Awa Maru

I don't think the purpose of making movies about warfare conducted by Americans is focused on the war atrocities or mistakes that we made. Since I did not sit on the court martial board in question I cannot render an opinion of the decision made by the court. If it is tru that Admiral Halsey exercised repercussions against members of a duly constituted court martial, which also often sits as a board of inquiry in questionable matters with a legal aspect, in consequence of a legal judgement that they made, then Admiral Halsey should have been court martialed.

As I said, I was not a member of the court, nor was I at the sinking. But, I will say that those who were may have taken into account the difficulty with properly identifying ships at sea under wartime conditions.

Also, some people jump on any opportunity to slam any action taken by American military personnel and on Americans for any war that we dare have the unforgivable temerity to win.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

The Awa Maru was built between 1942 and 1943 as an ocean liner. As soon as it was finished the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately seized it and used it as a supply ship. By 1945 there are few Japanese merchant ships that exceed three thousand tons. The Awa Maru can carry nearly 12,000 tons of passengers and cargo.

By that time the United States recognized that we were sure to win the war. Concern over American POWs in Japanese hands increased. The United States made an offer to Japan. If the Japanese would agree to carry 2,000 tons of Red Cross packages to Japan on a Japanese ship, then they could fill up the rest of the ship with whatever they wanted and we would guarantee safe passage.

Now, you should see the thought process here. The Americans figure, "We use up 2,000 tons of cargo space, that leaves 1,000 tons for their stuff." The Japanese certainly aren't stupid. They plan on using the Awa Maru. They think "We will carry their 2,000 tons, leaving nearly 10,000 tons for us."

The accept the deal and announce to the United States the course of the Awa Maru from Japan (Yokosuka, I think) to Singapore. The U.S. sends the 2,000 tons of Red Cross packages overland through Siberia and China down to Singapore. At some point they went from U.S. to Japanese control. I don't think that matters to us.

The Japanese loaded up the 2,000 tons of Red Cross packages. They also claimed to pick up hundreds of merchant marine prisoners. They do not claim and military POWs. Those appear to be an invention of the OP. Intelligence sources say that they took on hundreds of badly needed technicians for building and maintaining war machinery. The ship begins a convoluted but clearly described route back to Japan. Part of that route takes it through a heavily mined zone between the Ryukyu Islands (otherwise known as Okinawa, remember that. It matters). But they change the course just before sailing to go between Taiwan and mainland China.

Even though the course and the orders to leave the ship alone were broadcast several times, the word never got to Commander Laughlin, captain of the Queenfish. He did get one late copy of the message, perhaps he skimmed through it, and filed it.

The Awa Maru is a passenger ship. They can and often steam fast, over twenty knots and some of them (Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth) can steam faster than thirty knots. Also, at not quite 12,000 tons, the Awa Maru is the size of a large destroyer or small cruiser. This at a time when the Japanese are down to only a few merchant ships all limited to less than 3,000 tons and capable of steaming at 15 knots or less.

Near midnight on 1 April 1945 the Queenfish spots the Awa Maru. Commander Laughlin keeps his distance because he thinks it is a warship. It is both large and fast, so it is not like the ships that he thinks the Japanese still retain as merchant vessels. Remember that I said for you to remember the name Okinawa? The other thing that happens on 1 April 1945 is that the United States invades Okinawa, the first and only Japanese home island that we invade. So, Commander Laughling fires a spread of four torpedoes from a distance of 1,200 yards. He hits the Awa Maru and sinks it. Then he rescues the lone survivor, finds out what he has done, and reports it to the navy.

He is court martialed and the highest ranking court martial board called by the US Navy during WW II issues him a letter of admonishment. Then Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King violates naval protocol and I think the Manual of Courts Martial by issuing letters of reprimand to the court martial board.

Now, Cosmonican, is much of this news to you? Or, did you already know all of this and choose to keep much of it secret? Are you just a bit under informed, or are you deliberately keeping the truth from readers in an effort to blame America first? Are you personally a Chinese agent, or just another useful idiot?

I ask the last question because the People's Republic of China invested 100 million dollars attempting to salvage the Awa Maru because there were rumors that the Japanese were smuggling billions of dollars of gold and over a 100 million dollars of platinum out of China and back to Japan.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

Awa Maru. Yeah, I looked it up. Roughly 2,000, not 4,000 people. It shouldn't have been targeted, but apparently it was a front to transport war supplies, which ended up leading to the sinking. A shame the sub commander was trigger happy and a shame the Japanese couldn't restrict the ship to its intended duties.