The following day both ships sailed for Saigon and then Singapore picking up a few more foreign nationals at each place. The Kamakura Maru picked up another 903 British and foreign nationals in Shanghai. On the 14 August 1942, she arrived at Shanghai where she was joined by another exchange vessel Tatsuta Maru carrying Sir Robert Craigie, the British Ambassador and other diplomats. On 10 August 1942, she departed Yokohama with British diplomats and members of other foreign diplomatic delegations and civilians. The Kamakura Maru was a participant in one of the most significant of these exchanges. These usually occurred over long distances utilising neutral ports. Role in Wartime Personnel Exchanges ĭespite hostilities between various nations during WW2, a number of interchanges of prisoners, diplomats and other personnel took place amongst the warring parties. In 1942 she was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy to serve as a troop transport ship, and also as hospital ship. Following the adoption of Kunrei-shiki romanization the ship was renamed Kamakura Maru in 1939.
Prince Takamatsu and Princess Takamatsu also traveled on this ship. She differed from her half-sisters, the Asama Maru and the Tatsuta Maru, in her propulsion system, and in having one (rather than two) funnels.īefore the war, the ship carried passengers between Yokohama and San Francisco. Cruising speed was 19 knots, with a maximum of 21 knots.
She had a beam of 22.6 meters, a length of 178 meters and a tonnage of 17,498. She was launched on and completed in 1930. The Chichibu Maru was built for the Nippon Yusen shipping company by the Yokohama Dock Company. The Chichibu Maru ( 秩父丸) was a Japanese passenger ship which, renamed Kamakura Maru, was sunk during World War II, killing 2,035 soldiers and civilians on board. Kamakura Maru arriving at Yokohama with the ashes of the four submariners killed in the attack on Sydney Harbour
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