Hawaii Maru Class Auxiliary Transport

(Sister ARIZONA MARU, prewar)

HAWAII MARU was completed as a passenger cargo ship in 1915 for the Osaka Shosen Kaisha (OSK) Line which she served for more than 26 years. HAWAII MARU's sisters were WAR KING built in '17 for British use in World War 1 and MANILA ('15), ARIZONA ('20), AFRICA ('18), ARABIA ('18) and ALABAMA MARUs ('20).

HAWAII MARU was requisitioned by the Imperial Army in '41 and served as an attack transport for the invasion of the Philippines. In Dec '44, HAWAII MARU was sunk off Japan by an American submarine.

ARIZONA MARU, completed for OSK in '20, was requisitioned by the Imperial Army in '41. She served as an attack transport for the invasions of the Philippines, Java and Guadalcanal. In '42, ARIZONA MARU was sunk off the Solomon Islands by USN and USMC aircraft.

ARABIA MARU was requisitioned by the Imperial Army in '41 and served as a both a hospital ship and transport. In Oct '44, while transporting troops, ARABIA MARU was sunk off the Philippines by an American submarine.

Builders and Years Completed:	Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Kobe Mitsubishi, Nagasaki 1915-1920
Gross tonnage:	9,467 to 9684-tons.
Dimensions:	476’ x 61’ x 27.9’
Propulsion:	Triple expansion reciprocating steam engine, 8,336 h.p., 1 shaft
Speed:	11.5 knots cruising, 16 knots maximum
Armament:	Varied.