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Rakuyo Maru SurvivorsPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates the landing of 86 Australians who survived the sinking of the Japanese ship, Rakuyō Maru.
The Rakuyō Maru (with 1,318 Australian and British prisoners of war aboard) and Kachidoki Maru (900 British prisoners of war) were part of a convoy carrying mostly raw materials that left Singapore for Japan on 6 September 1944. The prisoners were all survivors of the Burma - Thailand Railway who had only recently returned to Singapore.
On the morning of 12 September 1944 the convoy was attacked by United States of America submarines in the South China Sea. Rakuyō Maru was sunk by USS Sealion II and Kachidoki Maru by USS Pampanito. Prisoners able to evacuate the ships spent the following days in life rafts or clinging to wreckage in open water. About 150 Australian and British survivors were rescued by American submarines. A further 500 were picked up by Japanese destroyers and continued the journey to Japan. Those not rescued perished at sea. A total of 1,559 Australian and British prisoners of war were killed in the incident, all missing at sea (1,159 from Rakuyō Maru, 400 from Kachidoki Maru).
Location
| Address: | Newstead Avenue , Newstead Terrace Park , Newstead , 4006 |
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| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -27.443321 Long: 153.046581 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
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| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 15-October-1944 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 15-October-1944 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 15th October, 2004 |
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On 12th September 1944, the Japanese troopship Rakuyo Maru, sailing in convoy from Singapore to Japan and carrying 1300 Australian and British Prisoners of War, was attacked and sunk by the United States Navy submarine, USS Sealion II (SS-315) in the South China Sea. One hundred and fifty-nine Allied survivors were rescued by USN submarines that returned to the battle area over 15th - 17th September and taken to Saipan.
This plaque commemorates the landing of 86 Australian survivors of the Rakuyo Maru at the site of Newstead #3 Wharf on 25th October 1944 from Guadalcanal by the minelayer, USS Monadnock (CM-9) and honours the memory of those who did not return.
Dedicated by Commander Michael Houghton, ADC, RAN Senior Naval Officer, South Queensland
15th October 2004.
"Lest We Forget".
USS Monadnock (CM-9)
Call Sign : N - C - A - V
