Officially known within the Japanese imperial navy as a 200 ton oceanographic research ship based on the design of the Sanýo Maru of the Hokkaido Fisheries Institute. The navy wanted to have information about the weather and ocean currents in areas which were potential battle fields. The crew consisted of merchant personnel except for part of the warrant officers. In service of the Hydrographic Department was - despite a directly control by the navy - a civil ensign raised. With a displacement of 203 (gross)-281 standing) tons and as dimensions 37,0 (over all) x 6,8 x 1,3 (draught) x 3,3 (draft) metres or 121.5 x 22.4 x 7.7 x 10.10 feet. The machinery consisted of 1 400bhp diesel with a single screw allowing a speed of 11 knots. With a speed of 11 knots was a range of 7.000 nautical miles possible. In 1944 numbered the crew 44 men. The armament consisted pf 1-13,2mm/0.52” anti aircraft Type 93 gun, a 7,7mm Type 92 machine gun and some depth charges. Laid down by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Shimoneseki Shipyard, Japan on 6 April 1942, launched on 12 November 1942, completed on 28 February 1943, handed over to the Ministry of Transport on 29 November 1945, to the Maritime Safety Agency on 1 May 1948, hull number then HG-02 later changed into HM-02, renamed Kaiyo Maru No. 5 on 20 October 1949, lost during the eruption of the submarine volcano Myojin-sho in the Izu Islands [earlier known as the De Vries Archipelago] and stricken on 27 April 1953
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