Japanese transport ship Hakuyo Maru (1942)

She was laid down on 3 July 1941 at the Kobe shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. for the benefit of Osaka Merchant Shipping Co., Ltd., Osaka.^[1] She was launched on 29 August 1942 and completed on 29 December 1942.^[1]

23 October 1944, she left Kataoka Bay Naval Base, Shimushu Island, Kuril Islands for Otaru in convoy WO-303 along with transports Hokoku Maru and Umegawa Maru escorted by the destroyer Kamikaze and Etorofu-class escort ship Fukue.^[2][3] The transports are filled with naval personnel and fishery workers being removed to the homeland for the winter from the islands of Shimushu and Paramushiro.^[2]

On 25 October 1944, she was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine USS Seal at 50°21′N 150°20′E / 50.350°N 150.333°E / 50.350; 150.333^[2][4][5] west of the Kuril Islands. She sank quickly in the frigid waters with 1,451 lives lost including 1,312 passengers.^[2] Seal evaded depth charge attacks by the escorts and the remainder of the convoy reached Otaru safely.^[2]