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Tuesday 28 March 2017

Netherlands taking over former Japanese waships according t the Dutch newspaper Nieuwe courant dated 28 March 1947

An item reported that along the Genua wharf in Surabaya, Dutch East Indies the former Japanese ship Fuyu Maru was lying coming from Singapore. Master was Wayenberg. In tow she brought another Japanese ship the Kanto Maru. Both ships were estimated to measure respectively 4.500 and 3.000 tons and served during the Second World War as troop transports. The Fuyu Maru dating from 1943 was probably even built as troop transport and seemed to have served off the Solomons Islands. After the Japanese capitulation used for transporting Japanese military from the Philippines back to Japan. Both ships became property of the Dutch East Indies government while at the time Japan capitulated the ships were in the Dutch East Indies. Despite lacking maintenance was the Fuyu Maru considered to be very useful ship and which was probably to be converted into a buoy layer. On board was a 30 tons davit and while she carried 3-60 ton floats with hem was believed that the Japanese used her a salvage ships for sunk small ships. Both ships were loaded with totally 7.000 ton of rails  (with a total length of circa 6 kilometres) belonging to the government and private railways seized by the Japanese and transported from Java, Dutch East Indies towards Malacca. Both ships were taken over at Singapore departing on the 15 towards the Dutch East Indies arriving with a speed of just 4,5 miles on the 25th.