Japanese landing craft carrier Kumano Maru
Aerial view of disarmed Kumano Maru, 1945 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | M Type C Special Purpose Ship |
| Operators | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Preceded by | Type C Special Purpose Ship |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Built | 1944–1945 |
| Planned | 2 |
| Completed | 1 |
| Scrapped | 2 |
| History | |
| Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Kumano Maru |
| Builder | Hitachi Shipbuilding, Innoshima |
| Laid down | 15 August 1944 |
| Launched | 28 January 1945 |
| Completed | 31 March 1945 |
| In service | 1945–1947 |
| Captured | 15 August 1945 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 4 November 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | M Type C Special Purpose Ship |
| Type | Landing craft carrier/escort carrier |
| Displacement | 8,128 t (8,000 long tons) (standard) |
| Length | 152 m (498 ft 8 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 19.58 m (64 ft 3 in) |
| Draught | 6.95 m (23 ft) (deep load) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 19 or 20 knots (35 or 37 km/h; 22 or 23 mph) |
| Range | 6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 8 |
| Aviation facilities | Arresting gear |
Kumano Maru (熊野丸) was a "M Type C" 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.