All posts tagged hell ship

Everything about the sinking of the Junyo Maru (also written as "Jun'yo Maru" and sometimes even "Shinyo Maru") is depressing. It was a Japanese Prisoner-of-War ship, one of the so-called "hell ships" of the Imperial Japanese Navy (more on this below), that carried thousands of miserable captured soldiers. When it was struck by a British submarine during World War II (WWII), over 5,000 people died, making it the deadliest ship disaster ever at the time of the attack. Although two other ship disasters have since happened that resulted in greater losses of life, both of which also occurred during WWII, the sinking of the Junyo Maru remains one the deadliest ship disasters of WWII and, indeed, of all time. Below you will find some basic information about the attack against the Junyo Maru and its role as a "hell ship." Read more [...]