The Hofuku Maru was a Japanese cargo ship, which was sunk on September 21, 1944 by American planes, carrying 1,289 British and Dutch POW's. 1,047 of them lost their lives.
In 1944, the Hofuku Maru sailed from Singapore to Miri, Borneo as part of convoy SHIMI-05. The convoy consisted of 10 ships, 5 of which carried in total 5,000 POW's. The men lived in the holds in appalling conditions.
At Borneo, the Hofuku Maru left the convoy with engine problems and sailed on to the Philippines arriving on July 19. She remained in Manila until mid-September while the engines were repaired. The POW's remained on board and suffered terribly from disease, hunger and thirst.
On September 20 1944, the Hofuku Maru, with 10 other ships forming Convoy MATA-27, sailed from Manila to Japan. The following morning, the convoy was attacked 80 miles north of Corregidor by more than 100 American carrier planes. All eleven ships in the convoy were sunk. On the Hofuku Maru 1,047 of the 1,289 British and Dutch POWs on board lost their lives.