Kasi Maru or Kashi Maru (橿丸, Kashi Maru, "live oak") was a Japanese auxiliary minelayer/merchant ship, sunk in Mbaeroko Bay, near Munda, during a World War II bombing raid on 2 July 1943.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Kashi Maru |
| Builder | Osaka Iron Works, Sakurajima |
| Launched | 21 March 1940 |
| Completed | 30 April 1940 |
| Fate | Bombed and sunk, 2 July 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 654 GRT |
| Displacement | 1,365 long tons (1,387 t) |
| Length | 52.43 m (172 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 8.6 m (28 ft 3 in) |
| Draught | 4.18 m (13 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion | 1 × 6-cylinder 4-stroke 550 hp (410 kW) diesel engine |
| Speed | 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Complement | 20 |
Kashi Maru was built in 1940 at the Osaka Iron Works. The ship was unloading a cargo of fuel and vehicles[1] when she was attacked and sunk by USAAF B-25 bombers, escorted by USN F4U fighters.[2]
The site of the shipwreck is popular for divers,[3] and was featured in the Nature episode "War Wrecks of the Coral Seas".[4]
References
8°06′S 157°20′E / 8.100°S 157.333°E