The Sinking of the Junyo Maru
One of the largest, yet most forgotten, maritime disaster of WWII.
Outline:
In September 1944 5620 Dutch, English, Australian and American POWs and Javanese slave labourers died when the 5000 ton Japanese cargo boat Junyo Maru – under the command of Japanese Forces – was torpedoed off the western coast of Sumatra by a British submarine HMS Tradewind.
The prisoners were on their way to Padang to be put to work on the Pakanbaru – Muara Railway in Sumatra. Not as famous as the Burma Railway but just as deadly!
The exact position of the sinking was reported as 2º 52′ S, 101º 12′ E.
Read all about this little known historic event here.