Kaiwo Maru (1930)

She was built by Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation in Kobe, and was launched on 27 January 1930 alongside her sister ship Nippon Maru.

[1] At the beginning of World War II, her sailing rig was removed and she served as a training and postwar transport motorship.

[1] In 1955, her rig was reinstalled and she resumed her training voyages until she was replaced in 1989 by her successor, also named Kaiwo Maru.

[1] She is rigged as a four-masted barque, with 32 sails covering 2,397 square metres (25,800 sq ft), and two 600-horsepower diesel engines for auxiliary functions.

Trained local volunteers unfurl the sails several times a year, usually on public holidays.