:Japanese aircraft carrier Kumano Maru
{{Short description|Japanese landing craft carrier}}
{{good article}}
{{distinguish|text=Japanese cruiser Kumano}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
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{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=Kumano Maru war's end.jpg |Ship caption=Aerial view of disarmed Kumano Maru, 1945 }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name= |Builders= |Operators=20px Imperial Japanese Army |Class before={{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akitsu Maru | 6}}
|Class after=None |Cost= |Built range=1944–1947 |In commission range= |Total ships planned=2 |Total ships completed=1 |Total ships scrapped=2 }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=Empire of Japan |Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}} |Ship name=Kumano Maru |Ship namesake= |Ship ordered= |Ship awarded= |Ship builder=Hitachi Shipbuilding, Innoshima |Ship original cost= |Ship yard number= |Ship way number= |Ship laid down=15 August 1944 |Ship launched=28 January 1945 |Ship sponsor= |Ship christened= |Ship completed=31 March 1945 |Ship commissioned= |Ship recommissioned= |Ship decommissioned= |Ship in service=1945–1947 |Ship captured=15 August 1945 |Ship fate=Scrapped, 4 November 1947 |Ship notes= |Ship badge= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class=Kumano Maru-class aircraft carrier |Ship type=Aircraft carrier/landing craft carrier |Ship displacement= {{cvt|8128|t|LT|lk=on}} (standard) |Ship length= {{convert|152|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (o/a) |Ship beam= {{convert|19.58|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship draught= {{convert|6.95|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (deep load) |Ship propulsion=*2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines |Ship speed= {{convert|19|or|20|kn|lk=in}} |Ship range= {{convert|6000|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|17|kn}} |Ship complement=*107
|Ship armament=*8 × single Type 88 75 mm AA gun AA guns
|Ship power=* 3 × water-tube boilers
|Ship aircraft=8 |Ship aircraft facilities=Arresting gear |Ship notes= }} |
{{nihongo|Kumano Maru|熊野丸}} was a landing craft carrier with a full-length flight deck built for the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. Completed in early 1945, fuel shortages meant that the ship never became operational during the war. She was turned over to the Allies at Kure when Japan surrendered later that year. Before beginning to repatriate Japanese troops home, Kumano Maru was disarmed and modified to facilitate that mission. The ship continued to do so until she was sold for scrap in 1947.
Background and description
In March 1944 the IJA and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) held a conference to decide how to better protect their merchant shipping from the heavy losses suffered at the hands of American submarines. The IJN's escort carriers had, at best, limited success in doing so thus far and the participants focused on improving the number of carriers available. The IJA proposed converting oil tankers into escort carriers and agreed to forgo any further construction of Akitsu Maru-class landing craft carriers with limited aviation facilities. The Imperial Japanese Navy Technical Department agreed to design the conversions while the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff required that the Army's auxiliary escort carriers would be dedicated to protecting the merchant ships. The services agreed that the IJA would convert two standard Type M (military) {{GRT|9502|disp=adj}} cargo ships into landing-craft carriers with full aviation facilities, beginning with Kumano Maru.
The Kumano Maru-class ships had a flush-decked configuration that displaced {{convert|8128|t|LT|0|lk=on}} at standard load, although naval historian Hans Lengerer states that they had a standard displacement of {{cvt|6314|t|LT}}.Lengerer, p. 260 The ships had an overall length of {{convert|152|m|ftin}},Lengerer, p. 275 a beam of {{convert|19.58|m|ftin}}Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 61Chesneau, p. 185 and a draft of {{convert|6.95|m|ftin}}. The flight deck was {{convert|110|m|ftin}} long, {{convert|21.5|m|ftin}} wide, and was fitted with a four-wire Kayaba arresting gear system. They had a single hangar that was served by a lift at the rear of the flight deck. A large crane was fitted on the rear port side of the ship. The intended air group of the Kumano Marus was to consist of eight depth-charge equipped Kokusai Ki-76 liaison aircraft. If serving as an aircraft transport, the ships could fit 18 Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate fighters on the flight deck and 17 more in the hangar.Lengerer, pp. 260, 275
The carriers had two Kampon geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by three Kampon water-tube boilers. The fourth boiler cited in many sources was a cylindrical donkey boiler for the ship's steam-powered machinery.Fukui, p. 100 The turbines were rated at a total of {{convert|10000|shp|lk=on}} for a speed of {{convert|19|kn|lk=in}} or {{convert|20|kn}}. The Kumano Marus had a range of {{convert|6000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|17|kn}}.Lengerer, p. 276 Their funnels were positioned on the starboard side and vented horizontally outward to keep the flight deck clear. Their bridges were located under the forward edge of the flight deck. Their crew consisted of 107 men; including embarked troops, the ships' complement numbered 1,664.
The Kumano Maru-class carriers were classified as M Type C landing ships by the IJA. They could carry up to a dozen {{convert|56|ft|m|adj=on|1|disp=flip}} Toku Daihatsu-class landing craft and thirteen {{convert|46|ft|m|0|adj=on|disp=flip}} Daihatsu-class landing craft in their holds that were launched on rails through two large doors in the stern.Sturton, p. 214
=Armament=
Air defence for the carriers consisted of eight Type 88 75 mm AA gun anti-aircraft (AA) guns on single mounts below the flight deck; three on the starboard side and five on the port side.Lengerer, pp. 261, 276 These fired {{convert|6.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}} projectiles at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|720|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}.Campbell, p. 198 These were supplemented by six autocannon on single mounts; two on platforms in front of the flight deck and the remainder on a platform aft of the flight deck. Sources disagree whether they were Army Type 98 20 mm AA machine cannon guns or Navy Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun guns. The Type 98 gun fired its {{cvt|136|g|oz}} shells at a practical rate of 100 rounds per minute,Ness, p. 177 while the Type 96 gun had a rate of fire for its {{cvt|250|g|oz}} shells of about 110 rounds per minute.Campbell, p. 200
The ships were also equipped with two single Type 96 and Type 97 150 mm infantry mortar anti-submarine mortars on platforms at the bow and stern. They fired {{convert|27|kg|adj=on}} shells to a range of {{convert|4500|m|yd}}.Campbell, p. 213
Construction and career
Kumano Maru was laid down at the Hitachi Shipbuilding shipyard at Innoshima, near Kure, as a standard wartime cargo ship on 15 August 1944 and was converted into her aircraft-carrier configuration while under construction. The ship was launched on 28 January 1945 and was attacked by 13 Grumman F6F Hellcat and 14 Vought F4U Corsair fighters on 19 March during the American air raid on the Kure area. Undamaged during the attack, she was completed on 31 March.Hackett & Cundall Fuel oil shortages caused the Japanese to consider removing her turbines and converting the ship's boilers to burn coal, but nothing was ultimately done. Kumano Maru never became operational during the war.
The ship was turned over to the Allies on 15 August when Japan surrendered and was disarmed. To improve her suitability for the task of repatriating Japanese forces abroad, her horizontal funnel was replaced by a vertical one and four large lifeboats was added on davits that overhung the flight deck. Kumano Maru remained on repatriation duty until she was sold for scrap to Kawasaki in 1947; demolition began at their Kobe facility on 4 November and lasted until 1 September 1948.Lengerer, pp. 263, 275
Notes
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Bibliography
- {{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John|title=Naval Weapons of World War II|year=1985|publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-459-4}}
- {{cite book|last=Chesneau|first=Roger|title=Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present: An Illustrated Encyclopedia|edition=New, revised|year=1995|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-902-2|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/aircraftcarriers00ches}}
- {{cite book|last=Fukui|first=Shizuo|title=Japanese Naval Vessels at the End of World War II|publisher=Greenhill Books|location=London|year=1991|isbn=1-85367-125-8}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/KumanoM_t.htm|title=IJA Landing Craft Depot Ship Kumano Maru: Tabular Record of Movement|last=Hackett|first=Bob|last2=Cundall|first2=Peter |date=May 2016|publisher=CombinedFleet.com|access-date=1 April 2024|name-list-style=amp}}
- {{cite book| last = Jentschura| first = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn =0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
- {{cite book |last1=Lengerer |first1=Hans |title=The Aircraft Carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army: Technical and Operational History |date=2023 |publisher=Model Hobby |location=Katowice, Poland |isbn=978-83-60041-71-0|volume=II}}
- {{cite book |last1=Ness |first1=Leland |title=Rikkugun: Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937–1945 |date=2015 |publisher=Helion |location=Solihull, UK |isbn=978-1-909982-75-8|volume= 2: Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces}}
- {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1980|isbn=0-85177-146-7|chapter=Japan|first=Ian |last=Sturton|pages=167–217}}
{{WWII Japanese ships}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumano Maru}}
Category:Escort carriers of the Imperial Japanese Army
Category:World War II escort carriers of Japan
Category:Amphibious warfare vessels of Japan