Kita Maru (Japanese: 喜多丸) was a Dutch-built, steel-hulled steamship that was seized by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and converted into an auxiliary transport.
 S.s. Gemma of the Gouvernementsmarine, 1930
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Kingdom of the Netherlands | |
| Name | Gemma |
| Builder | Gusto Shipyard (nl:Werf Gusto), Schiedam |
| Launched | 1918 |
| Sponsored by | Gouvernementsmarine |
| Fate | Scuttled, 2 March 1942 |
| History | |
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Kita Maru |
| Acquired | repaired by the Empire of Japan, 1942 |
| Commissioned | 1 August 1943 |
| Homeport | Sasebo |
| Fate | unknown |
| Notes | |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Steamer[2] |
| Tonnage | 845 long tons (859 t) standard[2] |
| Length | 53.4 m (175 ft 2 in) overall[2] |
| Beam | 9.0 m (29 ft 6 in)[2] |
| Draught | 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in)[2] |
| Armament | 1 x 75 mm[3] |
History
editShe was launched in 1918 at the Gusto Shipyard in Schiedam[2] for the benefit of the Gouvernementsmarine and named Gemma.[4] She was armed with a single 75 mm gun.[3][4] She was scuttled by Dutch forces at Surabaya on 2 March 1942[3][4] after the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. On 27 October 1942, she was refloated and repaired by the No. 102 Naval Construction and Repair Department at Surabaya, Java.[5] On 28 January 1943, her repairs were completed and on 1 August 1943, she was designated as a special transport ship, and assigned to the Sasebo Naval District.[4] On 1 March 1944, she arrived at Surabaya as part of the Southern Expeditionary Fleet.[4] She spent most of the war ferrying supplies and men and assisting disabled ships between ports in and around Indonesia (Kota Bharu, Surabaya, Balikpapan, and Samarinda).[4] On 24 September 1944, she assisted the gunboat Nankai and the Hokkai Maru, disabled by enemy mines[6][7] laid by the submarine USS Bowfin 15 miles west of Sebuku Island at 03°37′S 116°25′E / 3.617°S 116.417°E.[8]
She survived the war and was struck from the Navy List on August 15, 1945.[4] Her last known port-of-call was Makassar.[4]
References
edit- ^ Toda, Gengoro S. "Tokusetsu Gunkan (Converted Gunboats - Stats)" (PDF). Imperial Japanese Navy - Tokusetsukansen (in Japanese).
- ^ a b c d e f Toda, Gengoro S. "Tokusetsu Gunkan (Converted Gunboats - Stats)" (PDF). Imperial Japanese Navy - Tokusetsukansen (in Japanese).
- ^ a b c Womack, Tom (1 December 2015). The Allied Defense of the Malay Barrier, 1941-1942. McFarland & Company. pp. 276–278. ISBN 9781476662930.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Toda, Gengoro S. "喜多丸の船歴(Kita Maru- Ship History)". Imperial Japanese Navy -Tokusetsu Kansen (in Japanese).
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander. "History of the IJN's No. 102 Naval Construction and Repair Department at Surabaya, Java (Indonesia)". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ Toda, Gengoro S. (21 September 2019). "北海丸の船歴 (Hokkai Maru - Ship History)". Imperial Japanese Navy - Tokusetsukansen (in Japanese).
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2012). "Zatsuyosen: IJN Hokkai Maru: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ Toda, Gengoro S. "南海の船歴 (Gunboat Nankai- Ship History)". Imperial Japanese Navy -Tokusetsu Kansen (in Japanese).
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