 Seisho Maru had design and measurements similar to West Carnifax, a sister ship from the same shipyard seen here.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | |
| Yard number | 2[1] |
| Launched | 31 December 1918[2] |
| Sponsored by | Miss Betty Howard[3] |
| Completed | February 1919[2] |
| Identification | Japanese Official number: 33570[2] |
| Fate | Sunk November 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 410 ft 5 in (125.10 m) (LPP)[2] |
| Beam | 54 ft 6 in (16.61 m)[2] |
| Propulsion | 1 × triple-expansion steam engine[2] |
| Speed | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h)[2] |
Seisho Maru (Japanese: 盛祥丸,[4] Seishō Maru ) was a cargo ship for Mitsui Bussan Kaisho in military service that was sunk by an American submarine during World War II. The ship had been built as SS West Caruth, a cargo ship for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) shortly after the end of World War I. Shortly after completion, the ship was inspected by the United States Navy for possible use as USS West Caruth (ID-2850) but was neither taken into the Navy nor ever commissioned under that name. Before being sold to Japanese owners in 1928, she was also known as SS Exmoor and SS Antonio Tripcovich.
West Caruth was built in 1918 for the USSB, as a part of the West boats, a series of steel-hulled cargo ships built on the West Coast of the United States for the World War I war effort, and was the second ship built at Southwestern Shipbuilding in San Pedro, California. After operating for four years under American registry, she was sold several times and operated under British, Italian, and Japanese registry throughout the remainder of her career. In November 1944, while serving as Japanese transport Seisho Maru during World War II, she was sunk by U.S. Navy submarine Sunfish.
- ^ a b Colton, Tim. "Bethlehem Steel Company, San Pedro CA". Shipbuildinghistory.com. The Colton Company. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008. Bethlehem Steel purchased Southwestern Shipbuilding in 1925.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "West Caruth". Miramar Ship Index. R.B.Haworth. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ^ "Set new world's record". Los Angeles Times. 31 December 1918. p. II-12.
- ^ "Kenen Sareru Haisen Konran Honpo Shijo no Dageki" Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Kobe Yuushin Nippou, 25 May 1934. in the newspaper collection of Kobe University (in Japanese)