NAVYPEDIA

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
山城丸 [Yamashiro Maru]			Mitsubishi, Yokohama	19.7.1944	14.11.1944	27.1.1945	sunk 17.2.1945
千種丸 [Chigusa Maru]			Yokohama Co., Yokohama	11.9.1944	29.12.1944	--- // 1949	completed mercantile

Technical data

Tonnage, BRT	10100
Displacement normal, t	15864
Length, m	148.0 pp 157.4 oa
Breadth, m	20.4 wl 23.0 fd
Draught, m	9.00
No of shafts	1
Machinery	1 set geared steam turbines, 2 boilers
Power, h. p.	4500
Max speed, kts	15
Fuel, t	oil
Endurance, nm(kts)	9000(13)
Armament	2 x 3 - 25/60 96-shiki, 10 x 1 - 25/60 96-shiki, 8 aircraft (Ki76 ASW planes), 1 x 1 - 150/12 ASWRL (120)
Complement	221

Standard scale images

Aircraft facilities(fd - 2,875m², ha ? m² / ? m³)

 (fd - 2,875m², ha ? m² / ? m³): Flight deck: 125.0x23.0m. There was small hangar. There was 1 lift. Aircraft fuel stowage: ?. There were no hangar and lift by other data.

Project history

Escort aircraft carriers-tankers intending for transportation of oil to Japan, and also for providing of anti-air and anti-submarine protection of convoys. They were built by the order of Army command.

Yamashiro Maru class ships were designed on the basis of hulls of standard tankers of 2TL type (10100BRT). Cargo tanks were remained, but part of them was converted for aviation petrol storage. Under a flight deck there was a small hangar for 8 planes. Aircrafts moved upward by one elevator (on other data, the elevator was absent, and planes were stored directly on a flight deck).

Unusual element of Yamashiro Maru architecture was funnel, deduced afterward (like on Kaga); other feature was the anti-submarine mortar installed on a forecastle. Air group consisted of Army aircrafts. Before her lost Yamashiro Maru was planned to conversion to coal-burning by the reason of oil shortage.

Modernizations

None.

Naval service

Yamashiro Maru was sunk by American aircraft (TF.58) 17.2.1945 at Yokohama.