maros Maru
• Maru Go (5)
• Maru Hachi (8)
• Maru Ichi (1)
• Maru Ni (2)
• Maru No. 760
• Maru Roku
• Maru San (3)
• Maru Shi (4)
• Maru Shichi (7)
• Mati Mati Maru
• Matsu Maru
• Matti Matti Maru
• Maya Maru
• Mayebassi Maru
• Melbourne Maru^‡
• Mishima Maru
• Miyo Maru
• Moji Maru
• Montevideo Maru (もんてびでお丸, Montebideo Maru)
• Nagara Maru
• Nagata Maru
• Nagato Maru
• Nanshin Maru
• Naruto Maru
• Natoru Maru
• Nichimei Maru
• Nishi Maru
• Nissyo Maru
• Nitikoku Maru
• Nitimei Maru
• Nitta Maru^≠
• No. 1 Yoshida Maru^≠
• No. 2 Hikawa Maru^≠
• No. 6 Kotobuki Maru
• No. 7 Hoshi Maru
• No. 17 Nanshin Maru
• No. 86
• No. 824
• Noto Maru
• Oite
• Op ten Noort
• Oryoki Maru
• Oryokko Maru
• Oryoku Maru
• OSK Ferry
• Otaro Maru
• Oyo Maru
• Pacific Maru
• Panama Maru
• Raihei Maru
• Rakuyo Maru – sunk by USS Sealion on 12 September 1944. Of 1,317 POWs, 1,159 POWs perished. 63 were rescued four days later by the submarines that sank the convoy she was in
• Rashin Maru (羅津丸)
• Rendsberg
• Rio de Janeiro Maru
• Roko Maru^‡
• Rokyo Maru^‡
• Ryūkyū Maru^‡
• Samurusan Maru
• San Diego Maru
• Sandakan Steamer
• Sanko Maru
• Seikyo Maru
• Sekiho Maru
• Shinsei Maru
• Shinyo Maru
• Shinyu Maru
• Shoun Maru
• Sibijac
• Singapore Maru left Batavia in Java 17 October 1942 with 3,000 British prisoners, arrived Moji, Japan, (via Singapore) 25 November 1942, 108 died on the journey.
• Singoto Maru
• Soong Cheong
• SS Subuk
• Suez Maru
• Sugi Maru
• Suzuya Maru
• Tachibana Maru
• Taga Maru
• Taian Maru
• Taiko Maru
• Taikoku Maru
• Taka Maru
• Tamahoko Maru
• Tango Maru
• Tanjong Penang
• Tatsuta Maru^≠
• Tattori Maru
• Tatu Maru
• Teia Maru (帝亞丸・帝亜丸)
• Tenshin Maru
• Thames Maru
• Tiensen
• Toendjoek
• Tofuku Maru
• Tojuku Maru
• Toka Maru
• Toko Maru
• Tomohoku Maru
• Toro Maru
• Tottori Maru
• Toyama Maru
• Toyofuku Maru
• Toyohashi Maru
• Tufuku Maru
• Ube Maru
• Ume Maru
• Umeda Maru
• Unyo
• Uruppu Maru
• Ussuri Maru
• Usu Maru
• Van Waerwijck
• Wales Maru
• Weills Maru
• Winchester Maru
• Yamagata Maru
• Yashu Maru
• Yinagata Maru
• Yone Maru
• Yoshida Maru^≠
• Yubi Maru
• Yuzan Maru

_______________

• ‡ Formerly in the fleet of O.S.K. Lines
• ≠ Formerly in the fleet of N.Y.K Lines

See also

• Prisoner-of-war camp
• List of POW camps in Japan

References

• Crager, Kelly E. (2008). Hell Under the Rising Sun: Texan POWs and the Building of the Burma – Thailand Death Railway. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 1585446351; ISBN 9781585446353; OCLC 145378792
• Michno, Gregory. (2001). Death on the Hellships: Prisoners at Sea in the Pacific War. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1557504822; ISBN 9781557504821; OCLC 45757730
• Parkinson, James W. and Lee Benson (2006). Soldier Slaves: Abandoned by the White House, Courts, and Congress. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1591142040; ISBN 9781591142041; OCLC 63116439
• Roscoe, Theodore and Richard G Voge (1949). United States Submarine Operations in World War II. Annapolis: United States Naval Institute. OCLC 1127592

External links

• Michno, Gregory. (2001). Death on the Hellships: Prisoners at Sea in the Pacific War, p. 93; n.b., Aki Maru (11,409 GT).
• Michno, p. 207; n.b., the destroyer Akitsuki carried POWs, sunk in Battle of Leyte Gulf off Cape Engaño.
• Michno, p. 93; n.b., Amagi Maru (3,165 GT), former NYK Line ship
• Aikoku Maru (1940)
• WestPoint.org website: POW Registers website
• POWs of the Japanese website: Celebes Maru
• POWs of the Japanese website: Clyde Maru
• Crager, Kelly E. (2008). Hell Under the Rising Sun: Texan POWs and the Building of the Burma – Thailand Death Railway, p. 73.
• Crager, p. 57.
• Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society: The Story of the Enoura Maru and the Men Who Died
• POWs of the Japanese website: France Maru
• Hovinga, Henk (1982) Eindstation Pakan Baroe 1944-1945. Dodenspoorweg door het oerwoud.], p. 23
• POWs of the Japanese website: Hawaii Maru
• Roscoe, Theodore et al. (1949). United States submarine operations in World War II, p. 548; n.b., Hozan Maru (2,345 GT) sunk November 23, 1944 by USS Redfish at 24-26N, 122-46E.
• POWs of the Japanese website: Kyokko Maru
• POWs of the Japanese website: Nagara Maru
• BataanSurvivor.com: Noto Maru
• POWs of the Japanese website: Pacific Maru
• Roscoe, p. 548; n.b., Shinyu Maru (4,621 GT) sunk April 13, 1944 by USS Redfin at 6-41N, 123-40E.
• POWs of the Japanese website: Suzuya Maru
• Parkinson, James et al. (2006). Soldier Slaves: Abandoned by the White House, Courts, and Congress, p. 153.
• POWs of the Japanese website: Thames Maru
• Roscoe, p. 542; n.b., Wales Maru (6,586 GT) sunk May 24, 1944 by USS Lapon at 7-16N, 109-044E.
• Roscoe, p. 548; n.b., Yamagata Maru (4,621 GT) sunk April 16, 1944 by USS Redfin at 7-04N, 123-27E.
• POWs of the Japanese website: Yuzan Maru