| Career (Japan) | |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Russell & Company, Scotland |
| In service: | December 1914 |
| Out of service: | August 22, 1944 |
| Fate: | Sunk August 22, 1944 by USS Bowfin |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Private cargo ship (Nippon Yusen) [1] |
| Displacement: | 6754 tons (6127 t) |
| Length: | 136 m |
Tsushima Maru (対馬丸) was a Japanese unmarked passenger/cargo ship that was sunk while carrying hundreds of schoolchildren by the submarine USS Bowfin during World War II. The ship was on her way from Okinawa to Kagoshima. On August 22, 1944, at between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. local time, Bowfin attacked the convoy in which the Tsushima Maru was sailing and sank her close by the island of Akusekijima.[2][3] 1,484 civilians, including 767 schoolchildren, were killed. 59 children survived the sinking.
The ship was part of Convoy Namo 103, which consisted of the following ships:[3]
The crew of the USS Bowfin would not discover until 20 years later that the unmarked, unlit passenger-cargo vessel was transporting children.[3]
Its wreck was located and identified in December 1997.