Akagi Maru Class, Japanese Auxiliary Cruisers


Specifications:


Tonnage 7390 gross register tons
Dimensions 470' by 62' by 27'
143m by 19m by 8m
Maximum speed       18 knots
Armament 4 6"/50 guns
Light AA guns

The Akagi Marus were merchant ships of the Nippon Yusen line converted to a commerce raiding role.

Asaka Maru was used to transport prisoners of war from Singapore to Japan. It is not clear whether she was carrying PoWs when she was sunk.


Units in the Pacific:

Awata Maru      Kuriles
Converted to a transport in 1943. Sunk 1943-10-22 in East China Sea by Grayback
Asaka Maru     
Converted to a transport in 1943. Sunk by aircraft 1944-10-12 off Pescadores

Akagi Maru     

Converted 1942-1-1 (Osaka)      

Sunk by aircraft 1944-2-17 off Truk


References:

CombinedFleet.com (accessed 2007-12-24)

Jentschura, Jung, and Mickel (1977)

West-Point.Org (accessed 2008-9-12)

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