The Subic Bay Hellship Attacks December 1944)

In December 1944, a series of American air attacks in Subic Bay in the Philippines struck Japanese transport ships carrying Allied prisoners of war. These attacks, part of the broader Allied campaign to destroy Japanese shipping in the western Pacific, inadvertently caused one of the most tragic episodes in the history of the Hellships. Several Japanese transports carrying hundreds of POWs were bombed and strafed by U.S. Navy aircraft, resulting in heavy casualties among the prisoners. The attacks revealed the deadly reality of the Hellships system: the ships carrying prisoners were unmarked and indistinguishable from ordinary military cargo transports.

By late 1944 the strategic situation in the Pacific had shifted dramatically. Allied forces had landed in the Philippines in October during the Battle of Leyte, and American carrier task forces were conducting aggressive strikes against Japanese shipping throughout the region. Japanese authorities in Manila began evacuating prisoners from camps such as Bilibid Prison, fearing their liberation by advancing Allied forces. Thousands of prisoners were loaded onto transport ships in Manila Harbor and forced into overcrowded cargo holds for shipment to labor camps in Taiwan, China, and Japan. These transports included the ships Oryoku Maru, Enoura Maru, and Brazil Maru, vessels that would soon become infamous in the history of the Hellships.

On 13 December 1944, the first attacks occurred when aircraft from the U.S. Third Fleet struck Japanese shipping in Manila Harbor. One of the ships attacked was the Japanese transport Oryoku Maru, which was carrying more than 1,600 American and Allied prisoners of war. Bombs and strafing runs severely damaged the ship and caused numerous casualties among the prisoners confined below deck. After the damaged vessel was towed to Subic Bay, the prisoners were forced ashore and confined in brutal conditions at the naval base while Japanese authorities attempted to arrange further transport.

Subic Bay soon became the scene of renewed attacks. On 15 December, American carrier aircraft again struck Japanese ships in the harbor and surrounding waters. Pilots targeted transports, barges, and other vessels believed to be carrying troops and supplies. Because the ships carrying POWs were not marked and intelligence reports did not indicate that prisoners were aboard, the aircraft attacked them as legitimate military targets. The result was devastating for the prisoners. Many were killed by bomb blasts and strafing fire, while others died in the chaos that followed as Japanese guards attempted to move surviving prisoners between ships and shore facilities.

Survivors of the attacks were eventually loaded onto other transports to continue the journey north. In late December 1944 they were placed aboard the ships Enoura Maru and Brazil Maru, which sailed toward Taiwan. The ordeal was far from over. In January 1945, while anchored in Takao Harbor (modern Kaohsiung), Enoura Maru was bombed again by American aircraft, killing hundreds more prisoners. Those who survived the voyage were transferred to Brazil Maru and eventually reached Japan, where they were assigned to forced labor in mines, factories, and other wartime industries.

The Subic Bay attacks illustrate the tragic intersection of strategic warfare and human suffering. Allied forces were determined to destroy Japan’s maritime transport system, which was essential for moving troops and supplies across the Pacific. Yet because the Hellships were not marked as POW transports, American pilots had no way of knowing that prisoners were aboard the vessels they attacked. The events in Subic Bay therefore stand as one of the most dramatic examples of the dangers faced by POWs transported by sea during the Pacific War.

Today the story of the Subic Bay Hellship attacks is remembered as part of the larger history of the Hellships. It highlights the brutal conditions endured by prisoners, the complexity of wartime decision-making, and the devastating consequences of Japan’s decision to transport POWs in unmarked cargo ships. Through continued research and remembrance, historians and memorial organizations seek to ensure that the suffering of those prisoners—and the events that unfolded in Subic Bay in December 1944—are not forgotten