View source for Japanese cargo ship Tenryo Maru

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin|display title=Japanese cargo ship ''Tenryo Maru''}}
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| Ship country=[[Empire of Japan]]
| Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
| Ship name= ''Tenryo Maru''
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| Ship builder= Kawanami Kōgyō, [[Nagasaki]]<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>
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| Ship laid down= 31 October 1936
| Ship launched= 10 August 1937
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| Ship completed= 15 April 1938
| Ship acquired= Requisitioned by the [[Imperial Japanese Army]], 16 October 1941
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| Ship identification= 44566<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>
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| Ship fate= Torpedoed by {{USS|Sterlet|SS-392|6}}, 29 May 1945
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* [[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: JIJL<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>
* {{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|India}}{{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|Lima}}
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|Ship type= [[Cargo ship]]
|Ship tonnage= {{convert|2231|grt|0|abbr=on}} standard<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>
|Ship length= {{convert|77.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>
|Ship beam= {{convert|12.80|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>
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|Ship draught={{convert|7.00|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>
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|Ship power= 294 nhp / {{cvt|1,772|ihp|lk=on}}<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>
|Ship speed= {{convert|10|kn|lk=in}}/ {{convert|12.58|kn}} maximum<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>
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'''''Tenryo Maru''''' (''Japanese'': 天領丸) was a requisitioned [[Imperial Japanese Army]] cargo/transport ship during [[World War II]].

==History==
In September 1936, the Soviet Union ordered three ice-resistant freighters as payment for the purchase of the [[Southern Manchuria Railway]].<ref name=CF-Soya>{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Soya_t.htm|title=IJN Soya: Tabular Record of Movement |first1=Bob |last1=Hackett|first2=Peter|last2=Cundall|first3=Gilbert |last3=Casse|first4=Sander |last4=Kingsepp|first5=Luke|last5= Ruffato  |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2016 |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref> She was laid down on 31 October 1936 at the [[Nagasaki]] shipyard of Kawanami Kōgyō K.K. ([[jp: 川南工業]]).<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938>{{Cite web|first=Fumio  |last=Nagasawa |title= 天領丸 TENRYO MARU (1938)|website=Nostalgic Japanese Steamships|date=1998 |url= http://jpnships.g.dgdg.jp/senreki01/002820.htm |language=ja}}</ref><ref name=Toda-TenryoMaru>{{Cite web|first=Gengoro S. |last=Toda |authorlink=   |title=天領丸の船歴 (Tenryo Maru - Ship History)  |website=Imperial Japanese Navy - Tokusetsukansen|date=|url=http://www.tokusetsukansen.jpn.org/J/A407/AIC_0503.htm|language=Japanese}}</ref> She was launched on 10 August 1937 as the ''Bolshevik'' (Большевики) and completed on 15 April 1938.<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/> Due to a deterioration in the relations with the Soviet Union, the ship was never delivered and was renamed ''Tenryo Maru''.<ref name=CF-Soya/> She was one of three ships in her class which included ''Minryo Maru'' (民領丸) (ex-''Komsomolets'') and [[Sōya (icebreaker)|''Chiryo Maru'']] (地領丸) (ex-''Volochaevets'').<ref>{{Cite web|first=Fumio  |last=Nagasawa |title= 天領丸型 TENRYO MARU Class 3隻 (1938)|website=Nostalgic Japanese Steamships|date=1998 |url= http://jpnships.g.dgdg.jp/sametype/type_0532.htm |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= "地領丸"の時代 (The era of "Jiryomaru")  |website=The Nippon Foundation Library]|date= |url=https://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/2002/00032/contents/007.htm  |accessdate=February 6, 2021|language=Japanese}}</ref> On 18 April 1939, she was sold to Tatsunan Merchant Ship Co., Ltd. of [[Osaka]].<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/> On 1 February 1944, ownership was transferred to Tatsuma Kisen Co., Ltd. of [[Nishinomiya]] which had merged with her prior owner.<ref name=NagasawaTenryoMaru1938/>

On 16 October 1941, she was requisitioned by the [[Imperial Japanese Army]].<ref name=Toda-TenryoMaru/> She spent most of 1942 providing supplies to Japanese activities in Korea and China.<ref name=Toda-TenryoMaru/> In 1943, her activities shifted to supplying troops in the [[Kurile Islands]].<ref name=Toda-TenryoMaru/>

On 13 April 1944, she departed  [[Ominato]] for [[Matsuwa Jima]] in Convoy-Ru consisting of ''Taihei Maru'', ''Rizan Maru'', and ''Madras Maru'' escorted by the {{sclass|Shimushu|escort ship|1}}, {{ship|Japanese escort|Kunashiri||2}} with the destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Akebono|1930|2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Ushio|1930|2}}; they arrived safely on 18 April 1944.<ref name=CF-Kunashiri>{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Kunashiri_t.htm|title=IJN Kunashiri: Tabular Record of Movement |first1=Bob |last1=Hackett|first2=Peter|last2=Cundall|first3=Sander |last3=Kingsepp|first4=Higuchi |last4=Tatsuhiro  |first5=Jeff |last5=Donahoo |first6= Matthew|last6=  Jones|first7= Gilbert|last7=  Cassee |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2016 |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref> On 6 January 1945, she left [[Otaru, Hokkaido]] for Kataoka, [[Shumshu]] as part of Convoy KI-603 with transports ''Hokushin Maru'', ''Banshu Maru No. 65'', and supply ship ''Shirasaki'' being escorted by ''Kunashiri''; the convoy arrived at Shumshu on 12 January 1945.<ref name=CF-Shirasaki>{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Shirasaki_t.htm|title=IJN Shirasaki: Tabular Record of Movement |first1=Bob |last1=Hackett|first2=Peter|last2=Cundall|first3=Gilbert |last3=Casse|first4=Berend |last4=van der Wal   |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2016 |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref> On 17 January 1945 she departed Shumshu as part of convoy O-702 with ''Hokushin Maru'' and ''Shirasaki'' again escorted by ''Kunashiri'' arriving at Ominato on 24 January 1945.<ref name=CF-Shirasaki/> 

On 26 May 1945, she departed [[Paramushiro]] for Otaru in convoy-Chi consisting of cargo/transport ships ''Kuretake Maru'', [[Japanese cargo ship Kasugasan Maru (1925)|''Kasugasan Maru'']], and supply ship '' Shirasaki'', escorted by {{ship|Japanese escort|Shimushu||2}}, {{ship|Japanese escort|Hachijo||2}}, [[Type C escort ship]]s ''[[Japanese escort ship CD-47 (1944)|CD-47]]'' and ''CD-205'', and [[Type D escort ship]] ''[[Japanese escort ship CD-112 (1944)| CD-112]]''.<ref name=CF-CD205>{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/CD-205_t.htm|title=IJN CD-205: Tabular Record of Movement |first1=Bob |last1=Hackett|first2=Peter|last2=Cundall|first3=Peter|last3=Cundall|first4=Sander |last4=Kingsepp|first5=Higuchi  |last5=  Tatsuhiro |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2016 |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref> ''Hachijo'' was lost in the fog around {{coord|50|00|N|146|00|E|}} and ''CD-205'' left the convoy to search for her.<ref name=CF-CD205/> On 29 May 1945 at 2055, {{USS|Sterlet|SS-392|6}} fired two spreads of three [[torpedo]]es hitting two of the freighters. ''Tenryo Maru'' quickly sank at {{coord|46|46|N|144|16|E|display=inline, title}} killing 773 out of 947 men of the 23rd Air Defense Battalion, 26 gunners, and 83 sailors.<ref name=CF-Shirasaki/> ''Sterlet'' also severely damaged ''Kuretake Maru'' which sank the following day with a death toll of 272 soldiers and six sailors.<ref name=CF-Shirasaki/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wTi8mFT53IwC&q=tenryo|first=Paul |last=Silverstone|title=The Navy of World War II, 1922-1947|pages=139 |publisher=Routledge; 1 edition |date=September 10, 2012|isbn=9781135864729 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=  Chapter VII: 1945 - January |website=Hyperwar - The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy during World War II|url=https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1945.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chronological List of Japanese Merchant Vessel Losses   |website=Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee|url= https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJN/JANAC-Losses/JANAC-Losses-4.html }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{authority control}}
{{May 1945 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tenryo Maru}}
[[Category:1938 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Japan]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1945]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by American submarines]]
[[Category:Ships of the Imperial Japanese Army]]