Hello,

not long ago, I have come across the following story:

In 1938/39 the Japanese whalecatchers TOSHI MARU 6, 8 & 9 were frozen in heavy pack ice whilst lying in the icefield to seek shelter from a heavy gale. According to a Japanese internetsite I translated with Altavista, TOSHI MARU 8 was recovered in the following year, being the only ship listed in later register sources (under the same name). Now, Lloyds records a renaming for Toshi Maru No. 9 to Tama Maru 11.
According to the same japanese source, the ship was named TAMA MARU No. 11 from the beginning.
However, in all registers available to me, a TAMA MARU No. 11 never existed (exept the one correction stamped into LR 38/39 (at Plimsoll Shipdata), reading „TOSHI MARU No. 9… abandonned at sea 3/39 ?? TAMA MARU No.11). No TAMA MARU # 11 in later LR’s.
On the other hand, this link
[www.aa.cyberhome.ne.jp]
has a photo of a whalecatcher which is supposed to be the TAMA MARU 11.

Can anyone solve this mystery? Quite impossible that the ship was renamed prior to being abandonned, but then why couldn’t I find a TAMA MARU No. 11 anywhere else?

Whilst the fates of many japanese catchers are listed at miramar, they havn’t included the TOSHI’s & TAMA’s yet. Therefore, I would also like to know the fate of those ships which escaped the ice. Are there any web-links which might list the fates of Japanese auxiliary naval craft?

Regards, Max