Aratama Maru Explained
Aratama Maru (
Kanji:Japanese:
新玉丸) was a merchant ship of the
Empire of Japan. Launched in 1938, she was pressed into service as a munitions transport in
World War II. She was struck by a torpedo fired from on April 8, 1944, while approaching
Guam as part of a Japanese ammunition resupply convoy. Engulfed in flames, her crew abandoned her and were picked up by an escort vessel. After drifting for three days, the abandoned hull came to rest just inside the reef fringing
Talofofo Bay on Guam's southeastern coast. While resting on the reef she split in half with the stern of the ship drifting off of the reef toward the Mariana Trench. The wreck was partially salvaged shortly afterward and was further salvaged in the 1960s, leaving only the hull remnants, the anchor with chain, and some elements of its superstructure. It has also been the subject of souvenir diving, and its position and condition have been affected by several typhoons.
[1] Seahorse damaged
Kizugawa Maru in the same attack, which was towed into
Apra Harbor for repairs and during a second American bombing attack was sunk where she remains today.
[2] The shipwreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=88000612}} NRHP nomination for Aratama Maru]. National Park Service. 2015-05-02.
- Web site: Seahorse (SS-304) of the US Navy . www.uboat.net . 3 April 2021.
