Chichibu Maru

As seen in 1937

I will like to dedicate this model to the people of Japan, who had faced so much suffer from the 2011 earthquake!

私はそんなに2011地震に苦しむ直面していた日本の人々にこのモデルを捧げたいです！

Scratch building

Scale 1:700

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

A half sister to the Asama Maru and Tatsuta Maru - was slightly larger with only one funnel and 2 propeller shafts. 
 

Technical specification

Type: Passenger/cargo motor ship

Built by the Yokohama Dock Co, Yokohama, Japan.

Laying the keel: 6 February 1928

Launch Date: 8 May 1929

Date of completion: 10 March 1930

Length overall: 178 meters

Beam: 22.6 meters

Draft: 8.7 meters

Tons: 17,498 tons

Machinery: B & W Diesel (Copenhagen, Denmark) group 2, 2-axis

Brutto ship horsepower:  20,313 hp (max)

Speed: 20.65 knots (max)

First-class passengers: 226

Second-class passengers: 96

Third-class passengers: 500

Crew: 329

History

Routes

1930s:
CHICHIBU MARU is on NYK’s premier express service, regularly sailing between Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kobe, Yokohama, Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco with occasional calls at Nagasaki, Hong Kong and Manila.

1938:
Renamed TITIBU MARU.

18 January 1939:
Renamed KAMAKURA MARU.

In 1942 she became a transport ship for the Japanese Navy and was also used as a hospital ship.

Reported Prisoner of War movements were from Singapore on November 28th 1942 to Nagasaki, Japan by December 7th with a total of 2,213 POW's.

And on February 26th 1943 she sailed from Makassar, Celebes to Singapore by March 1st with ten POW's aboard.

27 April 1943:
At 0520, departs Manila for Balikpapan unescorted, carrying some 2,500 passengers, including IJN personnel, around 1,000 oil production specialists and 150 females, heavy vehicles and ammunition.

At 2315, LtCdr William S. Post’s GUDGEON (SS-212) sights a large ship zig-zagging on southerly course at 10-17-48N, 121-44E, later identified as KAMAKURA MARU.

28 April 1943:
Sulu Sea, 30 miles SW of Naso Point, Panay, Philippines. At 0104, LtCdr Post fires a spread of four torpedoes at the target making 18 knots 3,200 yards away. Two minutes later, two torpedoes hit KAMAKURA MARU starboard side in her No. 4 hold and auxiliary machinery compartment; a heavy fire breaks out at the stern. Twelve minutes later, she suddenly upends and goes down by the stern at 10-25N, 121-440E. At 0140, the surfaced GUDGEON passes through the area where the ship went down, and sights a dozen lifeboats, floating debris and a large number of survivors.

2 May 1943:
After the estimated time of arrival of KAMAKURA MARU passes, the IJN command in the Philippines issues orders to commence a search for her. Only 28 sailors (of 176) and 437 passengers are eventually rescued !!

The Kamakura Maru was the largest Japanese troopship sunk.

31 May 1943:
Removed from the Navy list.

Reference:  

Books form the library :  

websites:

http://www.combinedfleet.com/Kamakura_t.htm

http://www.combinedfleet.com/Kokansen.htm

http://www.derbysulzers.com/shipasamamaru.html

http://www.nyk.com/rekishi/

I will like to show my gratitude to the following persons as without their help and inspirations this project will not been easy:

Masayoshi Nagashima, Japan

Motoyuki Iwashige, Japan

NYK Maritime Museum Yokohama, Japan

Gilbert Casse, France

Jan Schulz, Germany

Jim C Smith, United Kingdom

Jean Secardin (Nimitz), France

and many more.

Post building script:

Chichibu Maru is to my mind one of the most beautiful motor ships of the period.

I hope this model along with Asama Maru will inspire others to start a similar building project, although the building time for me was over 7 months.

Photos of the real ship

I have collected photos of the ship from friends and the internet.  Uploaded with highest possible resolution.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

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Movie clips of Chichibu Maru

Movie clip of the ship is very spares but I stumbled over some in my research

Click on the links below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjeDoUODlQs

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675062947_Japanese-ship_men-aboard-ship_ship-underway-at-sea_men-working-at-harbor

http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/nikkeialbum/items/3723/

http://www.discovernikkei.org/es/nikkeialbum/albums/270/slide/?page=68

http://www.discovernikkei.org/es/nikkeialbum/albums/270/slide/?page=108

Click above for a build rapport

Aeronautic July 2011.

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