Tōfuku Maru

The Tōfuku Maru (東福丸) was a Japanese Dai-ichi Taifuku Maru-class built and operated cargo ship and hellship.

[1] Between October 27 and November 27, 1942 it transported 1200 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and 600 Japanese Army troops between Singapore and Moji, Japan.

[2] Twenty-seven prisoners died during the journey, the result of poor hygiene conditions on the ship.

On 24 December 1943, the USS Gurnard sunk the Tōfuku Maru off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

During the trial it was found that the POWs (a mix of American, Dutch, Australian and British) were crammed into two holding areas with an average area of 5 men per 6 square foot and that toiletry facilities and foods were insufficient for their needs.